USC baseball lands on its next head coach, per report
USC has found its next head baseball coach.
According to D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers, the Trojans are expected to hire Grand Canyon coach Andy Stankiewicz. He’ll replace former head coach Jason Gill, whom the program “parted ways” with in early June.
🚨BREAKING: @USC_Baseball will hire Andy Stankiewicz as its next head coach, sources tell @d1baseball. Stankiewicz spent the last 11 seasons as the head coach at @GCU_Baseball and recently led the program to another NCAA tournament appearance. #FightOn #USC pic.twitter.com/9QiLHcAZIg
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) July 3, 2022
The Trojans went 10-5 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season under Gill, but it was sandwiched between losing marks. In total, USC has endured losing seasons in five of the last six years.
Gill and the Trojans jumped out to an 11-2 start to begin this most recent campaign but fell apart down the stretch. They finished last in the Pac-12, missing the inaugural league tournament, and closing the year 25-28 (8-22 Pac-12).
Stankiewicz will look to reverse those fortunes.
A former big leaguer, professional scout, and minor league manager, Stankiewicz has guided the GCU program to a 341-239-2 record (.588 winning percentage) and five WAC regular-season titles in his 11 years in charge.
He’s won back-to-back WAC titles on two separate occasions (2017/18 and 2021/22), with the most recent pair of titles marking some of the most successful seasons in program history. GCU has won 80 games in the last two years, earning the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance at the D-I level (2021) and its first at-large selection into the NCAA tournament (2022).
A four-time WAC Coach of the Year, Stankiewicz has also been charged with leading the U18 USA Baseball national team to an undefeated gold-medal run at the World Baseball Cup in September 2017.
Stankiewicz also has a strong track record of player development as GCU’s head coach. During his tenure, 17 Lopes have been selected in the MLB First Year Player Draft. Five have come in the first 10 rounds. Additionally, 51 Lopes have earned First or Second Team all-conference selections (30 first-teamers).
A formal announcement from the Trojans is expected soon.