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 CHRISTIAN
BERGMAN - university of california irvine
PING!BASEBALL PLAYER PROFILE
If
you’re looking to have smooth, silky skin that glows
with youthful beauty, check out Christian Bergman of Sweden
and their line of revolutionary creams. However if you are
a major league baseball scout in search of a young prospect
with a silky smooth delivery and a sinker which gets glowing
reviews and creams opposition, look no further than Christian
Bergman of UC Irvine.
 Last
season Bergman broke out to became an integral member of the
UC Irvine pitching staff which was one of the (if not the)
best in the entire nation and was one game away from making
back-to-back College World Series appearances. After an effective,
but unassuming freshman season (0-4, 4.98 ERA), the stars
aligned for the righty from nearby Altadena. He went 5-2 in
a duel role for the Anteaters, making 25 appearances with
seven starts. Armed with a ground ball inducing sinker-slider,
a fastball approaching the 90’s and excellent control
he earned 1st team all conference honors. His 1.94 ERA was
third all time for a UCI hurler and ranked 10th in the nation.
Furthermore he continued to rock the house all summer long,
going 4-2 with a 1.34 ERA for the Anchorage Bucs and was an
All-Star second-team Player of the Year in the Alaskan League.
In 2009 he has continued to impress, going
4-1 with a 2.64 ERA to date. His last two appearances have
been especially buzz worthy. Two weeks ago Bergman shut out
the nationally ranked Cal Poly Mustangs for eight innings,
allowing just five hits and didn’t allow a single walk.
Last weekend he pitched 5.2 innings against top ranked Cal
State Fullerton and gave up only a single run to the Titans
and earned the series deciding win.
Proud to be an ‘Eater and thankful
not to be adorned with a unicorn, the Irvine junior took some
time to answer some questions from Ping!Baseball:
PING!BASEBALL:
After spending the majority of your first two seasons in a
relief role, you’ve made the transition to a starter
exclusively this season (rather seamlessly by the way). Do
you prefer one or the other? Do you plan on toeing the rubber
from the get-go from now on?
BERGMAN: If
I were to answer this question prior to last season, I definitely
would have preferred being a starter since I hadn't spent
a significant amount of time as a reliever. However, since
the majority of my innings last year were in relief, I now
enjoy relieving as well. I would still say that I prefer starting,
but I will do whichever one allows me to play the longest.
PING!BASEBALL:
Despite playing in one of the most competitive conferences
in college baseball, you managed to compile a ridiculously
teeny 0.64 ERA in league play in 2008 which dropped your overall
mark to 1.94, good for 10th in the nation. You’ve done
this without being an overpowering strikeout pitcher, instead
using control and a repertoire of effective out pitches. Obviously
you’ve spend a lot of time honing your craft. How have
Coach Silva and Coach Gillespie helped you develop into the
pitcher you are today?
BERGMAN: Both
Coach Silva and Coach Gillespie have taught me some things
that have allowed me to be successful up to this point, both
mechanically and mentally. Coach Silva is always quick to
let me know if he sees that I'm doing something I shouldn't
be mechanically. This has allowed me to be consistent. Coach
Gillespie has shown me the importance of being able to throw
any pitch in any count at any time, which is important since
I am not an overpowering strikeout pitcher.
 PING!BASEBALL:
You took to the mound as a freshman in the 2007 College World
Series pitching admirably as you threw four innings without
allowing an earned run in front of 30,000 fans. What was on
your mind when you took to the mound that day and how did
you find out that you’d be making the start?
BERGMAN: Pitching
in the College World Series is one of my favorite baseball
moments so far. I actually found out I'd be starting from
a long-time friend of Coach Serrano's and old pitching coach
of mine, Danny Ricabal. He called me the night before and
told me to meet him in the lobby of our hotel. We talked briefly,
then he asked me if I was ready to start the next day against
Oregon State. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous,
but I knew that was normal and saw it as a great opportunity
to get my name out there and show I was capable of performing
on the biggest stage in college baseball.
PING!BASEBALL:
When you decided to come to UCI did you anticipate making
it to Rosenblatt and the CWS? The ‘Eaters hadn’t
traditionally been a powerhouse club or had much of presence
nationally until recently.
BERGMAN: One
of the main reasons I came to UCI was because they were an
up-and-coming program with a well-known coaching staff. Towards
the beginning of the season, Omaha was obviously our goal,
but it was so far away that it didn't seem likely. But as
we got further into the season, that vision of making it to
Omaha became more and more clear. When we took down Texas
in the Round Rock Regional, we realized that we could play
with anyone, and it seemed like we would never lose. Even
though we did eventually lose, we succeeded in putting UCI
on the map nationally.
PING!BASEBALL:
You spent the summer pitching in the Alaska Baseball League
for the Anchorage Bucs. How did you enjoy spending the summer
and playing ball in the Last Frontier?
BERGMAN: After
spending three summers in Alaska, it is almost like a home
away from home for me. I got called to go up there for a couple
weeks just after graduating high school and loved it, so I
decided to do the same thing the next year, and the year after
that. I was very fortunate to stay with the same great host
family every year, and that really enhanced my experience.
Whenever we had days off, I would go fishing for halibut or
salmon and just relax. The scenery is beautiful and it's a
great place to get away from everything back home and just
focus on baseball.
PING!BASEBALL:
UCI has one of the more unique mascots being the Anteaters.
How do you like being an ‘Eater as opposed to something
more traditional or awe inspiring like a Warrior, Trojan or
Bear?
BERGMAN: I'm
actually very proud to be an Anteater. Some guys think it's
stupid, but I love it because it's so unique. Also, when I
found out that the student body voted on the school's mascot
and 'Unicorns' was one of the choices, I realized that anteaters
are pretty cool compared to unicorns.
PING!BASEBALL:
Speaking of ‘Eaters, if a career in baseball didn’t
pan out and you joined the competitive eating circuit instead,
what would be your food of choice?
BERGMAN: Definitely
sushi. A few of my teammates and I go out for all-you-can-eat
sushi about once a week and even though they have at least
15 pounds on me, I still give them a run for their money.
PING!BASEBALL:
Would you be embarrassed if Ben Orloff (senior UCI shortstop,
zero homeruns in 700+ at bats) took you deep?
BERGMAN: Embarrassed?
No. Honored? Absolutely. If that happened I could just say
that I supplied the power.
PREVIOUS PLAYER SPOTLIGHTS
* - DII
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Previous Years
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PREVIOUS COACH SPOTLIGHTS
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2008
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