REPORT: Bruins HC Projected to Earn Major Conference Award

UCLA Bruins head coach John Savage has had consistent success throughout his career and is predicted to win an elite Big Ten award for the job that he has done in his first season in the new conference.

Jun 24, 2013; Omaha, NE, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach John Savage (22) looks on in the dugout before game 1 of the College World Series finals against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

UCLA Bruins head coach John Savage is in his 20th year at the helm of the program and has a prime opportunity to win an illustrious conference award. The success that he has maintained over his Bruin career has been amplified this season, as he is considered the top manager in the Big Ten.

Michella Chester of Big Ten Baseball filled out an awards list if the season had ended on Monday. She tabbed Savage as the conference Coach of the Year for the success his team has had in its first season of Big Ten action.

These names are trending toward postseason awards, according to @michellachester 👀 Do you agree with her picks? 🏆#B1GBaseball pic.twitter.com/lZfjMZ201O

— Big Ten Baseball (@B1Gbaseball) April 21, 2025

Savage has led the Bruins to a No. 15 national ranking, getting to No. 10 for the previous two weeks. They started the season unranked and have taken their new conference by storm with an impressive group of young talent. He is once again commanding a team that has College World Series potential.

The Bruins are currently 29-10 with a 13-5 conference record, sitting in second place in the Big Ten standings with just 12 conference games remaining in the regular season. Savage will have a chance to win his fifth conference title as the head coach of the Bruins, beginning his tenure in 2005.

What really makes Savage deserving of the award is the bounce-back that his program has had from even just one year ago. In 2024, the Bruins finished with a disappointing record of 19-33 and 9-21 in their final Pac-12 season. Savage deserves a lot of credit for the turnaround this team has seen.

Just weeks ago, Savage became the second head coach in program history to reach 700 wins. He now has 705 wins at the helm of the program after the Bruins took one of three from the No. 16 Oregon Ducks (27-11, 14-7) this past weekend.

If the Bruins stay consistent, they are certainly going to find themselves as one of the eight teams that make the Big Ten tournament. With how well they perform down the stretch and into the postseason will determine if Savage will officially win the award.

Savage has previously won Pac-12 Coach of the Year twice, ('15, '19), as well as CollegeBaseballInsider.com's National Coach of the Year in 2010.

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