Twitter: @BryantWard23
Instagram: @bwarducla

Bryant Ward completed his 10th season as Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator for the UCLA Baseball program in 2025 after joining the staff in the summer of 2015. In addition to taking the lead on recruiting efforts, Ward is the infield and hitting coach for the Bruins, and also runs the offense. Prior to his arrival in Westwood, Ward spent five seasons as assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Loyola Marymount University.

UCLA turned in a banner year under in 2025, claiming a share of the Big Ten regular season crown in their inaugural campaign within the conference. The Bruins piled up 48 wins, their highest mark since 2019. UCLA promptly secured their 26th NCAA Tournament berth and 14th under Savage’s leadership. Earning the No. 15 overall seed, UCLA hosted an NCAA Regional at Jackie Robinson Stadium for the first time in six years and made the most of it, sweeping through the bracket with authority. They followed that up by hosting and winning the NCAA Super Regional, dispatching UTSA in consecutive games to punch their sixth ticket to the Men's College World Series.

UCLA finished as the seventh ranked defense in the nation with a team fielding percentage of .982. The Bruins led the country in double plays with 66 while Roch Cholowsky and Mulivai Levu headlined the spectacular defense, earning ABCA/Rawlings Gold Gloves at their respective positions. This was the first time two UCLA players received Gold Glove honors in the same season. The Bruins proved to be one of the most prolific offenses in the nation, finishing in the top-25 nationally for runs scored and hits.

Under Ward's guidance as the hitting and infield coach, Cholowsky enjoyed one of the best individual seasons in UCLA history. The standout shortstop was named both Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Bruin ever to claim both honors in the same season. He's also the first UCLA player to earn conference player of the year accolades since 1998. Cholowsky's standout season continued with national recognition: he became the first UCLA player and the first sophomore to win the Brooks Wallace Award, recognizing him as the nation's top shortstop. He also took home the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove and was named Perfect Game's National Player of the Year. To top it off, he was a finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and earned First Team All-American honors from the ABCA.

During Ward’s tenure with the Bruins, UCLA has gone 329-203-1 (.618) and advanced to the postseason in all but two years in which an NCAA Tournament was held. In his 10 years in Westwood, UCLA has had 28 position players selected in the MLB Draft. That stretch includes a program-record three straight years with a position player being selected in the first round: Michael Toglia (2019, Colorado), Garrett Mitchell (2020, Milwaukee), and Matt McLain (2021, Cincinnati). The Bruins had a quartet of position players taken in the first 10 rounds in 2019, including Michael Toglia (23rd overall) who became UCLA's first position player to be picked in the first round since Chase Utley in 2000. Chase Strumpf (second round, Chicago Cubs) was also a day one selection, while Ryan Kreidler (fourth round, Detroit) and Jeremy Ydens (eighth round, Washington) went on day two.

Ward has been among the top recruiters on the west coast and in the country during his time at UCLA, producing nationally-ranked classes in each of his years on staff and bringing in the No. 1 class in the country according to Baseball America in both 2021 and 2023. His first group, in 2015, was ranked No. 3 in the country, followed by the No. 16 class in both 2016 and 2017. He produced the highest-ranked class in the west in each four straight seasons from 2018-21, putting together the No. 6-ranked group in 2018, the No. 5-ranked class in 2019, the No. 6 class in 2020.

The Bruins put together another winning season in 2023, going 28-24-1 en route to the No. 7 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament. UCLA was led on the position player side by senior catcher Darius Perry and sophomore infielder Duce Gourson. Perry earned Pac-12 All-Conference Team and Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors, batting .278 and throwing out 42% of attempted base stealers. Gourson led the Bruins offensively with a .319/.438/.515 slash line, earning All-Pac-12 honors and an invite to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.

UCLA had another successful season in 2022, going 40-24 and earning a berth into the Auburn Regional as a No. 2 seed. The Bruins’ top-ranked recruiting class paid immediate dividends, as UCLA had an NCAA-leading four players selected as Freshman All-Americans. That contingent included the middle infield duo of shortstop Cody Schrier (team-leading nine home runs) and second baseman Ethan Gourson (program freshman record 23 doubles). UCLA did a little bit of everything as part of a productive offensive campaign, recording the most hits (619) by a Bruin team since 2012, the most walks (318) since 1997, the most stolen bases (74) since 2010, and the most HBPs (106) in school history.

The Bruins went 37-20 overall in 2021 and reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive time. UCLA's offense played a key part in the team's success, with the Bruins scoring their most single-season runs (416) since the 2010 season. UCLA ranked among the league's best in scoring (7.3 runs per game, second), hits (573, third), and OBP (.396, third) while producing the Pac-12 Batting Champion in first baseman JT Schwartz (.396). The Pac-12 All-Conference Team featured four Bruin position players, including Schwartz, shortstop Matt McLain, catcher Noah Cardenas, and outfielder Kevin Kendall (honorable mention).

