After the game, MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said he was happy with his team for showing fight throughout the whole season.

“It was a tough day today for our guys, but I’m really proud of the effort all year long, today included,” Boss said. “I think we had a great experience out here in Omaha.” 

In the quarterfinal match, MSU failed to tally a single run, never capitalizing on the team's few base runners. One through nine, the Spartan lineup had no answer to the USC pitching staff, even with Edwards' day ending sooner than expected by way of an hour and a half rain delay. MSU struck out 11 times, with five batters seeing three strikes more than once. The team tallied six hits and left 10 on base.

The lengthy rain delay halted the momentum built by MSU during the fourth inning, and nothing came of it by the time the rain dried. MSU finished its 2026 campaign at 25-32 (11-20), marking MSU's worst season by record in five years, although two postseason wins marked the team’s best Big Ten Tournament run since 2016.

Boss put graduate RHP JD Greely on the bump as the team’s starter after running out of their top arms earlier in the week. The coaching staff opted for a bullpen day with seven pitchers seeing action. Greely was blasted in the first as USC put two quick runs on the board. The next inning, he was taken out for Brady Chambers, who lasted two frames — the most of any Spartan arm all day.

Greely and Chambers combined for four earned runs, four hits, six strikeouts, three walks and 82 pitches, all by the end of the third. Seven of nine hits from the Trojans were for extra bases, as they put up seven runs by the fifth inning. After pitching to contact in the first two games, MSU was looking for Ks, punching out 11. Too many balls were left in the zone, and USC clobbered the baseball when they could.

MSU never linked more than one hit together nor had more than one baserunner in an inning twice. MSU’s best chance at a comeback came late in the seventh. Junior second baseman Ryan McKay took first base on a single to right, and the Trojans’ Chase Herrell walked the next two batters, loading the bases. But with pressure mounting, freshman CJ Deckinga chopped one to third base, nixing the inning and MSU’s only viable chance on offense. 

Senior left fielder Nick Williams finished his time at MSU as well as anyone could have asked for. He put together a 2-for-4 game at the plate with a walk and extended his hit streak to 16 games. Junior right fielder Parker Picot was the only other Spartan with a pair of hits on the day.

Senior Randy Seymour came into his own this season, becoming the team’s top bat. Though striking out twice on an 0-for-4 day, Seymour finished his senior campaign with an improved batting average and four times the number of home runs as last year (16).

”They’re all really good kids. I mean, they’re guys that have been here five years, four years, three years, two years and even just one,” Boss said. “They’re going to be great husbands and great fathers. And we’re proud to call them Spartan alums.”

There were eight seniors on this year’s 32-man roster — three will be replaced in the batting order. The Spartans have an improving young core for next season. 

With the loss to the Trojans, Boss wraps up his 18th season with MSU, his sixth losing season in the past eight years. MSU’s skipper signed a contract extension earlier this year, keeping him in East Lansing through the 2030 season.