UCLA bullpen has a firm grip on things

UCLA pitcher David Berg unlocked the gate to the bullpen at Jackie Robinson Stadium. He took a seat along the rail, staring out at the field.

Welcome to the office of Kaprielian, Weiss and Berg.

Their motto? “We lock things down,” Berg said.

James Kaprielian, Zack Weiss and Berg form one of the best bullpen combinations in the nation, UCLA’s 1-2-3 finishing kick. Some say it’s the best … ever.

“It rivals any bullpen at any point in college baseball history,” said San Diego Coach Rich Hill, whose team was eliminated by the Bruins in regional play Sunday. “You can’t afford to get down by even one run because it’s Kaprielian, it’s Weiss, it’s Berg and it’s game over.”

Heady stuff, especially for Berg, who came to UCLA without a baseball scholarship but has used a whip-like delivery to ascend to CEO status of the group. His 20 saves are only three off the NCAA record.

Yet, any best-ever praise can wait.

“That’s quite a compliment, especially since we have a lot of season left,” Berg said. “We haven’t accomplished all the things we want to do. You can’t start running in front of your feet. You’ll fall flat on your face.”

The Bruins (42-17) play Cal State Fullerton (51-8) in a best-of-three super-regional at Fullerton’s Goodwin Field. The winner goes to the College World Series.

The Titans may have an edge in starting pitchers, with freshmen Justin Garza and Thomas Eshelman. But the Bruins have the Kaprielian-Weiss-Berg coalition, which has given up only six earned runs in its last 53 innings, at the back end of games.

“Bullpens have become a little more important with new bats,” UCLA Coach John Savage said. “The games are closer, the style of play is different.”

The need is clear. In 2010, Dan Klein was the closer who helped UCLA reach the College World Series final. A year later, with Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer as starters, UCLA stumbled against San Francisco and UC Irvine and didn’t make it out of a regional.

Cole would be the first overall pick in the 2011 major league draft and Bauer was taken No. 3. Yet the Bruins were eliminated when they were unable to hold a one-run lead in the ninth inning.

“It’s all about establishing the roles,” Savage said. “You want them to be the best seventh-inning guy in the country, the best setup guy, the best closer.”

Kaprielian, who was named to the freshman All-American team, usually handles the seventh. He has two saves and a 1.46 earned-run average.

Weiss, a junior, often comes in for the eighth inning. He has a 2-1 record with a 2.37 ERA.

Berg, a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, has yet to waste an opportunity. He is 6-0 and is 20 for 20 in save opportunities. His 0.81 ERA is the lowest in the nation and he had a string of 37 scoreless innings at one point.

“When I’m in the game, it means the rest of the team has done their job,” Berg said.

Berg wasn’t much of a prospect until, playing catch with a teammate one day at La Puente Bishop Amat High, he dropped his arm and delivered a submarine pitch. A mid-80s fastball took on a whole new life.

“It allows me to manipulate the ball,” Berg said. “It’s deceptive to batters.”

Berg had a record of 7-1 and a 1.05 ERA as a high school senior, with 59 strikeouts in 47 innings.

And few noticed.

Most of Berg’s baseball opportunities for college were at the Division II or NAIA levels. But he took a visit to UCLA and impressed Savage.

“His personality, his makeup, his character were off the charts,” Savage said.

Said Berg: “I was trying to be nonchalant. UCLA was my dream school. As soon as we got to the car, I turned to my parents and said, ‘I understand it’s a big financial commitment …’ They stopped me right at that and said, ‘If this is where you want to go, we’ll make it happen.’ ”

It was a good get for the Bruins.

Berg was 5-3 with a 1.46 ERA in 50 games as the setup man last season. He was ticketed for the same role this season.

Kaprielian, who attended Beckman High in Irvine, was expected to be the closer, but a sore elbow forced him to sit out a month.

Berg dominated in the closer role, so when Kaprielian returned, Savage said, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

It has been an office party ever since.

“The first guy gets the starter out of a mess, then hands a clean slate to the next guy,” Berg said. “The guys in front of me are locking it down and passing it to me.”

chris.foster@latimes.com

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