This weekend, USC baseball will play in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. The Trojans will head to the College Station Regional in Texas, where they will open up play against Texas State on Friday.
In order to win the regional and advance in the tournament, USC will need to win three or four games between Friday and Monday. This creates a very interesting pitching dilemma for head coach Andy Stankiewicz.
The Trojans have perhaps the best starting pitcher in the country in Mason Edwards. Do they use him on their opener on Friday? Or do they save him for a potential showdown with host Texas A&M the following night?
The situation is a complex one, though. The Trojans will likely need to beat the Aggies twice in order to advance. If Edwards pitches on Friday and only goes a few innings, he may be available again on Sunday or Monday. If he goes Saturday, however, that would likely have to be his only appearance of the regional.
USC also has a great No. 2 option in Grant Govel. However, the team’s pitching depth beyond those two is somewhat limited, with the bullpen struggling throughout the year.
There are numerous variables to this equation. It will be fascinating to see how Stankiewicz decides to play things as he looks to take the Trojans to the second weekend of the tournament for the first time in more than two decades.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC baseball faces difficult pitching dilemma for NCAA Tournament
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
