Former big leaguer Andy Stankiewicz is the head baseball coach at the University of Southern California. He played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Montreal Expos, and Arizona Diamondbacks from 1992-1998. Before his pro career, the Inglewood, California native suited up for Pepperdine, where he led the Waves to NCAA tournament appearances his junior and senior seasons and finished in the career top 10 for at bats, runs scored, walks drawn, and bases stolen. After a brief stint in pro ball to begin his coaching career, Stankiewicz became an assistant at Arizona State for Pat Murphy, who is now the manager for the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2011, Stankiewicz became the head coach at Grand Canyon University, where he led the program’s transition to Division I, won multiple WAC regular season titles, earned WAC Coach of the Year honors, and guided the program to its first NCAA Tournament appearance. He was hired as USC’s head coach in 2022 and after three consecutive winning seasons, his Trojans were the last remaining unbeaten team in the 2026 season, rattling off 19-straight wins for the first time since 1955.
Inside Pitch: You had a great start to the 2026 season. Is that something that was building over time?
AS: It’s definitely been building. This is year four for us, and from the moment we got here, the focus was on laying a foundation. Our coaching staff, our administration, our players and everyone else involved understood that nothing was going to happen overnight, but we’ve just tried to stay consistent in what we preach: work ethic, effort, and attitude. Those are things that don’t always show up in the win column right away, and sometimes that can be frustrating. But if you stay the course long enough, you start to see the results.
I think what you’re seeing now is a group that’s bought into that. We’ve pitched really well, we’ve played good defense, and while we’re capable offensively, our identity right now starts on the mound. When you can control the game like that, it gives you a chance every single night.
IP: What’s been the difference with your pitching staff this year?
AS: Maturity. That’s the biggest thing—just growing up. Whether it’s adding strength or simply learning how to pitch at a higher level, those are great examples of things that don’t happen overnight. It’s repetition, experience, and learning how to handle different situations.
I think sometimes programs panic when things aren’t going well. They change philosophies, they overhaul everything. We’ve tried not to do that. We’ve stayed consistent in what we believe and how we develop our players.
We also try not to ride the emotional rollercoaster. We don’t get too high when things are going well, and we don’t get too low when they’re not. That’s baseball. Some days it works, some days it doesn’t. The key is showing up the next day ready to work.
That’s something our guys have really embraced—they just keep going.
IP: Did you always want to coach at USC?
AS: I grew up about 20 miles from here, so USC was always part of my world. As a kid in Southern California, especially in that era, if you played baseball, USC was the place. You wanted to wear that uniform.
I didn’t end up here as a player—I went to Pepperdine—but I had a great experience there. And later on, I built relationships with guys like Mike Gillespie and Andy Lopez, who became really influential in my life. I actually played for Coach Gillespie in summer ball, and that relationship stuck with me.
As I got into coaching, those were the guys I’d call. I’d lean on them for advice, for perspective. So, to have the opportunity to come back here and be a part of this program, it’s special.
I don’t know that I ever sat there and said, “This is the job I’m going to have someday.” But I do believe in allowing yourself to dream a little bit. And if there was ever a job that would pull me away from somewhere I loved as much as I loved Grand Canyon, this would be one of them—because it’s home.
IP: You’ve coached at different levels and in different environments. How has that shaped your perspective?
AS: It’s given me a lot of appreciation for the game and for people. I started managing in pro ball, then moved into college at Arizona State under Pat Murphy, which was an incredible experience. That was really my reintroduction to the college game after being away from it for a long time. I got to learn from one of the best—how to structure a program, how to manage players, how to compete at a high level.
From there, I went to Grand Canyon, where we were building something. A lot of what I learned at ASU, I tried to apply there. And now here at USC, there are some similarities in terms of building a foundation and establishing a culture.
At the end of the day, though, I don’t really think of myself as a “pro guy” or a “college guy.” I’m just a baseball guy. I love the game. I love being around it. I love learning more about it.
IP: Southern California is one of the most diverse baseball environments in the country. How do you approach building a roster in that kind of setting?
AS: I think baseball naturally brings together people from all different backgrounds, and that’s one of the great things about it. For us, it’s not about where a player is from—it’s about who he is. We’re looking for young men who love the game, who are passionate about it, and who want to be part of a team.
It’s not easy, but we are looking for vocal guys too. This isn’t tennis. It’s not golf. This is a team sport. You’re around each other constantly—on the field, in the clubhouse, on the bus. So there has to be a certain level of connection.
