The USC Trojans' 2026 baseball campaign concluded with a 4‑3 defeat to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Super Regional final, a game that slipped away in the final inning.
Andrew Johnson delivered a stellar outing, limiting the Tar Heels to just one run over 7.2 innings, while USC jumped out to a 3‑1 lead in the fifth after an early first‑inning score.
The Final Inning Drama
North Carolina answered back in the eighth to knot the game at 3‑3, and two batters later a decisive hit in the bottom of the ninth pushed them ahead, sealing a 4‑3 victory.
The loss capped a season that saw the Trojans finish with a program‑best 48 wins, the most since 1998, and secure the school's first Super Regional appearance in over two decades.
Under Head Coach Andy Stankiewicz, USC has steadily risen, transforming from a last‑place Pac‑12 finish in his debut season to a fourth‑place conference standing and a 30‑plus win campaign in 2024.
The run to the Super Regional also marked the Trojans' return to the NCAA Tournament after a ten‑year hiatus, underscoring the program's resurgence.