Through 19 seasons as UCLA’s head coach, John Savage has established the Bruins as a consistent national championship contender. Savage helped UCLA reach college baseball’s pinnacle in 2013, as the Bruins won their first-ever NCAA baseball title. Under his guidance, UCLA has advanced to the postseason in 13 of the last 18 seasons, hosting an NCAA Regional six times during that span, including four-straight from 2010 through 2013 (there was no postseason held in 2020).

Savage completed his 19th season as UCLA’s head coach in 2023. He is currently the third-longest-tenured head coach in UCLA baseball program history and has gone 657-430-2 in the past 19 seasons.

In 13 trips to the postseason at UCLA, Savage has compiled a 46-27 record (.630 winning percentage), recording the most postseason victories of any head coach in program history.

With Savage at the program’s helm, UCLA advanced to the College World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2013, and reached the best-of-three championship series in 2010 and 2013. UCLA defeated Mississippi State, two games to none, at the 2013 College World Series. In 2010, the Bruins advanced to the championship series for the first time in school history, falling two games to none to South Carolina.

Savage’s strong work with UCLA’s program has been equally evident in player development and the MLB Draft. Over his 19 seasons in Westwood, UCLA has produced 126 draft selections. Under Savage, the Bruins led or co-led all NCAA schools in draft selections in both 2019 (13) and 2021 (10), and produced a first-round draft pick in three consecutive years (2019-21) for the first time in program history. In addition, he has coached 28 players at UCLA that have competed in the major leagues.

Savage is one of just two head coaches in college baseball history – alongside Vanderbilt's Tim Corbin – to have guided his team to a College World Series title, produced the first overall pick in the MLB Draft, coached a Golden Spikes Award winner, and had a former player win a Cy Young Award in Major League Baseball. Savage is one of just six coaches all-time with a CWS title, No. 1 pick, and Golden Spikes winner, joining an illustrious group of current and former head coaches in Corbin, Skip Bertman (LSU), Jim Brock (Arizona St.), Augie Garrido (Cal State Fullerton, Texas), and Jim Morris (Miami).

In addition, Savage has coached three pitchers who went on to win Cy Young Awards in MLB: Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer, and Barry Zito.

A tenacious recruiter with a keen eye for developing talent, Savage and his coaching staff have found success on the recruiting trail. In all, 16 of his 18 recruiting classes have been nationally ranked in the top-25 by Baseball America. Most recently, UCLA brought in the top-ranked recruit class in the country twice in a three-year span (fall 2021, fall 2023). Elsewhere, his classes have been ranked No. 5 (fall 2006), No. 13 (fall 2007), No. 7 (fall 2008), No. 7 (fall 2009), No. 19 (fall 2010), No. 3 (fall 2011), No. 2 (fall 2012), No. 7 (fall 2014), No. 3 (fall 2015), No. 16 (fall 2016) No. 16 (fall 2017), No. 4 (fall 2018), No. 5 (fall 2019), and No. 6 (fall 2020).

The Bruins put together another winning season in 2023, going 28-24-1. UCLA finished the season with strong national ranks in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.9, ninth), walks allowed per nine innings (3.3, 12th), and ERA (4.50, 33rd). Senior right-hander Kelly Austin (3.39 ERA) led UCLA's pitching staff en route to All-America honors, while right-handed relievers Cody Delvecchio and Charles Harrison both earned All-Pac-12 honorable mentions.

In 2022 UCLA reached the 40-win plateau for the sixth time in 13 years, going 40-24 and making the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed. Savage picked up a pair of milestone victories during the campaign, winning both his 700th game overall and 600th at UCLA. Despite myriad injuries to the staff, the Bruins were again among the top-pitching squads in the country, finishing the year ranked inside the top-15 nationally in ERA (3.99, 15th), WHIP (1.25, sixth), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.00, 10th). UCLA successfully integrated a high number of newcomers in 2022, leading the country with four Freshman All-America selections. Sophomore Max Rajcic emerged as one of the top pitchers in the west, going 8-5 with a 3.28 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 85 innings en route to All-Region and All-Pac-12 honors.

The Bruins posted a 37-20 record in 2021, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive time and ending the season ranked No. 24 in the country. UCLA got it done on both sides of the ball in 2021, finishing as the only Pac-12 team to rank top-three in the league in both scoring (7.3 runs per game, second) and ERA (3.95, third). The Bruins were ranked as high as No. 6 over the course of the year, and earned a No. 2 seed in the postseason at the Lubbock Regional. UCLA had an NCAA-high 10 players selected in the 2021 MLB Draft, the second time in three years that the Bruins led or co-led the country in draft picks. Shortstop Matt McLain was the first Bruin off the board, going No. 17 overall to the Cincinnati Reds. With McLain's selection, UCLA produced a first-round draft pick in three consecutive seasons for the first time in program history. UCLA's offense was paced in 2021 by McLain, Pac-12 Batting Champion JT Schwartz, and Kevin Kendall, while the pitching staff saw breakthrough performances from Sean Mullen, Adrian Chaidez, and Max Rajcic.

