The Trojans improved to 11-10 after last night’s win against Pepperdine.  Despite the victory and the fact this is the first time since early February that they’re over .500 in the overall record, the Trojans aren’t celebrating just yet.  The players are taking one game at a time and not looking too far ahead.  Right now, everyone is ready for Saturday’s game against Stanford, which also marks the start of conference play. 

Some players don’t think anything’s going to change.  Relief pitcher Chris Mezger said, “We’re not focused on the results as we are on the process.  We’re about taking care of business and letting wins happen, so nothing changes with the opponent.” Others think the atmosphere’s going to change.  “The games going to be a lot faster and more intense,” said pitcher Shuhei Fujiya.  “We just have to be ready.”

What is USC doing to prepare for the game? Coach Chad Kreuter says the team has to do a better job throwing the right pitches.  “[In our losses], what you saw was those pitchers coming in and giving up one or two runs and not being able to minimize the damage and execute the the right pitch in those situations.” USC has been giving up the lead late in game, which has affected their ability to close the deal.  Coach Kreuter also mentioned momentum is a part of winning a game.  If the Trojans are able to keep the momentum on their side, they should be able to win more games, he said.

Hear what else the team has to say about preparing for Pac-10 play tonight on ATVN live at 6 pm on Trojan Vision 8 or catch the live stream on http://www.trojanvision.com.