Coach Carroll and some of his staff members head to the Coliseum to take some swings on the baseball field before Saturday’s exhibition
By Ben Malcolmson USCRipsIt PeteCarroll.com
Nothing like taking some batting practice at the Coliseum to break up the day.
Coach Pete Carroll and several members of the coaching staff took some swings at the Trojans’ home field on Wednesday afternoon, three days before the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox will take the Coliseum field in a nostalgic exhibition game.
Carroll and tight ends coach Brennan Carroll each drilled three homers over the 62-foot-high net down the 199-foot left field line, and quarterbacks assistant Yogi Roth hit the staff’s only other home run in the hour-long batting practice session.
Carroll and his staff had the opportunity to take batting practice Wednesday through ThinkCure, the Dodgers’ official charity dedicated to finding a cure for cancer. All the proceeds from Saturday’s exhibition, which will attract more than 110,000 fans, will go directly to ThinkCure.
“ThinkCure is a really special charity and I’m glad we can help champion the cause,” said Carroll, who wore a ThinkCure jersey during batting practice. “Saturday’s game should go a long way toward raising support and awareness to finding a cure.”
Brennan Carroll first cleared the monstrous net in left field with three Moon shots that towered in the air before coming down in about the 20th row of what are usually the sideline sections of seats. He trotted around the bases after his first homer while bellowing, with his own echo, “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”
Roth followed with a Ruthian bomb of his own, and Pete Carroll, in his second round of swings, nailed three-out-of-five pitches from offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian over the 62-foot-high net. To put it in perspective, Boston’s Green Monster rises only 37 feet.
Sarkisian, defensive coordinator Nick Holt and director of player personnel Jared Blank also took swings during the session.
“It’s just like riding a bike once you get the hang of it — one home run after another,” Carroll joked. “But boy, that net sure is high in left field.”
Check out the video and some pictures from the Coliseum batting practice session:
Coach Carroll connects with a pitch.
Coach Carroll drills a ball to left field.
With the peristyle providing a grand backdrop, Coach Carroll takes a swing during Wednesday’s special batting practice session at the Coliseum.
Sarkisian drills a pitch with the peristyle in the background.
Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian connects with a ball.
Defensive coordinator Nick Holt (left) and quarterbacks assistant Yogi Roth (right) shag balls during batting practice.
Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, a former quarterback, takes his throwing skills to Wednesday’s batting practice, as he was the B.P. pitcher for most of the session.
The view from center field as the USC coaching staff takes batting practice.
Coach Carroll throws back to the pitcher while shagging balls during batting practice.
Defensive coordinator Nick Holt takes some swings.
Coach Carroll shows impeccable range at third base with this backhand pickup.
Coach Carroll, director of player personnel Jared Blank, executive assistant Morgon Fraser, tight ends coach Brennan Carroll, offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian and quarterbacks assistant Yogi Roth pose following Wednesday’s batting practice at the Coliseum.
• Ben Malcolmson is the Director of Online Media for USCRipsIt/PeteCarroll.com. You can contact him at Ben@PeteCarroll.com.
