University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
David Berg Becomes First Two-Time Stopper of the Year Winner
LOS ANGELES – UCLA closer David Berg was named the Stopper of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association on Saturday, becoming the first two-time recipient of the award. Berg also was named the Stopper of the Year in 2013.
A Louisville Slugger, NCBWA and D1Baseball first team All-American, Berg became the fourth UCLA pitcher, and third in the last five seasons, to be named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year this season. A 6th round selection of the Chicago Cubs in the 2015 MLB Draft, Berg went 7-1 with a 0.68 ERA (2nd in the nation) and 13 saves over 43 appearances (1st in the nation). The Covina, Calif. native recorded 65 strikeouts and eight walks in 66.2 innings, posting the nation’s seventh best strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.13/1). In Pac-12 play, Berg allowed just one earned run, posting a 5-0 record with 0.22 ERA and eight saves in 22 appearances.
A finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, Berg set the new NCAA record for career appearances at 175 and finished just four saves away from tying the NCAA record for career saves. Berg’s career 1.11 ERA goes down as the lowest in UCLA history, surpassing the previous school-low of 1.81 set by Tim Bottoms (1961-63). The NCBWA District IX Player of the Year pitched a career-high six innings twice this season and threw one perfect inning on May 15 to pair with James Kaprielian for the program’s first ever no-hitter. The Bishop Amat High School alum was named to the All-Pac-12 first team in all four seasons in Westwood, joining Cal’s Lance Blankenship (1983-1986) and Oregon State’s Pete Rowe (1974-1977) as the only players to achieve that feat.
Finalists for the Stopper of the Year award included Tyler Jay of Illinois, Brandon Koch of Dallas Baptist, Ryan Meisinger of Radford and Bryan Young of Missouri State.