USC hires Grand Canyon’s Andy Stankiewicz to rebuild Trojans’ baseball program

Ryan Kartje and Iliana Limon Romero (LA Times) —  USC has hired Andy Stankiewicz (17) to be the Trojans’ new baseball coach, turning to a well-respected veteran to rebuild a fractured program that has the most national titles at the Division I level but hasn’t reached the postseason since 2015.

Stankiewicz, an Inglewood native, former Major League Baseball infielder and four-time Western Athletic Conference coach of the year, is leaving Division I Grand Canyon University in Arizona to lead the Trojans, a source not authorized to comment publicly ahead of a team meeting Sunday morning told The Times. The news was first reported by D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers.

USC fired coach Jason Gill on June 6 after three turbulent seasons leading the Trojans. The team finished last in the Pac-12 Conference, and Gill closed with a 60-59 record. His tenure was marred not only by two losing seasons, but also two university investigations first reported by The Times — one into his conduct and another into possible NCAA rules violations. USC’s compliance investigation found only one secondary violation.

Sources told The Times multiple players were poised to leave the program if a coaching change wasn’t made.

High-profile candidates were linked to the job, including former MLB shortstop and Texas volunteer assistant coach Troy Tulowitzki, but all reportedly passed on the opportunity. The challenges of rebuilding the roster and adapting to disruptions caused by construction ahead of the 2028 Olympics complicated the search.

USC has won 12 NCAA titles, but Stankiewicz is its fifth coach in 16 years. USC made just one NCAA regional (2015) appearance during that stretch while cycling through coaches who combined to produce just two winning seasons.

Stankiewicz has a 341-239-2 career coaching record and led Grand Canyon University to regular-season Western Athletic Conference titles in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021.

latimes.com

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