April 22, 2008

Los Angeles, CA (UWIRE) -- Talk of postseason hopes begun to reverberate around the USC baseball team in the last few weeks, as the Trojans emerged as a surprise power in the loaded Pac-10.

USC looked to have overcome an early season slump with four straight games scoring double digits and five wins against ranked opponents in six games early in April.

But when the Trojans take the field tonight against San Diego State at 7 the optimism will have changed to puzzlement on the heels of a 35-6 lashing by UC Santa Barbara over a three-game series last weekend.

Aside from sophomore shortstop Grant Green, who managed to keep his 13-game hitting streak intact against the Gauchos, the Trojans (19-19) come into tonight's game once again struggling from the plate and ranked in the bottom half of the conference in most offensive categories including batting average, runs scored and on base percentage.

While the Trojans, at 6-6 in the Pac-10, are on track to meet USC coach Chad Kretuer's preseason goal for his team to finish above .500 in the conference, USC continues to struggle in its local series with just three weekday wins at home this season.

"Before [we can finish .500 in conference] we need to win our local series," Kreuter said at the beginning of the year. "Win those Tuesday, Wednesday games. Win those home games."

For a team that once looked poised to make a run at regional play, USC will need to get back on track against an Aztec team (23-17) that is nursing its own two-game losing streak.

The two teams faced off back in the first week of the season where the Aztecs topped USC in San Diego, 2-1.

Despite recording just three hits in the game, SDSU scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh off USC reliever Philip Urso on a balk with the bases loaded, and a subsequent wild pitch.