LOS ANGELES – Sitting behind his desk in the clubhouse at Jackie Robinson Stadium, UCLA baseball coach John Savage begins to rattle off one name after another.
He starts with record-setting closer David Berg before bringing up James Kaprielian, the hard-throwing Friday night starter from Irvine who became a first-round draft pick of the New York Yankees, and shortstop Kevin Kramer, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ second-round selection. There’s hardly a pause.
Savage continues to note other losses: left fielder Ty Moore, third baseman Chris Keck and another starting pitcher, Grant Watson, a left-hander who started Saturday games.
The stalwarts were freshmen and sophomores when the Bruins won the NCAA championship back in 2013, and again were key pieces last spring when it looked like they might repeat the feat, winning a program-record 45 games, earning the top seed in the NCAA Tournament and making a case that they compiled Savage’s best team since he arrived in Westwood in 2005.