David Andrew Berg (born March 28, 1993) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He attended the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

(UCLA), where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the

UCLA Bruins baseball The UCLA Bruins baseball team is the varsity college baseball team of the University of California, Los Angeles. Having started playing in 1920, the program is a member of the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference. It plays its home games at Jackie ...

team. He was named an All-American and

Pac-12 Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Year The Pac-12 Conference pitcher of the Year is a baseball award given to the Pac-12 Conference's most outstanding pitcher. From 1991 to 1998, an award was given to the most outstanding pitcher in the South division. After the 1999 season, the divisi ...

in 2013. He set a

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA) record for saves in a single season with 24. The Texas Rangers selected Berg in the 17th round of the

2014 Major League Baseball draft The 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June ...

. He did not sign with the Rangers and returned to UCLA for his senior season. He was then drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the sixth round of the

2015 MLB Draft Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...

. He left professional baseball in 2018 without ever playing in the major leagues.

Early life

Berg attended

Bishop Amat Memorial High School Bishop Amat Memorial High School is a co-ed Catholic high school serving the San Gabriel Valley in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and was founded in 1957. The campus is located in La Puente, California, approximately east of dow ...

La Puente, California La Puente (Spanish for "The Bridge") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city had a population of 39,816 at the 2010 census and is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles. History The original inhabitants of the ...

, where he played for the school's baseball team as a

. He struggled while attempting to work as a starting pitcher, and in his junior year, his coaches helped him achieve success as a

middle relief pitcher In baseball, a middle reliever or middle relief pitcher, is a relief pitcher who typically pitches during the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings of a standard baseball game. In leagues with no designated hitter, such as in the National League prio ...

when he learned to use the sidearm delivery. He led his school's baseball team to the sectional championship.

College career

Berg was only recruited by the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and p ...

and the

(UCLA). Berg enrolled at UCLA, and walked on to the

team. In 2012, his freshman season, Berg set Bruins and Pac-12 Conference records for appearances while working in middle relief. As a sophomore, Berg became the closer for the 2013 UCLA Bruins, and pitched to a 7–0

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of matc ...

, 21 saves, and a 0.88

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) during the regular season. His 21 saves set a Bruins record and his ERA tied for the best in college baseball. He was named the

and a finalist for the

National Pitcher of the Year Award The National Pitcher of the Year Award is a college baseball award given to the best pitcher of the college baseball season by the College Baseball Foundation. The current holder of the award is Cooper Hjerpe of the Oregon State Beavers. Win ...

in 2013. He won the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award. was named to the

United States national collegiate baseball team The United States national baseball team represents the United States in international-level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Team USA won the Olympic baseball t ...

in 2012 and 2013. With the Bruins, Berg competed in the

2013 NCAA Division I baseball tournament The 2013 NCAA Division I baseball tournament began on Friday, May 31, 2013 as part of the 2013 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64 team double elimination tournament concluded with the 2013 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, which began ...

, leading the team to the

College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...

national championship against the

Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA Division I. Sports sp ...

. The Bruins had a tournament record of 8–0 heading into the Finals. At the Championship Series, Berg set a new NCAA single-season record with his 24th save on June 24, 2013, and he also made his 51st appearance of the season, becoming the first pitcher in NCAA history to record 50 or more appearances in two seasons. The Bruins defeated the Bulldogs for the national title and Berg was named to the tournament's All-West Region team. Berg missed time in his junior year due to a biceps strain. He finished the season with a 1.50 ERA and 11 saves. The Texas Rangers selected Berg in the 17th round, with the 516th overall selection, of the

2014 MLB Draft The 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June ...

. He did not sign with the Rangers and returned to UCLA for his senior season. On May 15, 2015,

James Kaprielian James Douglas Kaprielian (; born March 2, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played college baseball ...

combined with Berg for the first no-hitter in UCLA history. Kaprielian pitched the first nine innings and Berg pitched the tenth inning to complete the no-hitter. He finished the year with a 0.68 ERA and 13 saves in 43 appearances, and won his second Stopper of the Year Award.

Professional career

The Chicago Cubs selected Berg in the sixth round, with the 173rd overall selection, of the

. Berg signed and spent 2015 with both the

Eugene Emeralds The Eugene Emeralds (nicknamed the Ems) are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Eugene, Oregon. The Emeralds are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants. Eugene plays thei ...

and the

Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games are played at TicketReturn.com Field, which open ...

, where he posted a 2–1 record with a 1.40 ERA. In 2016, Berg started the season with Myrtle Beach and was later promoted to the

Tennessee Smokies The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb of Knoxville. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They play at Smokies Stadium, directly off ...

; in 43 total games between both clubs, 4–4 record and a 5.17 ERA. He spent 2017 with Tennessee, Myrtle Beach, and the Iowa Cubs, pitching to a combined 4–4 record and 5.16 ERA with a 1.38 WHIP in a career high 61 innings pitched between the three teams. On March 27, 2018, the Cubs released Berg.

Post-playing career

In 2019, Berg returned to UCLA as a pitching coach.

Awards and honors

* June 5, 2015 – Berg was named the

National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) is an association of baseball writers, broadcasters, and publicists in the United States. It was founded in 1962. The NCBWA compiles a preseason ranking of the top 35 teams in the nat ...

(NCBWA) District IX Player of the Year.David Berg Named NCBWA District IX Player of the Year
UCLABruins.com, June 5, 2015

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berg, David 1993 births Living people All-American college baseball players Baseball coaches from California Baseball players from California Baseball pitchers Eugene Emeralds players Iowa Cubs players Myrtle Beach Pelicans players Sportspeople from Los Angeles County, California Tennessee Smokies players UCLA Bruins baseball coaches UCLA Bruins baseball players United States national baseball team players