UCLA was off to a hot start in 2020 before the abrupt cancellation of the season due to COVID-19, winning 11 straight games out of the gate en route to a 13-2 final record. The Bruins finished the abbreviated season with the top RPI in the country while placing top-five nationally in a number of pitching statistics including ERA (1.88, third), WHIP (0.87, first), and hits allowed per nine innings (4.97, first). A pair of Bruins were selected in MLB Draft - which was shortened to five rounds - as outfielder Garrett Mitchell went No. 20 overall to Milwaukee while closer Holden Powell was the third round choice of Washington. Mitchell's selection by the Brewers - paired with Michael Toglia in 2019 - meant that UCLA had a position player selected in the first round in back-to-back years for the first time ever.

Savage earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year and ABCA West Region Coach of the Year honors after leading the Bruins to one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2019. UCLA posted a 52-11 overall record (school record for wins), claimed the Pac-12 title, spent a program-record 12 consecutive weeks atop the national rankings, and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second time ever. UCLA won all 14 of its regular season series, a first in program history. Savage picked up a pair of milestone wins during the 2019 season, earning his 500th career victory at UCLA after a Friday night victory over Oregon State on Mar. 15 and his 600th career win overall after topping East Carolina on Apr. 12. Savage managed a pitching staff that led the NCAA in team ERA (2.60); no other team finished below 3.00 and only one team logged an ERA within a half-run of UCLA. The Bruins also paced the nation in shutouts (program-record 11), hits allowed per nine innings (6.18), and WHIP (1.05) while ranking in the top-10 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.13, fourth) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.2, seventh). Under his tutelage, junior righty Ryan Garcia (10-1, 1.44 ERA) was named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year and a consensus First Team All-American while sophomore closer Holden Powell (17 saves, 1.84 ERA) was dubbed the NCBWA Stopper of the Year. A program-record 13 Bruins were selected in the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft, including Michael Toglia (23rd overall, Colorado) who became UCLA's first position player to be picked in the first round since Chase Utley in 2000. UCLA had the most day one picks of any NCAA team, and finished tied with Vanderbilt for the most selections overall.

2018 saw the Bruins make their 10th postseason appearance with Savage at the helm, earning the No. 2 seed at the Minneapolis Regional. UCLA finished the season with a 38-21 record, including going 19-11 in Pac-12 play for the second-straight season. Savage surpassed two milestones as he reached his 800th career game at UCLA and also his 1,000th game overall as a head coach. Once again UCLA had one of the best pitching staffs in the country as they ranked sixth in the NCAA in ERA at 3.08, seventh in WHIP and top-20 in hits allowed per nine inning and walks allowed per nine innings. UCLA was one of just two teams in the country to rank top-10 in both ERA and fielding percentage as the Bruins were third in the nation at .982. UCLA's starting pitching was dominant as they combined to record a sub-3.00 ERA and a 2.7 strikeout-to-walk ratio led by All-Pac-12 selection Jake Bird who was the Pac-12 ERA leader at 2.18 in 16 starts. Zach Pettway earned first and second team All-American honors, while Holden Powell also earned freshman All-American honors. Offensively, UCLA was led by a trio of Sophomore All-Pac-12 selections in All-American honoree Chase Strumpf, Michael Toglia and Jeremy Ydens. Additionally, four Bruins were selected in the MLB Draft, highlighted by Jake Bird (156th pick, fifth round) as Savage now has 33 players selected in the first 10 rounds.

In the summer of 2017, Savage was the manager of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team after being an assistant coach in 2000. He led the U.S. to a 15-5 record over the summer, including 11-4 during international play. The United States won all three international series it competed in, including going 4-0 against Chinese Taipei and 3-2 versus both Cuba and Japan. The win over Cuba marked the third-straight series win, while also improving to 23-18 in 41 all-time series against Japan.

