Two UCLA baseball players collected some hardware at the College World Series before the team’s first game.
Sophomore closing pitcher David Berg continued to earn awards, winning the 2013 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s Stopper of the Year Award, which recognizes the nation’s best relief pitcher. He is the first Bruin to win this award. Berg’s 0.88 ERA is the second best in the country and his 21 saves, also the second most nationally, set a UCLA record. Berg was also named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, was a NCBWA All-American and was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
Redshirt junior pitcher Ryan Deeter was also honored, as he was named the winner of NCAA baseball’s Elite 89 Award, given to the student-athlete participating in the championship event who has the highest cumulative GPA. Deeter, who has a 3.92 GPA in mathematics/economics, has a 2-0 record and 10 strikeouts on the year and was drafted in the 32nd round of last week’s MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers.
UCLA will face LSU in its first College World Series game on Sunday.
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.