David Berg Promoted to Assistant Coach
August 31, 2023 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES โ UCLA baseball head coach John Savage on Thursday announced that David Berg has been promoted to a full-time assistant coach position with the program.
Berg, one of the most distinguished student-athletes in UCLA baseball history, had served the previous five seasons on staff in a variety of roles. He returned to the program as an undergrad assistant coach in 2019, then transitioned to the director of baseball operations position for two seasons (2020-21) before being promoted to volunteer assistant (2022-23).
During his five seasons on staff, UCLA has gone 170-81 (.678 winning percentage) and made the NCAA Tournament in three of four possible years (the tourney was canceled in 2020 due to COVID). The Bruins have also excelled on the recruiting trail during his tenure, bringing in nationally-ranked classes each year including the No. 1 group in 2022 and the No. 5 group in 2020. UCLA's incoming class of recruits for the 2024 season has also been cited as the No. 1 group nationally, post-MLB Draft signing deadline, by Perfect Game.
"David is one of a kind, his transition from player to coach has been very rewarding to watch over the last several years," said Savage. "Going from being the top reliever in the history of the college game, to professional baseball, and back to UCLA, David has had a real pulse on development and the meaning of being a Bruin. I'm so proud of and happy for him being able to put himself in this position."
"Words can't express how thankful I am to Coach Savage for this opportunity," said Berg. "UCLA is home for me, and the Bruins are my family. I'm excited to continue building this program and helping our student-athletes reach their potential on and off the field."
Each of his three seasons on staff as a coach have seen the Bruins thrive on the mound.
UCLA led the country with a 2.60 team ERA in 2019, Berg's first season on staff. In fact, only one other team nationwide finished within a half run of the Bruins. With a standout pitching staff including Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year Ryan Garcia (10-1, 1.44 ERA) and NCBWA Stopper of the Year Holden Powell (17 saves, 1.84 ERA), UCLA would go on to achieve a program record for victories (52), win an outright Pac-12 Conference title, spend a dozen weeks atop the national rankings, and earn the No. 1 national seed in the NCAA Tournament.
His next season as a coach, 2022, saw the Bruins go 40-24 en route to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tourney. UCLA finished top-15 in the country in ERA (3.99, 15th), WHIP (1.25, sixth), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.00, 10th) while producing a pair of Freshman All-America hurlers in Alonzo Tredwell and Ethan Flanagan. This past season was highlighted by strong seasons on the bump from seniors Kelly Austin (3.39 ERA) and Charles Harrison (1.38), who emerged as two of the top pitching talents in the Pac-12.
A four-year standout at UCLA from 2012-15 and arguably the greatest reliever in the history of the college game, Berg finished his career as the NCAA recordholder in career appearances (175) and single-season saves (24, 2013). He holds UCLA school records in career appearances, saves (49), and ERA (1.11), and has four of the top-10 single-season ERAs in school history, including the No. 1 mark of 0.68 set in 2015. The right-hander was twice named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year and NCBWA Stopper of the Year (2013, 2015), and he is the only Bruin ever to be named All-Pac-12 four times. He was the first reliever ever to earn Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year honors and remains the only pitcher to win Stopper of the Year more than once.
The Covina, Calif. native was the closer on the 2013 National Championship team, appearing in all 10 of UCLA's postseason games, recording six saves and crafting a 1.93 ERA. He was on the mound for the final out of the NCAA Championship Game, finishing off a 3-1 putout to clinch the title against Mississippi State on Jun. 25, 2013. In addition, he combined with James Kaprielian to throw the first no-hitter in UCLA history on May, 15, 2015.
Stay tuned to @UCLABaseball on Twitter for all team updates.