In 2017, UCLA made its ninth postseason appearance under Savage earning a berth into the Long Beach Regional and finished with an overall record of 30-27. The Bruins finished third in the Pac-12 with a record of 19-11. UCLA continued its success on the mound as the team was ranked in the top-30 in the country in ERA, shutouts, hits allowed per nine innings and WHIP. The pitching staff was led by All-American and All-Pac-12 selection Griffin Canning and also All-Pac-12 team honoree Jon Olsen. Offensively, UCLA was led by All-Pac-12 selection Sean Bouchard and Freshman All-Americans Kyle Cuellar and Michael Toglia. The Bruins were one of only four teams in 2017 to defeat No. 1 Oregon State in the regular season, earning a 7-1 victory on ESPNU. Additionally, six Bruins were selected in the MLB Draft, highlighted by Griffin Canning (47th pick, second round) and Sean Bouchard (266th pick, ninth round) as Savage now has 32 players selected in the first 10 rounds. Canning also became the sixth UCLA pitcher since 2005 to be drafted in the first two rounds.

In 2016, the Bruins missed the postseason for just the third time in the past 11 seasons, finishing with an overall mark of 25-31. However, it was a year full of milestones for Savage who recorded both his 400th career win at UCLA and 500th career win as a Division I head coach. Savage’s 400th win in Westwood came in dramatic fashion as UCLA topped crosstown rival USC in Dodger Stadium in a 14 inning thriller. Individually, first-year pitcher Kyle Molnar was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, after finishing second in the Pac-12 among freshman in strikeouts, and senior outfielder Eric Filia earned All-Pac-12 honors. Additionally, five Bruins were selected in the MLB Draft, highlighted by Grant Dyer (227th pick, eighth round) who became the 30th player under Savage to be selected in the first 10 rounds.

In 2015, Savage led the Bruins to a 45-16 overall record, including a school record 22 conference wins. The team’s success resulted in the program’s 11th Pac-12 Conference Championship and the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins lost just one weekend series all season and won as many as eight games in-a-row. For the first time in his career, Savage was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year as he led his pitching staff to the lowest earned run average in the nation (2.17). The team ERA also set a new UCLA record for lowest team ERA in a single season.

Known for his ability to coach pitching, the 2015 staff was one of the best in school history. For the second time in his career, David Berg earned both the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year and NCBWA Stopper of the Year awards. Berg broke the NCAA record for most career appearances, finishing his four-year run with 175 appearances. Senior left-hander Grant Watson also had a record-breaking year, making the most career starts (63) in school history and moving into second in UCLA history in career wins (30). Serving as the staff ‘ace’, James Kaprielian led the conference in strikeouts (114) for the second-straight year and threw nine no-hit innings to combine with Berg for the program’s first ever no-hitter on May 15. Eight Bruins were selected in the 2015 MLB Draft, including Kaprielian (16th overall), who went in the first round, and Kevin Kramer (62nd overall), who went in the second round.

UCLA’s 2014 ballclub fought through an injury-plagued season and missed postseason action after going 25-30-1. Relief pitcher David Berg secured All-Pac-12 honors for the third time in as many seasons, earning all-conference acclaim with right-hander James Kaprielian and catcher Shane Zeile. Kaprielian became the third pitcher under Savage to lead the conference in strikeouts (108), joining Trevor Bauer and Tim Murphy in that category. UCLA finished the season with four selections in the MLB Draft, including two top-10 round picks (Shane Zeile, fifth round and Max Schuh, seventh round).

Savage helped UCLA post a perfect 10-0 mark during its 2013 run to the NCAA title, going 4-0 against national seeds in the tournament while eliminating two of them – No. 5 Cal State Fullerton in Super Regional action and No. 1 North Carolina at the College World Series. The Bruins’ pitching staff limited the opposition to four runs in five College World Series games. In the 68-year history of the CWS, only one national champion has surrendered fewer runs than UCLA’s 2013 ballclub (California allowed three runs in 1957).

UCLA went 49-17 in 2013, marking the program’s second-highest single-season victories, and matched the school record with 21 conference wins. For the eighth consecutive year, UCLA finished with no lower than a third-place finish among Pac-12 teams. Berg became the conference’s first-ever reliever to earn Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year honors. Three-year starting shortstop Pat Valaika became UCLA’s first player to secure Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year acclaim.

Savage was named the 2013 National Coach of the Year by Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America, the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and Perfect Game USA. His work with UCLA’s pitching staff that season was no more evident than with the success of starting pitchers Adam Plutko, Nick Vander Tuig and Grant Watson. Plutko and Vander Tuig capped their UCLA careers in 2013 as the winningest pitching tandem in school history (56 total wins in three seasons).