We talk a lot about energy. Are you a fountain or are you a drain? Are you bringing something positive to the group, or are you taking away from it? Because over the course of a long season, that matters.
We want guys who enjoy being around their teammates, who bring energy, who make the environment better. That’s a big part of what we look for.
IP: You played at the highest level. There’s a perception that former big leaguers can be difficult to play for because of expectations. How do you approach that?
AS: If anything, my experience has made me more understanding. I know how hard this game is. I lived it. There’s nothing a player goes through that I haven’t experienced—getting traded, getting released, being sent down, being called up, dealing with injuries. I’ve been through all of it.
And I remember how I felt during those times. I remember driving home after a bad game, frustrated, questioning everything. When our players go through that, I get it. The last thing they need is someone piling on, so my approach is to be a steady voice—to remind them that the game is hard, and that it’s okay to struggle.
Now, effort, attitude, focus—that’s different. Those are things we can control, and those are non-negotiable. But performance? That’s part of the game. And I think sometimes people forget just how difficult it really is.
From the stands or on TV, baseball can look easy at times. It’s not!
IP: How do you balance teaching the game versus letting players figure things out on their own?
AS: We’re teachers—that’s a big part of what we do. We spend a lot of time talking through situations. Why are we doing something a certain way? What’s the opponent trying to do, and how are we going to respond?
We use the phrase “punch, counterpunch” a lot. Baseball is a game of adjustments. If a team does something, how do we counter it? And more importantly, do our players understand why we’re making those decisions?
Because once they understand the why, they can start to make those adjustments on their own. Some guys pick it up quickly. Others take more time. But the goal is always the same—help them grow their baseball IQ and understand the game at a deeper level.
IP: The amount of technology available now is dramatically different from when you played. How do you decide what to use?
AS: It’s a balance. There’s no question that the technology has value and can provide really useful information. But it’s not one-size-fits-all.
Some players love it. They want all the data. They want to see pitch movement, spin rates, everything. Other players don’t need it at all. Our job is to figure out what works for each individual. If it helps them, we use it. If it doesn’t, we don’t force it.
We’re actually in the process of building a new facility with more of those resources, so it’s something I’m continuing to learn as well. If we’re going to use it, I want to make sure we’re using it the right way, because at the end of the day, it’s a tool. It’s not the answer.
IP: After all your experience in the game, what still drives you to keep learning?
AS: The game constantly humbles you. There’s always something new to learn. I watch other teams, other coaches, even other countries. This past summer, I went to Japan with the Collegiate National Team, and we went 0–5. That gets your attention. So you start watching—what are they doing? How are they training? What’s different? And you try to learn from it.
I listen to interviews, I study decisions, I pay attention to how coaches handle situations. Because this game is like a chess match. Every decision matters. Do you pinch-hit here? Do you go to the bullpen? Do you stay with your guy? There’s so much happening in real time.
And I tell our players all the time—I’m going to make mistakes too. I’m going to put a hit-and-run on at the wrong time. I’m going to make a call that doesn’t work out. But they know we’re doing the work as a staff, we’re preparing. We’re trying to put ourselves in the best position to succeed.
IP: With the transfer portal and NIL reshaping college athletics, how are you navigating that at USC?
AS: It’s definitely a different landscape. At USC, it’s expensive. Tuition is high, and we don’t have NIL resources. What we can offer is scholarship money and a USC education, which I think carries a lot of value.
In a way, it simplifies things. If a player is looking for NIL money, we’re probably not the right fit, and that’s okay. It makes the conversation more straightforward.
We do use the portal—we’ve brought in some players who have really helped us—but we still want to build from within. We want to develop players, keep them in our program, and build a culture.
Because at the end of the day, the players who choose USC are choosing it for the right reasons. And that’s important to us.
IP: When you look at your program now, what are you most proud of?
AS: I think just the consistency in how we’ve gone about it. We didn’t try to shortcut anything. We didn’t panic when things weren’t going well. We just stayed the course, kept teaching, kept reinforcing what we believe in.
And now you’re starting to see a group that reflects that—guys who compete, who support each other, who understand what it takes. We still have a long way to go, and there’s a lot we can improve on. But I like the direction we’re heading.
And more than anything, I like the kind of people we have in the program. That’s what gives you a chance.