USC

The University of Southern California was founded in 1880, with an affiliation with the Methodist Church (a tie that was severed in 1952).

The school’s athletic teams gained the nickname “Trojans” in 1912, when a local sportswriter wrote that the track and field team had “fought like Trojans” against a superior Stanford team.

The baseball team began play in 1888. In 1923, USC joined the Pacific Coast Conference, went independent again in 1925, then rejoined the PCC for one more year in 1926. The following year, the baseball squad became a charter member of the California Intercollegiate Baseball Association – where they stayed through 1966. For the 1967 season, the USC baseball squad joined the rest of the USC teams in the Athletic Association of Western Universities (which changed the its name to the Pacific 8 Conference the next year). With expansion in subsequent years, the conference was renamed Pac-10 and now Pac-12.

In the summer of 2022, USC and UCLA notified the Pac-12 that they were both withdrawing to join the Big Ten Conference beginning in August, 2024.

The Trojans have won a record 12 College World Series (most recently in 1998), appearing in 21 total (most recently in 2001).

The Trojans also have sent more than 100 players to the Major Leagues, according to Baseball Almanac, including Hall of Famers Tom Seaver and Randy Johnson, and perennial All-Stars such as Fred Lynn, Mark McGwire, Ron Fairly, Dave Kingman and Barry Zito.

Until 1973, baseball games were played on campus at Brovard Field – which was shared with the football team until 1923. Dedeaux Field opened across campus for the 1974 season, and was named in honor of longtime coach (and former USC player) Rod Dedeaux. The newly renovated Dedeaux Field will open for the 2026 season.

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