Andy Stankiewicz Highlights USC Trojans' Road Mentality After UNC Upset

After a historic College Station Regional win, surviving four consecutive elimination games and upsetting the host team in Texas A&M, the USC Trojans found themselves on the road once again on June 5, this time against the No. 5 team in the nation, the UNC Tar Heels. After falling behind early, the Trojans rallied in the seventh inning, stealing Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional with a final score of 9-5.

"Good game, I mean a well-played ball game. A bit of a rollercoaster ride, up and down. That's typically what we get in the postseason," USC coach Andy Stankiewicz said following the win. "They jumped out and we were able to hang in there and minimize [them] a little bit."

Stankiewicz gave UNC credit for their disciplined play and offensive power but knew the Trojans would prevail if they kept it competitive.

Five Straight Wins on the Road

Southern Cal's Game 1 win over North Carolina marks five consecutive road wins for the Trojans.

When asked if joining the Big Ten has made the Trojans well-traveled and experienced on the road, Stankiewicz retorted that the Trojans have been on the road the past three years.

"We've been [on a] bus…These young men are road warriors. I don't think they know much different," Stankiewicz said about the travel with conference realignments. "There's some concern there obviously, We forget sometimes they're students…It takes its toll, but we got a great training staff, strength coach and nutritionist."

Stankiewicz's Hero of Super Regional Game 1

"I got to say what a job Chase Herrell did today and what he did down in College Station. His two back-to-back outings have been tremendous for us," Stankiewicz said about Herrell.

In two innings, Herrell held the Tar Heels at bay with one run, three hits and a strikeout. He now has a winning record of 6-4.

Tarheels Take an Early 4-1 Lead

It was a scoreless first inning as UNC sophomore pitcher Ryan Lynch and USC ace Mason Edwards allowed no hits and a total of five strikeouts. Lynch's hot streak continued at the top of the second, throwing two strikes with zero hits.

At the bottom of the second, UNC started to heat up at the plate. It started with a single by Tyler Howe and the walk of Colin Hynek. Jake Schaffner's single-RBI brought Howe home while Gavin Gallaher's sacrifice fly allowed Hyneck to score.

Andrew Lamb opened the third inning with a home run to cut into the Tar Heels' lead 2-1. Dean Carpentier was able to get a single after the score but the Trojan offense was shut down by Lynch once again.

Edwards' struggles continued at the bottom of the third, allowing a hit, a walk and two runs off a double-RBI by Erik Paulsen and an error. At the bottom of the fourth, Edwards was relieved by Chase Herrell, finishing the day with four hits, four runs, four walks and five strikeouts in three innings.

"Unfortunately it's taxing. Made him jump up in the pitch count numbers," Stankiewicz said about Edwards rough day. "They had a good gameplan against him, they weren't chasing down…They went to school a little bit, on his stiff pretty good."

USC Trojans' Mid-Game Rally

Lynch shut down the Trojans' offense through the fourth and fifth inning, throwing four strikeouts and only one hit. Then at the bottom of the fifth, Hynek's double-RBI extended UNC's lead 5-1, seemingly putting the game out of reach.

Then at the top of the sixth, the Lopez's – Adrian and Augie – lit a spark at the plate with back-to-back singles. Kevin Takeuchi made it three-consecutive hits with a single-RBI, cutting into the lead 2-5. After Lamb was walked, Carpentier came to the plate with bases loaded and he delivered with a grand slam, the first of his career.

Southern Cal put the game away at the top of the seventh. The Lopez's got onto base once more with back-to-back hits while Takeuchi was walked. Isaac Cadena grounded out to second, allowing Adrian to score while Jack Basseer's grounder brought Augie home, extending the Trojan's lead 8-5. The nail in the coffin came off of Lamb's sacrifice bunt, bringing home Takeuchi for the final score of 9-5.

The Trojans have a chance to win the series tomorrow, Saturday June 6 at 11 a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET) on ESPN. If the Tar Heels even the series, Game 3 will be played on Sunday, June 7.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/usc as Andy Stankiewicz Highlights USC Trojans' Road Mentality After UNC Upset.

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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 8:22 PM.