After all the high-flying dunks and Hail Mary passes we've had this year, it's hard to believe that baseball is America’s game. But it is. For some, basketball and football dominate all season, but for others, baseball dominates all year.

At the University of Southern California, that same battle continues. USC baseball may not be talked about a lot, but it should. Most people won't believe that they five-peated championships (1970-74) before or that they hold the longest record of consecutive championships.

“I know that we won a few championships earlier in our history, but [I’m] not sure when,” said USC senior Brandon Guerra. “I think baseball now is in somewhat of a rebuilding phase.”

It’s evident that USC, like a lot of colleges, tends to get hundreds of students at basketball and football games and a lot less at baseball games. 

"[At baseball games], they give out free food," USC sophomore Ruben Lopez said with a laugh. "But that's about the extent of my knowledge.”

Lopez isn’t the only student with that same knowledge.

“All I hear about USC baseball is that they give out free food. I want to go soon," said Miriam Rodriguez, a senior at USC. "And I know Mark McGwire is a USC alum, so I feel USC baseball should be really valued as a sport."

No one seems to really know USC baseball, but they need to.

Since 1889, the USC baseball program has gone on to do amazing things. They have won the most College World Series titles, bringing in 12 national championships with a post-season record of 208-77.

This program has housed some of the greatest names: Mark McGwire, Barry Zito, Mark Prior and Ian Kennedy. With great talent, USC was able to appear in the College World Series 21 times with their last appearance being in 2001. They rank fourth in most College World Series appearances and have a record of 74 wins and only 26 losses. 

When looking at their Regional appearances, USC has appeared 40 times, their last appearance being in 2005. Their Regional record is 100-43. Yet, their impressive records don't do justice to all they have accomplished.

"USC is made of winners, so it doesn't surprise me that we have championships," said Rick Perkins, a junior at USC. "What surprises me is that no one talks about it or probably knows that they're there."

Although USC baseball has lost touch with its championship roots in the past years, it has a long history of winning and grooming great players.  A new era is upon the USC Trojans with a new coach and young players hoping to make a run this year. Players such as Kyle Twomey and Jake Hernandez are ready to be a part of the winning legacy at USC.

Newly promoted Dan Hubbs has high hopes for this season as he enters his first year as USC head coach. It wasn't too long ago that he himself came back to his alma mater to coach alongside Frank Cruz. After 12 years, Cruz was let go and Hubbs was promoted. He then became the sixth baseball head coach in the program’s history.

"We've got some promise," Hubbs said on Feb. 15, according to a prepared statement by USC Athletics. "If we play well, we have a chance to beat anybody. But we have to play well and we have to execute, because it will be tough for us to grind out wins when we're not.

During his playing days at USC, including his senior year when he first became a USC assistant coach helping out Cruz, Hubbs was a three-year letterman. He also posted a career record of 19-13 with a 3.58 ERA in 81 appearances (64 in relief).

Having a history of Trojans teaching Trojans, there seems to be an essence of winning in the Trojans locker room. Currently, this season they are 9-15 but have posted a 6-6 winning record at Dedeaux Field – a field that holds more history than most know.

Dedeaux Field is more than just a home to USC baseball. It was built in 1974, the same year the Trojans five-peated for yet another consecutive National Championship. The stadium was then named after one of the greatest USC players and coaches to wear a Trojan symbol: Rod Dedeaux.

As a player, he was also a three-year letterman, starting at shortstop. He went on to briefly play with the Major Leagues for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1935. Following his career, he returned to USC, became head coach of USC baseball and never looked back.

During his 45 years as USC's baseball head coach, Dedeaux produced an impressive resume. His coaching led to 11 national championships and 28 conference championships. He recorded an amazing 1,331-winning record and was part of the dream team that brought home five NCAA Championships. He is the main reason of why no other school has won more than two in a row; he set the bar high.

Being named six times as coach of the year didn't match up to his induction into the American Baseball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in 1970. He was part of a long legacy of Trojan greats grooming players from Tom Seaver and Mark McGwire, to Randy Johnson and Dave Kingman – players who have gone on to have great careers post-USC.

Pictures and memorabilia honor the late Dedeaux, and a tradition of winning is passed on each year despite what the record at the end of the year shows. That is why MLB teams have drafted a lot of USC players, including three right-handed pitchers during the 2012 draft.

Along with 100 major leaguers, USC has produced 91 first team all-Americans. Winning is no mystery to any of USC athletic programs. And, as this season continues to get underway, the Trojans continue to be committed to the legacy that came before them. 

Stats as of March 25.