UCLA Baseball Coach John Savage
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John Savage has been the Head Coach of the UCLA baseball team since 2005. He has led the team to 6 NCAA Regional Championships and 3 College World Series appearances.
UCLA Baseball
UCLA baseball is a collegiate baseball program that represents the University of California Los Angeles They compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Pac-12 Conference. The team is currently coached by John Savage, who has been the head coach since 2005. The program has appeared in five College World Series and won the National Championship in 2013.
John Savage
John Savage is the Head Coach of the UCLA Bruins Baseball Team He has held that position since 2005. During his time at UCLA, the Bruins have won the College World Series twice and made seven trips to the NCAA tournament
The Savage Era
In his twelve years as Head coach of the Bruins, John Savage has led the team to seven College World Series appearances, winning the National Championship in 2013. He has also been named Coach of the Year three times.
Savage took over as head coach in 2005, when the team was coming off a disappointing season. He quickly turned things around, leading the Bruins to their first College World Series appearance in 2006. Since then, the team has been one of the top programs in the country, making seven straight trips to Omaha.
In 2013, Savage finally broke through, leading UCLA to a National Championship The Bruins went undefeated in the postseason, including a dramatic come-from-behind win over Mississippi State in the title game. It was UCLA’s first National Championship since 1988.
Under Savage, UCLA has become one of the Premier Baseball programs in the country. He has put together an incredible run of success, and Bruins fans are hopeful that he will continue to lead the team to new heights in the years to come.
Building a Winner
In just a few short years, coach John Savage has transformed the UCLA Baseball Program into one of the nation’s elite.
Under Savage’s guidance, the Bruins have won two Pac-12 championships and made three trips to the College World Series including a school-record appearance in 2013. With a roster that features some of the country’s top prospects UCLA is once again among the favorites to win it all in 2014.
Savage’s success on the diamond is matched by his success in the classroom. His players boast a combined GPA of over 3.0 and were named an Academic All-American Team in 2013.
A native of Southern California Savage played collegiately at UC Irvine before embarking on a successful coaching career that includes stops at USC, Pepperdine and Fullerton. He was named head coach at UCLA in June 2005.
The Road to Omaha
In order to understand John Savage, one must first understand the journey he took to get here. Savage is a man who has experienced success and failure. He’s a man who has dealt with personal tragedy. He’s a man who knows what it takes to build a winner.
Savage was born in Long Beach California, and raised in Walnut, CA. He attended Damien High School where he played baseball and football In baseball, he was a pitcher and infielder. He was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 11th round of the 1988 MLB Draft but he did not sign with the team. Instead, Savage chose to attend UC Irvine, where he played college baseball for the Anteaters from 1989-1992.
As a junior at UC Irvine, Savage was named an All-American by Baseball America after going 13-2 with a 2.48 ERA. He was also named the Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year. After his junior season, Savage was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round (16th overall) of the 1992 MLB draft He signed with the Reds and began his professional career that summer.
Savage made his Major League debut with the Reds in 1996, but he appeared in just two games before being traded to the Chicago Cubs later that season. He would spend parts of three seasons with the Cubs before being released following the 1998 season. Savage then spent time with several minor league teams before retiring from playing in 2000.
Following his playing career, Savage began his coaching career as an Assistant Coach at UC Riverside (2001-2002) and USC (2003-2004). In 2005, he was hired as the head baseball coach at UC Irvine, where he led the Anteaters to two Big West conference championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances in six seasons.
In 2011, Savage was hired as the head Baseball Coach at UCLA, where he has led the Bruins to five NCAA tournament appearances in six seasons, including three trips to the College World Series (2013, 2014 & 2015). In 2013 & 2014 UCLA won a school record 49 games under Savage’s leadership en route to back-to-back trips to Omaha for the College World Series
The College World Series
UCLA’s John Savage talks about taking the Bruins to the College World Series
Savage, in his fourth season as head of the Bruins baseball program has led UCLA to Omaha three times in the past four years. This year’s team is seeking the school’s first National Championship in baseball.
The Bruins are set to open play in the College World Series on Saturday against Mississippi State
The Future of UCLA Baseball
As the UCLA Baseball team looks to the future, they do so with a new head coach John Savage, who coached USC to a College World Series appearance in 1998, takes over a Bruins team that has not been to the postseason since 2015.
Savage inherits a young team, with just four seniors on the roster. The Bruins will rely heavily on their pitching staff, which features junior Jake Bird and sophomore Ryan Garcia. The offense will be led by junior infielder Chase Weber and sophomore outfielder Matt McLain.
UCLA has high hopes for the 2019 season, and Savage is confident that his team can make some noise in the postseason. “I like our chances,” Savage said. “We’ve got a lot of young talent on this team, and I think we’re going to surprise some people.”
Savage’s Legacy
John Savage has been the head coach of the UCLA Bruins baseball team since 2005. In that time, he has led the team to six College World Series appearances, including a National Championship in 2013. He has also been named conference coach of the year four times.
In recognition of his accomplishments, Savage was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2018. He is just the fourth UCLA coach to receive this honor.
Savage’s legacy extends beyond his on-field success. He is known for his dedication to developing relationships with his players and helping them grow as people. Many of his former players have gone on to have successful careers in baseball and other fields.
Savage’s impact on UCLA baseball will be felt for many years to come. His dedication to his team and his players is an example that all coaches should aspire to emulate.
The John Savage Interview
Coach John Savage, who has been the head coach of the UCLA baseball team since the 2005 season, has won a National Championship and led the Bruins to seven College World Series appearances. In this interview, he talks about his playing career at Fresno State his coaching influences, and what it was like to return to his alma mater as Head Coach He also discusses how he’s built the UCLA Baseball program into one of the nation’s best and shares his thoughts on the upcoming 2020 season.
UCLA Baseball: The Savage Era
UCLA baseball coach John Savage has led the Bruins to six College World Series appearances, including a National Championship in 2013. Savage is widely considered one of the best college baseball coaches in the country, and his teams are known for their grit and determination.
Under Savage’s leadership, UCLA has become one of the top baseball programs in the nation. The Bruins have won six conference championships and made six College World Series appearances, including a national championship in 2013. Savage has been named Conference Coach of the Year four times and was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.
Savage is known for his intense coaching style, which has helped mold UCLA into a nationally-competitive program. He demands excellence from his players and expects them to give their all on the field. His players have responded by giving their all for him, resulting in six conference championships and six College World Series appearances.