In 2012, UCLA didn’t miss a beat despite losing the No. 1 and No. 3 overall MLB draft selections (Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer) from the pitching rotation. The Bruins went 48-16 and returned to the College World Series for the second time in three seasons. In addition, UCLA won the Pac-12 co-championship (tied with Arizona), marking the first time in school history that the Bruins had won back-to-back conference titles. UCLA hosted the NCAA Los Angeles Super Regional for the second time in three years after hosting its third consecutive NCAA Regional. The Bruins entered the 2012 postseason as the NCAA Tournament’s No. 2 overall seed and had seven players selected in the first 15 rounds of that season’s MLB Draft.

In 2011, the Bruins captured their first outright Pac-10 title since 1986 just days before seeing top pitchers Cole and Bauer selected No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, in the MLB Draft. No college program had seen two of its players selected within the draft's first three selections since 1978 (Arizona State). Bauer was named UCLA’s first-ever Golden Spikes Award winner and became the first player in school history to earn National Player of the Year honors from either Baseball America or Collegiate Baseball.

Savage helped UCLA's 2011 pitching staff post the nation's third-lowest ERA (2.44), the lowest mark on record in school history. Likewise, the Bruins' staff finished the year second, nationally, in strikeouts per nine innings (9.8) and hits allowed per nine innings (6.61).

In 2010, UCLA set the school record for single-season victories, compiling a 51-17 overall record after opening the season with a school-record 22 consecutive wins. The Bruins also won a program-best 43 regular-season games and landed their first-ever national seed (No. 6-seed) in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA hosted postseason games at Jackie Robinson Stadium for the first time since 1986 and swept all three NCAA Regional contests. The Bruins overcame a Game 1 loss to Cal State Fullerton with consecutive victories in the next two games of the NCAA Super Regional to advance to Omaha for the first time since 1997. UCLA finished second in the Pac-10 Conference, a league that sent eight of its 10 teams to the postseason. The Bruins’ pitching staff set the school and conference records for most strikeouts in one season (700). Additionally, UCLA logged the country’s second-lowest ERA (3.00) and ranked first in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (10.2) and ranked second in hits allowed per nine innings (7.31). Savage was named the National Coach of the Year in 2010 by CollegeBaseballInsider.com.

The development of Cole and Bauer proved instrumental to UCLA’s success in 2010 and 2011. In his career at UCLA, Bauer (2009-2011) established UCLA's all-time records in strikeouts (460), wins (34) and innings (373.1) and set the program's top two marks in single-season strikeouts. Bauer logged a nation-leading and Pac-12 record 203 strikeouts in 2011 after having led the country with 165 strikeouts in 2010. Cole served as UCLA's Friday night pitcher in each of his three seasons (2009-11), logging 376 strikeouts, the second-highest career total in program history and becoming the first pitcher in program history to record at least 100 strikeouts in each of three seasons.

Savage’s work at UCLA during his first five seasons (2005-2009) paid major dividends in setting up the program for long-term postseason success. He became UCLA’s first-ever head baseball coach to lead the program to at least three consecutive NCAA postseason appearances (2006-2008).

In 2009, Savage led UCLA to a third-place finish in the Pac-10 for the fourth consecutive season. The Bruins went 27-29 with a 15-12 mark in Pac-10 play. That year, UCLA's pitching staff finished ninth in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (9.3). The team's success on the mound was fueled by the emergence of Cole and Bauer, who finished their freshman campaigns as two of the conference's three freshmen to earn All-Pac-10 team honors. Bauer captured National Freshman Pitcher of the Year honors from Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball. Cody Decker became the only Bruin to hit 20 or more home runs under Savage in one season. He finished his senior season with 21 homers, becoming UCLA's first Pac-10 home run leader since 2002.

In 2008, UCLA went 33-27 with a 13-11 Pac-10 record, culminating in an NCAA Regional Final berth at Cal State Fullerton. Left-handed starter Tim Murphy became UCLA’s first pitcher to lead the conference in strikeouts (111) since 1996, when Jim Parque totaled 116 strikeouts. The Bruins' regular-season schedule featured 26 games against teams that advanced to NCAA postseason play. UCLA’s 2008 ballclub was led by a strong mainstay of talented infielders, including Jermaine Curtis at third, Brandon Crawford at shortstop and Alden Carrithers at second.

In 2007, Savage helped UCLA overcome an 8-14 start and record a 33-28 overall record, en route to the program's first NCAA Super Regional appearance since 2000. The Bruins went 14-10 with a third-place finish in the Pac-10, winning 19 of 23 games midway through the season. UCLA swept the NCAA Long Beach Regional with a trio of masterful starting performances from Tyson Brummett, Gavin Brooks and Murphy. The Bruins’ season ended with consecutive losses to Cal State Fullerton at the NCAA Fullerton Super Regional.

