Postgame Quotes - UCLA 8, UC Irvine 5

POSTGAME QUOTES 
UCLA 8, UC Irvine 5 
Jackie Robinson Stadium 
June 1, 2025 
 
John Savage, the UCLA Baseball Head Coach 
opening statement 
“I’d like to say congratulations to UC Irvine and Ben [Orloff]. Ben’s a dear friend of mine and he’s an unbelievable coach. He’s an even better person than a coach. I have all kinds of admiration for UC Irvine and the job that he’s done. I can’t say enough. They were loaded last year, and they went to Oregon State and lost a tough regional final. They lost a lot of people from last year’s team, and to be this good, it’s all about the coaching. It’s all about development. I have all kinds of admiration and appreciation for the job that they’ve done. Having said that, I’m clearly very proud of our team and our guys, winning 19 games last season and coming back to the mid-40s. It’s just the team, they’re playing together. We jumped out on them with an 8-0 lead and they didn’t go away. It was a good win, and we move on to the next round. I was very proud of our team, proud of our program, proud of my coaches, who did a great job of putting this team in the position to have so much success.” 

 
on August Souza’s performance 
“He’s from Reno, so I like him. I’m from Reno. He played for my brother in high school, so that pumps me up. He had a really really good career at Santa Clara, had major surgery, and he’s had a remarkable second half of the season. We knew he would take a little time to get to where he was but talk about a competitive and mature guy that knows his role, has carved out his eighth-inning role. I’m very proud of August and the job that he’s done.” 

on Texas’s loss earlier in the day 
“I had heard some rumblings, but I really don’t have any joy for anybody losing. I’ve done this for too long to root against people; it’s just not my style. I know that we’re going to be playing a really good team. [UTSA] went through Texas, and they got the job done, so hats off to them. Anybody who’s still playing is really good. I don’t really think that way. It’s more about the team and about us getting better. It’s about us taking a step forward, which we did tonight.  
 

on playing against UC Irvine 

“I’m pulling for UCI all the time, I helped start the program in 2000. I was there. It was a remarkable time, starting that program. It was full circle because my mentor was the coach, and they went to Omaha. They had some very memorable years; we went to regionals in the second year of the program, 2004. Ben [Orloff] was an All-American, incredible player, and now he’s the head coach, and they haven’t missed a beat. He has that program at a national level. And anyone who plays them will tell you the same thing. I’m not the only guy singing the praises of UC Irvine. Just play them, and you’ll know how tough and competitive and detailed they are. I see Chase Call and McCombs and Yeaman, they just fit like a glove. They had remarkable years. I have a lot of appreciation for what they’ve done, because this is a difficult time in college baseball, particularly in the West. You have to tip your hat to Irvine because they’ve been in the top 20 most of, if not all of, the season. That’s not easy to do.” 

on what makes this team work 

“The leadership is very good internally. Cody, Michael, and Roch have done a really good job, and the cast of characters are just solid Bruins. They care about the team, and they clearly care about everyone who’s in the clubhouse. That’s what good teams are made of. Every bad team has good players, a couple of good pitchers. I tell them that all the time. But there’s more to it. The loyalty toward each other and the appreciation that they have for each other. We still have a long road that’s yet to come. There’s nothing to really celebrate. You can enjoy this, but we’ve got to get back to work. That’s the mindset that they have. They did a remarkable job of building this team, and I have to tip my hat to these players.” 

Graduate Pitcher August Souza 

on coming back from injury 
"It's been difficult. I went through a long rehab process and am really honestly blessed to play this year. It's my sixth year. Didn't think I would play in college this long. I'm just happy to get this win with my team and celebrate getting to the Super Regional." 

  

 on coming to UCLA to play for Coach Savage 
"I knew that Coach has a really formidable program. I always wanted to play at UCLA as a child. I came here in high school and played for his brother Pete, and I had always wanted to come to UCLA. It's really a dream come true to come here and pitch." 

  

on what was going through his head after walking his first batter in the seventh 
"I think just being where my feet are. Baseball you go pitch to pitch. I wasn't really worried about walking that leadoff guy. I knew I had my slider and just trusting a really good infield and the pitch-calling that Coach Savage had for me." 

  

on the adversity of not having a stadium in the fall 
"I'd say it was a really good thing for us. I think that it brought us closer together. We took a lot of bus rides to various high schools, and I think that we turned it into a good thing. We got closer as a team and really just turned something good out of it." 

Sophomore First Baseman Mulivai Levu 

on what has been different with his class compared to other top-ranked recruiting classes 
"I think we're just all very close. Everyone is best friends with everyone. We hold team-bonding events. That's what makes us really tight. 

 

on what UCLA's big innings do for the team's confidence 
"It builds a lot of confidence for our offense. Everyone has a great approach at the plate, and it's kind of hard for the other team to get past us when you can't really tell the difference in our approach. We've built a lot of confidence."