WESTWOOD, Calif. — Baseball is hotter than ever in Westwood and that’s because the UCLA Bruins have landed the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

It’s the second time in program history that they’ve captured that top spot, and the one thing that’s constant in that success is head coach John Savage.

“You’ve put the work in, you’ve had a really good regular season," Savage said. "You understand this is the postseason but at the same time you know it’s baseball and we know what we’re doing and it’s really important that we just get back to our game.”

Savage has been at the helm since 2005 and this will be his 11th postseason appearance during his time at UCLA. 

The Bruins won it all back in 2013 for their first-ever NCAA baseball title defeating Mississippi State.

But this year, something is extra special.

The team is coming off their most successful regular season in program history with a 47-8 record, and they’ve captured their 12th Pac-12 championship.

Perhaps it’s Savage’s ability to recruit with a keen eye for developing talent.

“With my staff doing a great job of identifying players, making sure that we get the right player, you know the competitive player, the intelligent player, and the tough player and that’s eventually the combination that we’re looking for at UCLA," he said.

So as the team gears up for the road to Omaha, that road begins right here in their own backyard at Jackie Robinson Stadium. 

They open up the L.A. Regional on Friday versus fourth seeded Omaha, while also hosting Baylor and LMU.

Each regional is a four-team, double elimination tournament.

But as the excitement builds, it’s the ability to stay calm that Savage knows is the key to making it further down the road to the College World Series.

“Knowing what type of year you’ve put yourself in and you put yourself in a very good position, hosting a regional and now you’ve got to take advantage of that, but you also have to realize that everybody’s coming at you, you know?" Savage said.