John Savage, the longtime mentor of UCLA’s baseball program, has added another accolade to his résumé by being honored as the Skip Bertman Coach of the Year.
A Legacy of Leadership
The Bruins concluded the regular season as the nation’s top‑ranked team, posting a program‑record 52 victories and completing a sweep of the Big Ten Conference both in the regular season and tournament, which secured the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The awards didn’t stop with the team’s dominance; Jackson Flora of UC Santa Barbara was crowned national pitcher of the year, while Daniel Jackson of Georgia earned the Buster Posey Award as the premier catcher, Dylan Carey of Nebraska captured the Brooks Wallace Award for the best shortstop, and Florida Gulf Coast’s Evan Dempsey repeated as the John Olerud Award winner for the nation’s top two‑way player.
Gene Stephenson also received recognition, taking home the Wayne Graham Award for Teaching Excellence, underscoring the breadth of talent and leadership within college baseball this season.
Looking Ahead
As the Bruins look ahead to the College World Series, the combination of a historic win total, a cascade of individual awards, and continued coaching brilliance positions UCLA as a formidable contender for the championship.