Which USC baseball draftees chose to sign professional contracts?
USC made the NCAA Tournament in 2025, snapping a decade-long drought and taking one big step in building back the program. USC won two games and reached the regional final, which meant the Trojans were one of the top 32 teams in the country. USC came close to achieving the kind of season the program should regularly expect. USC baseball tradition was revived. It was progress for a school which owns 12 college baseball national championships.
So what is the status of the Trojans' draftees? Let's take a look:
Ethan Hedges
Hedges was selected in the third round of the draft by the Colorado Rockies. Per SBNation, he signed with Colorado for $950,000, $110,300 below slot value.
Caden Hunter
Hunter was selected in the sixth round of the draft by the Baltimore Orioles. Per SBNation, he signed with Baltimore for $344,600, under slot value by $2,500.
Bryce Martin-Grudzialanek
Martin-Grudzialanek was selected in the 20th round of the draft by the New York Yankees. Per SBNation, he signed with New York for $150,000, the maximum allowed for players draft in rounds 11-20 without counting against a team's bonus pool.
High school draftee picks the Trojans
High school pitcher and USC commit Gavin Lauridsen was selected in the 13th round of the draft by the 13th round of the draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. However, he elected not to sign with Milwaukee and will play for the Trojans next year, a big victory for head coach Andy Stankiewicz and the USC program.
Last year's top pick promoted
Last year, the Baltimore Orioles selected the USC center fielder in the third round of the draft. Per Jake Dill of MLB.com, the organization is promoting Overn to Double-A Chesapeake this week.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
USC football countdown to kickoff—Matt Leinart in focus
The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 11 days from today. You need something to help you while away the days and hours in the spring and summer. This is one way to do so. In this new series, countdown to kickoff, we will be counting down the days by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number. Today, we look at USC Heisman Trophy quarterback Matt Leinart. Position: Quarterback Years played at USC: 2001-2005 Career highlights: After redshirting in 2001 and serving as a backup behind Heisman winner Carson Palmer in 2002, Leinart won USC's starting quarterback job as a redshirt sophomore in 2003. His first start came in the road at Auburn, and he threw a touchdown on his first career pass attempt as he led the Trojans to a dominant 23-0 victory. Over the next three years, Leinart led USC to an incredible 37-2 record. The Trojans won the 2003 and 2004 national championships, giving Leinart as many national titles in his college career as losses. In 2005, they came up one game short of winning a third consecutive title, falling to Texas in an instant classic Rose Bowl. Leinart was named a first-team All-American and a Heisman finalist in both 2004 and 2005. In 2004, he won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the second USC quarterback to take home the honor in three years. He finished his time in Cardinal and Gold as USC's all-time leader in touchdown passes and No. 2 in passing yards—although he was later passed by Matt Barkley in both categories. After USC: The Arizona Cardinals selected Leinart with the 10th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. Although he spent seven years in the league, Leinart's NFL career is widely viewed as a disappointment, as he never lived up to the hype that surrounded him coming out of USC. He finished his time in the league with a 57.1 completion percentage and 15 touchdown passes to 21 interceptions while spending time with Arizona, the Houston Texans, and the Arizona Cardinals. Since retiring from football, Leinart has been a regular presence around the Trojans program, serving as a mentor to numerous other USC quarterbacks. He also works as an analyst on Fox Sports's Big Noon Kickoff college football pregame show.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Big Ten idea of 24 or 28-team College Football Playoff is absolutely crazy
The College Football Playoff has already expanded to 12 teams, completely changing the nature of the sport's postseason. Is that the right number for the long term? According to the leadership of USC's conference, perhaps not. Per a recent report from ESPN, the Big Ten has reportedly floated the idea of expanding the playoff to 24, or even 28 teams. This would more than double the size of the current field, and give us a playoff six or seven times the size of what it was just two years ago. 'Under the proposal, conference championship games would be scrapped, and there would be a sizable chunk of automatic bids awarded to each of the Power Four conferences,' Craig Meyer of USA TODAY Sports wrote about the proposal. 'In a 28-team model, according to ESPN, the Big Ten and SEC would each receive seven bids to the playoff, while the ACC and Big 12 would each get five. That would leave two spots for the non-power conferences, plus two at-large selections. The field would be seeded by the College Football Playoff committee, which would also be tasked with picking the at-large inclusions.' While it is highly unlikely that the proposal will come to pass anytime soon, the fact that it is even being talked about highlights where we are with college football in 2025. For better or worse, the playoff is priority No. 1 now, with rivalries, traditions, and conference races taking a back seat as a result. As for how this would affect USC? The Trojans have yet to qualify for the College Football Playoff at either four or 12 teams. If they are unable to make a 28-team playoff with seven guaranteed bids for the Big Ten, then they have some serious issues on their hands.
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Former USC running back Quinten Joyner suffers torn ACL, out for 2025 season
On Monday, the current USC football team suffered a blow when the Trojans learned that they will likely be without offensive lineman DJ Wingfield this season. That same day, a former USC player was also lost for the year, as Texas Texh running back Quinten Joyner suffered a torn ACL, per Pete Nakos of On3. As a redshirt freshman at USC last season, Joyner rushed for 478 yards and three touchdowns, while also adding 89 receiving yards and a score through the air. He was seemingly set to take over as the Trojans' lead running back in 2025 following the departure of Woody Marks for the NFL. However, he elected to enter the transfer portal prior to the Las Vegas Bowl, reportedly due to an NIL dispute. Joyner landed at Texas Tech, joining a Red Raiders team that has been receiving a good amount of hype in the Big 12. With Joyner now out for the season, they will now be forced to look elsewhere for production at the running back position. Meanwhile, the Trojans were busy in the portal at the position themselves, adding New Mexico transfer Eli Sanders and JUCO back Waymond Jordan. Those two, along with sophomore Bryan Jackson, figure to get the majority of the carries for USC this fall.