In 2006, the Bruins engineered a remarkably-strong turnaround with a 33-25 overall record and third-place finish in the Pac-10. Guided by the nation’s No. 5-ranked incoming class (Baseball America), Savage and the Bruins advanced to the NCAA Malibu Regional after having played the nation’s most challenging schedule, as ranked by Boyd’s World. The Bruins’ 2006 campaign marked the first year in which UCLA won each of its home conference series.
Much of the college baseball world noticed UCLA's success in 2006 and aimed their praise toward Savage. Following the 2006 campaign, Savage was named a finalist for the National Coach of the Year award by CollegeBaseballInsider.com. In July 2006, Baseball America hailed Savage as one of “10 People to Watch in the Future." The magazine listed the Bruins' head coach with other distinguished baseball personnel such as Mets all-star third baseman David Wright and then- L.A. Dodgers’ assistant general manager Kim Ng. Baseball America lauded Savage for his winning ways: "UCLA has always been viewed as a sleeping giant on the West Coast, and it looks like Savage has the giant stirring."

Savage was hired by former UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero on July 1, 2004, to replace the retired Gary Adams. Prior to taking over UCLA’s program, Savage had made stops as head coach at UC Irvine (2002-2004) and as an assistant coach at USC (1997-2000) and Nevada (1992-1996).

Coincidentally, Guerrero hired Savage at UC Irvine four years prior, giving him the unique opportunity to help launch a dormant college baseball program. Savage showed his ability to not just coach a team, but to resurrect a program in three seasons at UC Irvine. He used the 2000-01 school year to build the program from scratch, before turning on the lights at Anteater Ballpark and getting the season underway in 2002.

In their first season at the Division I level and under Savage’s guidance, UC Irvine posted a 33-26 overall record and the pitching staff set a school record with 487 strikeouts. After going 21-35 in 2003, Savage and the Anteaters broke through with an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2004. That season, UC Irvine went 34-23-1 and competed at the NCAA Notre Dame Regional. In his third season as UC Irvine’s head coach, Savage saw freshman pitcher Blair Erickson earn national Freshman of the Year accolades from Collegiate Baseball as well as Big West Conference Freshman Pitcher of the Year honors. The Anteaters earned their highest national ranking at the time, climbing to the No. 7 spot in Collegiate Baseball’s weekly rankings in April 2004. At season’s end, Savage was tabbed a finalist for National Coach of the Year honors by CollegeBaseballInsider.com.

As pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Southern California (USC) from 1997 through 2000, Savage helped the Trojans produce consecutive Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year selections in Seth Etherton, Rik Currier and eventual American League Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito. Etherton was named the 1998 Sporting News National Player of the Year, helping guide the 1998 USC program to the NCAA Championship. Also under Savage’s mentorship was former Chicago Cubs right-hander Mark Prior.

As the Trojans’ recruiting coordinator, Savage helped facilitate the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class in 1999-2000, as ranked by Collegiate Baseball, and served as an assistant coach to then-USC head coach Mike Gillespie for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in the summer of 2000. Team USA went 27-3-1 that summer, bringing home a gold medal from the Haarlem Baseball Week Tournament in the Netherlands.
Savage was honored as Collegiate Baseball’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 1998, following the Trojans’ run to the College World Series title. USC advanced to the NCAA Super Regional in 1999 and back to the College World Series in 2000.

Savage served as an assistant coach at the University of Nevada from 1992-1996, helping the Wolf Pack compile a 177-82 record in five seasons. During his tenure at Nevada, the baseball program won the 1994 Big West Conference title and strung together its first back-to-back 35-win seasons in school history. In five seasons as an assistant coach at Nevada, 24 Wolf Pack players signed professional contracts.

Savage began his coaching career as the pitching coach for Reno High School (Nevada) during the 1988-1989 school year.

Savage was a sixth-round MLB Draft selection by the New York Yankees in 1983 following his senior season at Reno High School and later would be inducted into the Reno High School Hall of Fame in 1997. Savage chose to attend Santa Clara University, where he pitched for three seasons. He was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 16th round of the 1986 MLB Draft. Savage played two seasons in the Reds’ minor league system before moving on to help the independent league Salt Lake City Trappers set a professional baseball record with 29 consecutive wins in 1987.

Following his professional career, Savage earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary education, with an emphasis in physical education and history, from Nevada in 1991.

Savage, and his wife, Lisa, have four children – Julia, Jack, Ryan and Gabrielle.

John Savage's Year-by-Year Head Coaching Record