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The UC Riverside Highlanders will travel to take on the USC Trojans in a Wednesday night midweek college baseball matchup at Dedeaux Field. With that said, check out our college baseball odds series which has our UC Riverside-USC prediction and pick.
UC Riverside has struggled to a 2-5 record this season, losing three out of four games to Utah Valley over the weekend. Head coach Justin Johnson is in his third season at the helm of the Highlanders, struggling to just eight wins last season after winning 15 in 2021.
USC has opened their season at 3-3-1, basically being swept in an 0-2-1 weekend against Auburn. The Trojans are happy to be back in their home park, where they have played to a 3-1 record. Andy Stankiewicz is in his first season with the Trojans, following a successful tenure at Grand Canyon.
Here are the UC Riverside-USC NCAAB odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
NCAAB Odds: UC Riverside-USC Odds
UC Riverside Highlanders: +3.5 (-140)
USC Trojans: -3.5 (+110)
Over: 12.5 (-115)
Under: 12.5 (-115)
How To Watch UC Riverside vs. USC
TV:
Stream: USC Live Stream
Time: 9:30 PM ET/ 6:30 PM PT
*Watch NCAAB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why UC Riverside Could Cover The Spread
Sophomore outfielder Jayden Lopez leads the Highlanders' offense with a .471 batting average, hitting two doubles and two RBI. Lopez has rebounded in the early part of the season after a rough freshman campaign. Jacob Badawi leads the team with four RBI, ranking third with a .304 batting average. Anthony Mata, who does not have enough at-bats to qualify for the batting average lead, is hitting .474 in his five games, stealing two bases in as many attempts. Mata has walked three times, ranking second on the team. The Highlanders have stolen four bases, getting caught three times. UC Riverside has slashed .264/.340/.330 this season, clearing lacking any sort of real power threats. The Highlanders have yet to hit a home run in their seven games.
Tucker Juline leads the team with nine scoreless innings on the bump, allowing just four hits while striking out four batters. The junior righty has improved greatly after a shaky first two seasons. This is the first-midweek campaign for the Highlanders, and they have yet to publicly announce a starter. The pitching staff has thrown to a 6.10 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 59 innings this season.
Why USC Could Cover The Spread
Austin Overn, a highly-touted freshman, leads the team with a .429 batting average, three doubles, and three triples. Overn has also stolen two bases in as many attempts. The freshman outfielder also spent the fall as a backup receiver for the Trojans' football team. Nick Lopez, Cole Gabrielson, and Johnny Olmstead all tie for the team lead with three home runs. Lopez also leads the team with nine RBI. Junior Carson Wells is tied with Overn for the team lead with two stolen bases. The powerful Trojan offense has slashed .311/.437/.559 with 11 home runs, 20 doubles, and 51 RBI.
While the Trojans have not publicly announced a starter, Caden Aoki started one last week. Aoki allowed three earned runs in three innings in a loss to UC Irvine last week, striking out four without allowing a walk. Garrett Clarke has been lights out from the bullpen, allowing no earned runs in 6.2 innings, and striking out six in four appearances. The Trojans have registered a 5.46 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 61 innings.
Final UC Riverside-USC Prediction & Pick
USC at home against a rebuilding program? This one should be easy.
Final UC Riverside-USC Prediction & Pick: USC -3.5 (+110), over 12.5 (-115)
