LOS ANGELES – The Pac-12 Conference named its All-Century Baseball Team on Tuesday and six former UCLA Bruins were named to the 30-man roster.
Among the six Bruins named to the team was shortstop Jackie Robinson (1940) who starred in four sports at UCLA and broke Major League Baseball's color barrier. Catcher Todd Zeile (1984-86), second baseman Chase Utley (1998-00), third baseman Troy Glaus (1995-97) and pitchers Tevor Bauer (2009-11) and David Berg (2012-15) were also selected to the team.
UCLA's six selections were tied for second-most, behind just Arizona State who totaled seven selections. USC also earned six selections, while Stanford had four, Oregon State and Arizona had two and Cal, Washington and Washington State each had one.
Robinson was the first four-sport letterman in UCLA history, competing in baseball, football, basketball and track & field. Wearing number 42 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, on April 15, 1947, Robinson shattered the color barrier in Major League Baseball forever. Despite enduring racial abuse, jeers of fans and fellow players, death threats and profound harassment, he endured it all with grace and dignity – not to mention exceptional play – earning Rookie of the Year honors and a National League Most Valuable Player award in addition to helping the Dodgers win the 1955 World Series. A career .311 hitter, Robinson played in six World Series, six consecutive All-Star games was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 during his first year of eligibility.
Zeile earned All-Pac-10 honors in 1986, leading the Bruins to an NCAA Regional. The catcher hit .331 in his UCLA career and went on to be inducted into the UCLA Baseball Hall of Fame. A 2nd round selection of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1986 MLB Draft, Zeile became one of the premier catchers in Major League Baseball during the 1990's, playing for 11 different teams. In his 16-year MLB career, Zeile totaled 253 home runs and 1,110 RBI.
Utley batted at least .300 and had at least 15 home runs in every season with the Bruins and currently ranks third all-time on UCLA's home run list and fifth all-time in hits. Finishing with a .342 career average, Utley was a three-time All-American and two-time All-Pac-10 honoree. In 2000, the second baseman led the Bruins to the LSU Super Regional and subsequently was selected in the first round of the MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. Utley has gone on to have a successful MLB career, currently playing for the Dodgers in his 14th campaign. Prior to Los Angeles, he led Philadelphia to two National League titles, one World Series championship and played in six MLB All-Star Games.
Glaus is one of the most talented power hitters to ever come through UCLA, finishing his three-year career with 62 home runs, the second most in school history. The third baseman holds the Pac-12 record for most home runs in a season, belting 34 in 1997. A two-time All-Pac-10 honoree and 1997 Pac-10 Player of the Year, Glaus batted .344 in his UCLA career and drove in 180 runs. He currently holds the single season school records for runs, RBI, on-base percentage and home runs. Glaus became the third overall pick in the 1997 MLB Draft by the Anaheim Angels and went on to play 13 years in Major League Baseball. A 2002 World Series Champion with the Angels, Glaus totaled 320 home runs in his career.
Bauer was a three-time All-American, 2011 Golden Spikes Award winner and 2011 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year. His name is littered across the UCLA record books, holding the career records for strikeouts and wins and the single season records for strikeouts and complete games. In 2011, Bauer went 13-2 with a 1.25 ERA and an NCAA-high 203 strikeouts to go along with a stretch of nine consecutive complete games. The three-time All-Pac-10 honoree was selected with the third overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Bauer is currently with the Cleveland Indians and is in his 5th season in the Major Leagues. Over his previous four seasons, Bauer has racked up 341 career strikeouts in 362.1 innings.
Berg finished his four-year career at UCLA as arguably the best relief pitcher in NCAA history. He holds the NCAA records for career appearances and single season saves, while tying for the NCAA record for single season appearances. Berg won the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year award and the NCBWA Stopper of the Year award twice, taking each honor in 2013 and 2015. He became the first ever reliever to claim the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year award and is the only two-time winner of the NCBWA Stopper of the Year award. Berg led the conference in ERA three times and is the only pitcher in school history to lead the conference in ERA in back-to-back seasons. He holds a career record of 22-6 with a 1.11 ERA in 266.2 innings and holds the school records for lowest career ERA, lowest single season ERA, lowest single season conference ERA, most career saves, most single season saves, most postseason appearances and most postseason saves. Berg is one of just three players in Pac-12 history to earn all-conference honors four times.