The Trojans have won an unprecedented 11 NCAA championships, 36 Pac-10 titles and have made 18 appearances in the College World Series.
More than 70 Trojans have played in the major leagues, including such standouts as Tom Seaver, Fred Lynn, Ron Fairly, Randy Johnson, Mark McGwire and Bret Boone.
Veteran USC head coach Mike Gillespie, who earned his 400th win on Tuesday against UC Santa Barbara, came within one game of winning the College World Series in 1995. Last year's team fell one short of making a return trip to Omaha, Neb., by losing in the Central II Regional final.
That 44-16-1 team returns 17 players, including standout pitchers Seth Etherton and Randy Flores. They have been named back-to-back Pac-10 Pitchers of the Year and are key reasons why the Trojans have won back-to-back conference titles as well.
Flores, 3-0 this year with an ERA of 2.29, will start tonight's opener of a three-game USC-Hawaii series at Rainbow Stadium. The senior came into the season with a 33-5 lifetime record and ERA of 2.57. He will be one of the best pitchers the Rainbows face this season.
"This is a quality baseball program, no question," UH head coach Les Murakami said of the 8-2 Trojans, who are currently ranked No. 2 in the country. "They may have lost some guys from last year, but this is still a very good team."
That's because if Flores doesn't get you, then Etherton probably will. He is scheduled to pitch Saturday night's game. Last year, he finished 12-3 with an ERA of 3.94. He is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.37.
Just who will counter this 1-2 punch for Hawaii remains to be seen. Andrew McNally is slowed with a groin pull and a recent bout with the flu. UH trainers advised him to rest for at least a week.
That means Robby Robinson (0-2, 10.89) will start tonight, with Dusty Bergman (0-2, 10.97) and Jamie Aloy (1-3, 5.93) taking the hill tomorrow and Sunday.
They will be trying to slow down a team that is hitting .311 with seven homers and 66 RBIs. The Trojans are 2-1 in Pac-10 South play and took two of three from powerful Long Beach State.
Shortstop Mark Mirizzi is USC's leading hitter with a .429 average. He has one homer and 11 RBIs. Second baseman Wes Rachels is right behind with a .406 average. He has one home run and seven RBIs.
"They're going to be as good as UCLA and Miami of Florida," Murakami said. "They have good pitching, hitting and fielding. They're the complete package."
At times, Hawaii has shown it has a fairly good package of its own, but not on a consistent level. The 3-10 Rainbows are coming off a win over Oregon State.
Outfielder Robert Medeiros and designated hitter Tracy Nakano lead the Rainbows in hitting with .333 averages. Hawaii raised its overall batting average to .271, but the team earned run average is still an alarming 9.31.
The Rainbows did get back Ken Mackenzie from academic purgatory, but it will take the sophomore some time to get into pitching shape.
"Once we get everybody back, we should be better," Murakami said. "It's been tough because so many of our pitchers have missed time with injuries and academics, but I believe in this team."
Hawaii vs. USC: Today at 7:05 p.m., tomorrow at 6:35 p.m. and Sunday at 3:05 p.m.