Unfortunately, USC baseball will not be going to the College World Series this year. The Trojans nearly made it to Omaha, but lost in heartbreaking fashion to North Carolina in the Chapel Hill Super Regional, ending their season.
However, one former USC player will indeed be headed to Omaha this year. One of the eight teams in this year’s College World Series field is the Georgia Bulldogs. Included on Georgia’s pitching staff is former Trojans ace Caden Aoki.
After spending his freshman year at Notre Dame in 2022, Aoki transferred to USC prior to the 2023 season. He emerged as the Trojans’ top starting pitcher over the better part of the past three seasons. In 2025, Aoki went 6-4 with a 3.99 ERA.
In the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Aoki forever etched himself into Trojans lore. Starting USC’s first postseason game in a decade against TCU, he allowed just one run over eight innings, throwing 114 pitches. For his performance, Aoki was named to the all-Corvallis Regional team.
While Aoki was a senior last season, he was granted a fifth year of eligibility by the NCAA. However, he decided to use the year elsewhere, entering the transfer portal and ultimately landing at Georgia.
Obviously, USC fans would have preferred to see Aoki finish his college baseball career in Cardinal and Gold. However, he gave the Trojans three great years, and the two parties seemingly parted on good terms. Hence, USC fans can be happy for Aoki and wish him the best as he pitches in Omaha with Georgia this upcoming week.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Former USC pitcher Caden Aoki headed to Omaha with Georgia
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire | USA TODAY Network
