David Andrew Berg (born March 28, 1993) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played college baseball for the UCLA Bruins baseball team. He was named an All-American and Pac-12 Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Year in 2013. He set a National Collegiate Athletic Association (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 The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

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 albu ...

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

Early life

Berg attended Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente, California, where he played for the school's baseball team as a pitcher. 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 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 and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Berg enrolled at UCLA, and walked on to the UCLA Bruins baseball 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, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

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, 21 saves, and a 0.88 earned run average (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 Pac-12 Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Year and a finalist for the National Pitcher of the Year Award in 2013. He won the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award. was named to the United States national collegiate baseball team 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 bega ...

, leading the team to the College World Series national championship against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. 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 ( la, musculus 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 ...

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 combined with Berg for the first

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

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 and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, 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; 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. The ...

, 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 (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