UCLA was off to a hot start in 2020 before the abrupt cancellation of the season due to COVID-19, winning 11 straight games out of the gate en route to a 13-2 final record. The offense was a key part of that, as eight Bruin regulars were hitting over .300 at season's end while the team's .308 batting average ranked No. 20 in the country.

The Bruins had an outstanding year with the bats in 2019, a key factor in the team's record-setting year. UCLA ranked inside the top-25 nationwide in triples (program-record 31, third), slugging (.468, 22nd), and hits (611, 25th). UCLA's power numbers saw a big spike, as the team's 67 home runs were the most for the program since 2003 and the team's slugging percentage was the best since 1999. Key contributors included sophomore outfielder Garrett Mitchell (.349/.418/.566, 12 triples), junior first baseman Michael Toglia (.314/.392/.624, 17 home runs), and junior infielder Ryan Kreidler (.300/.370/.502, 45 RBIs). Six of UCLA's nine starting position players earned All-Pac-12 consideration. The Bruins eventually set a program-record in wins with a 52-11 record, spent 12 consecutive weeks atop the national rankings, won all 14 regular season series for the first time in program history, claimed the 2019 Pac-12 title, and earned the No. 1 national seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Ward took over as hitting coach for the 2018 season and yielded immediate results. UCLA hit .286 as a team, the highest since 2012, while scoring over 400 runs and recording over 370 RBIs for the first time since 2010. The Bruins saw their power numbers go up as they slugged .429 on the season with 129 doubles, the highest numbers in four years. UCLA also raised its on-base percentage by drawing almost 300 walks, the most since 2000. Overall, UCLA ranked top-25 in the country in doubles, on-base percentage and runs. Chase Strumpf became the first UCLA position player since Kevin Kramer in 2015 to earn All-America honors ranking top-10 in the Pac-12 in 10 offensive categories. UCLA had three position players earn All-Pac-12 honors in Strumpf, Michael Toglia and Jeremy Ydens. Strumpf and Toglia became the first UCLA teammates since 2007 to hit double-digit home runs in a season. They are also just the fourth and fifth UCLA players since 2001 with 50-RBIs and 10 home runs in the same year, while also the first teammate to each drive in 50 runs since 2008. Ydens led the conference during Pac-12 play hitting .406 and also finished second in slugging at .693 and sixth in on-base percentage at .461. The Bruins' defense was also stellar as it finished third in the NCAA in fielding percentage at .982, a UCLA school record.

Ward spent five years on staff at Loyola Marymount prior to his arrival in Westwood, helping the Lions to a 146-124-1 record during his tenure. His time in Westchester culminated in a trip to the WCC Championship game in 2016. Ward joined the LMU coaching staff in 2011 as recruiting coordinator, infield coach, and third base coach. His tenure coincided with an uptick in the Lions’ defensive numbers, particularly in 2015 when the Lions ranked fourth in the NCAA with a school-record .980 fielding percentage. Under his tutelage, shortstop David Fletcher became the 2014 WCC Defensive Player of the Year before eventually breaking into MLB with the Los Angeles Angels.

Ward also had plenty of success on the recruiting front at LMU, bringing in a pair of top-25 recruiting classes. His very first recruiting class at LMU was ranked No. 23 by Baseball America, the school’s first nationally-ranked class in 15 years. His recruiting and coaching efforts resulted 13 MLB Draft selections and 29 All-WCC picks over five seasons with the Lions.

Prior to joining LMU, Ward made assistant coaching stops at the University of South Florida (2007-10), Cal State Fullerton (2005-06), and Pitt (N.C.) Community College (2004).

While at USF, Ward served as hitting coach, infield coach, and third base coach. In Ward's four years in Tampa, the Bulls had a 125-110 overall record and a team batting average of .295. His 2009 offense hit .315 – the highest team batting average at USF since 1997. Additionally, Ward led two hitters to consecutive individual BIG EAST batting titles in 2008 and 2009. During his four years with USF, 27 Bulls were selected in the MLB Draft.

As a player, Ward was a four-year standout at East Carolina University, where he played under ECU Hall of Fame coach Keith LeClair. The Pirates went 182-67 overall with Ward on the roster, making four consecutive NCAA Regional appearances and one Super Regional appearance. He finished his ECU career ranked fifth in games played (194), seventh in at-bats (687), and third in doubles (50), and left in 2002 as the winningest player in school history. In high school, Ward won the class 4A North Carolina High School state championship in 1997 and played under Hall of Fame Coach Ronald Vincent at J.H. Rose High School.

Ward earned a degree in communications from ECU and currently resides in Hermosa Beach with his wife, Anna, their daughter, Harper Ward, and their sons, Jackson Ward and Dylan Ward.

Name	Title	Email Address	Alma Mater
John Savage	Head Coach		Santa Clara / Nevada, '91
Rex Peters	Assistant Coach		Cal State Fullerton, '89
Bryant Ward	Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordinator		East Carolina, '03
Niko Gallego	Volunteer Assistant Coach		UCLA, '10
Steve Rodriguez	Director of Baseball Operations	srodriguez@athletics.ucla.edu	UCLA, '11

University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics

2017 Baseball Coaching Staff

Coaching Staff