USC Trojans Transfer Portal Tracker: Who's Coming, Staying, and Leaving
The USC Trojans' baseball season ended in the Chapel Hill Super Regional, one round away from the College World Series. As the remaining eight teams, including the North Carolina Tar Heels, compete in Omaha, Nebraska, USC has to turn the page quickly.
With the Trojans officially in the offseason, relief pitcher Matthew Morrell and designated hitter Augie Lopez have entered the transfer portal.
USC Trojans Suffer Transfer Portal Departures
Matthew Morrell
Per D1Baseball, Trojans relief pitcher Matthew Morrell became the first player from USC to enter the transfer portal.
Morrell played one season at USC after transferring in from Oregon State, and his season was impacted his recovery from Tommy John surgery after suffering an elbow injury during 2025 with the Beavers. He made one appearance for the Trojans and pitched 0.2 injuries, but Morrell was taken out of the game and shut down for the season with what seemed to be a setback in his recovery.
As he enters the portal, Morrell will be joining the third team of his college career. A Southern California native, Morrell could look to stay closer to home, but he should attract multiple programs even despite the potential injury concerns. At Oregon State, Morrell was a valuable arm out of the bullpen, pitching in 15 games and posting a 1-0 record with one save as a freshman.
As as sophomore, Morrell had a 1.04 ERA through seven games before his season was shut down due to Tommy John surgery.
Augie Lopez
On Thursday, On3's Pete Nakos reported that USC catcher/designated hitter Augie Lopez will be entering the portal, becoming the second transfer departure for the Trojans and coach Andy Stankiewicz.
Lopez was a consistent contributor for USC and Stankiewicz's lineup. In 58 games as a sophomore, he finished with a batting average of .278 and an OPS of .954. Lopez had the second most RBIs on the team at 57 behind Kevin Takeuchi's 61, but Lopez led USC with 19 home runs on the season.
Meanwhile, Lopez was named the Most Outstanding Player of the College Station Regional, leading USC to four consecutive wins in elimination games, including two wins over the hosting team in Texas A&M. Lopez finished the College Station Regional with seven runs, eight hits, nine RBIs, a double and two home runs.
A California recruit, having played for nearby Loyola High School before joining USC, Lopez's decision to transfer comes somewhat as a surprising one. However, the departure of Lopez could be explained by USC's depth at the catcher position with junior Isaac Cadena still having one season of eligibility remaining.
Still, losing a bat like Lopez will sting for the Trojans as USC looks to return to the College World Series for the first time since 2001.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/usc as USC Trojans Transfer Portal Tracker: Who's Coming, Staying, and Leaving.
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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 11:36 AM.