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

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He attended the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

(UCLA), where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

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, Big Ten Conference. It plays its h ...

team. He was named an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

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 divisio ...

in 2013. He set a

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(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 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 6, and the last 30 round ...

. He did not sign with the Rangers and returned to UCLA for his senior season. He was then drafted by the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

in the sixth round of the

2015 MLB Draft The 2015 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks finished the 2014 season ...

. 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 east 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 inhabitan ...

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

. He struggled while attempting to work as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

, 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 bef ...

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 university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California, United States. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, U ...

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 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...

records for appearances while working in middle relief. As a sophomore, Berg became the

closer Closer or Closers may refer to: Film and television * ''Closer'' (2000 film), a documentary by Tina Gharavi * ''Closer'' (2004 film), a 2004 adaptation of Patrick Marber's play (see below), directed by Mike Nichols * ''The Closer'', a 1990 mo ...

for the 2013 UCLA Bruins, and pitched to a 7–0

win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...

, 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 iJake Knappof the North Carolina Tarheels Winners ...

in 2013. He won the

NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award 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 30 teams in the na ...

. was named to the

United States national collegiate baseball team The United States national baseball team, also known as Team USA, represents the United States in international level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The United S ...

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 ...

, leading the team to the

College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is a baseball tournament held each June in Omaha, Nebraska. It is the culmination of the NCAA Division I baseball tournament—featuring 64 teams in the ...

national championship against the

Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the college athletics, athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA D ...

. 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 The biceps or biceps brachii (, "two-headed muscle of the arm") is a large muscle that lies on the front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. Both heads of the muscle arise on the scapula and join to form a single muscle bel ...

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 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 6, and the last 30 round ...

. 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 who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics. He attended the University of California, Los Ang ...

combined with Berg for the first

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

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

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 the High-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Eugene plays ...

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 of the National League in Major League Baseball. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games a ...

, 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 Knoxville Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The team was based in Kodak, Tennessee, a Knoxville suburb, fr ...

; 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 The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

, 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 graduate assistant coach. In 2020 and 2021, he served as the director of baseball operations. In 2022 and 2023, he served as a volunteer assistant coach. In August 2023, he was hired as a full-time assistant coach. In October 2023, however, he was disciplined after slapping a student-athlete during a dinner with coaches, players and recruits at an

El Cholo Spanish Cafe The El Cholo Spanish Cafe is a Los Angeles restaurant serving Mexican food. Founded in 1923, the restaurant is credited with the introduction of the burrito to the United States in the 1930s. The restaurant has expanded to a chain with six locat ...

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

. He was suspended from his position and fined $10,000. He and the school parted ways following the 2024 season.

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 30 teams in the n ...

(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 pitchers Eugene Emeralds players Iowa Cubs players Myrtle Beach Pelicans players Baseball players from Los Angeles County, California Tennessee Smokies players UCLA Bruins baseball coaches UCLA Bruins baseball players United States national baseball team players