11.01.2015 Views

Pages 1-92 - Creighton University Bluejays

Pages 1-92 - Creighton University Bluejays

Pages 1-92 - Creighton University Bluejays

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

2010 Bl u e j a y Ba s e b a l l<br />

Head Coach Ed Servais<br />

9<br />

Ed<br />

SERVAIS<br />

Head Coach<br />

UW-La Crosse (1981)<br />

Career Record: 409-206-1 (15 seasons)<br />

<strong>Creighton</strong> Record: 227-124 (6 seasons)<br />

SERVAIS NOTES<br />

• Head Coach, <strong>Creighton</strong> (2004-present)<br />

Overall record of 227-124<br />

• Head Coach, St. Mary’s (Minn.) (1989-95)<br />

Overall record of 159-76-1<br />

• Head Coach, Viterbo (Wis.) (1987-88)<br />

Overall record of 23-6<br />

• 2005 NCAA Regional Participant<br />

MVC Tournament Champions<br />

• 2007 NCAA Regional Participant<br />

MVC Tournament Champions<br />

• 2008 FieldTurf National Coach of the Year<br />

• 2007 MVC Coach of the Year<br />

• 2005 MVC Coach of the Year<br />

• 2004 MVC Coach of the Year<br />

• 1993 MIAC Coach of the Year<br />

• 1990 MIAC Coach of the Year<br />

• 1993 Midwest Regional Runner-Up<br />

PLAYING CAREER<br />

• UW-La Crosse (1981-84)<br />

• Three-time all-conference pick<br />

• Co-captain, 1984<br />

• Team MVP, 1984<br />

Ed Servais enters his seventh season at the<br />

helm of the Bluejay baseball program in 2010.<br />

His .647 winning percentage is the best in school<br />

history and he has averaged nearly 40 wins a<br />

season during his time as head coach. Servais<br />

has taken the Jays to two NCAA Tournaments and<br />

has won the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of<br />

the Year award three times in his six seasons.<br />

Servais’ tenure has been the most successful<br />

of any <strong>Creighton</strong> baseball coach, as he has<br />

guided the team to a 227-124 record, good for<br />

second in the Missouri Valley Conference, fifth in<br />

the Midwest, and 28th in the nation. The <strong>Bluejays</strong><br />

are one of just 10 schools in the Midwest to earn<br />

four or more NCAA Regional berths in the last 11<br />

years, and only the second in the MVC along with<br />

Wichita State.<br />

In 2009 the <strong>Bluejays</strong> came within one win<br />

of their third NCAA Tournament in five years, as<br />

they reached the MVC Tournament Championship<br />

game before falling to Wichita State 4-2. Defense<br />

set the tone for the squad as it finished with a<br />

.984 fielding percentage, tops in the nation and<br />

the best in NCAA history during the aluminum bat<br />

era.<br />

Individually, Servais coached seven All-MVC<br />

selections, the most since taking the reins in<br />

2004. He also saw first baseman Darin Ruf come<br />

just 38 putouts shy of an NCAA record, finishing<br />

with 2,251 during his four years.<br />

In 2008, the <strong>Creighton</strong> skipper guided the<br />

team to another strong season, especially on the<br />

defensive side. The <strong>Bluejays</strong>, who were 37-21<br />

overall, posted a .976 fielding percentage, good<br />

for third in the nation, after committing only 52<br />

errors in 58 games. In five of Servais’ six years on<br />

the bench, <strong>Creighton</strong> has finished in the top 20<br />

in the nation defensively, has finished in the top<br />

10 four times, and in the top three three times.<br />

The team’s 37 wins were the fourth year under<br />

Servais it had over 35 wins.<br />

Fundamentals played a key in the 2008 season.<br />

Besides defense, <strong>Creighton</strong> was also near<br />

the top of the nation in sacrifice bunts as well as<br />

shutouts. Individually the <strong>Bluejays</strong> featured four<br />

all-MVC picks in 2008, as Pat Venditte, Darin Ruf,<br />

Robbie Knight and Steve Winkelmann all earned<br />

accolades.<br />

In 2007, Servais led <strong>Creighton</strong> to 45 wins<br />

and the first Missouri Valley Conference Tournament<br />

Championship in school history. Servais was<br />

named the MVC Coach of the Year for the third<br />

time in four seasons as the Jays advanced to the<br />

NCAA Tournament for the second time in three<br />

years. <strong>Creighton</strong> won 26 of their final 31 games,<br />

including a memorable 10-9, 12-inning victory<br />

over 12th-ranked Wichita State in the finals of<br />

the MVC Tournament. The 2007 season saw 12<br />

school records broken and the <strong>Bluejays</strong>’ second<br />

season series victory over in-state rival Nebraska<br />

under Servais’ guidance.<br />

Individual accolades came in bunches with<br />

the successful 2007 season under Servais. Sophomore<br />

first baseman Darin Ruf was named the<br />

Joe Carter MVC Player of the Year, junior southpaw<br />

Ben Mancuso was the MVC Pitcher of the<br />

Year, and senior transfer Andy Masten was the<br />

league’s newcomer of the year. Mancuso, Masten<br />

and junior ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte<br />

both were selected to All-American teams, while<br />

freshman hurler Casey Schmidt earned Freshman<br />

All-America honors.<br />

The 2006 team finished with a record of 31-<br />

21 overall and placed fourth in the Missouri Valley<br />

Conference with a 13-11 record. Servais guided<br />

<strong>Creighton</strong> to its third-consecutive 30-win season,<br />

becoming the third coach in school history to win<br />

30 games in each of his first three seasons.<br />

In 2005, the <strong>Bluejays</strong> had one of the best<br />

seasons in school history. Servais coached the<br />

<strong>Bluejays</strong> to a 48-17 record, the school’s first-ever<br />

Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship<br />

and the team’s first NCAA postseason<br />

appearance since 2000. The squad’s 48 wins<br />

were the second-most in program history, behind<br />

only the 51 games won by the 1991 College<br />

World Series team. Servais also brought home his<br />

second MVC Coach of the Year award in as many<br />

seasons.<br />

<strong>Creighton</strong> ended the 2005 campaign nationally<br />

ranked for the first time since 2000, including<br />

a No. 28 ranking from Collegiate Baseball. Servais<br />

also led the Jays to a 5-3 victory against No.<br />

3 Nebraska in front of more than 20,000 fans at<br />

Rosenblatt Stadium during the regular season.<br />

In 2004, Servais was honored as the MVC<br />

Coach of the Year, the first time in league history<br />

it was awarded to a first-year coach. <strong>Creighton</strong>’s<br />

15-win improvement from its 2003 record was<br />

the fifth-best turnaround in the NCAA that year<br />

and the largest in the MVC since 1991. Servais led<br />

the <strong>Bluejays</strong> to 35 wins, including a school-record<br />

22 Missouri Valley Conference victories.<br />

Known as a coach who emphasizes the importance<br />

of team defense, his first season didn’t<br />

disappoint. <strong>Creighton</strong>’s .982 fielding percentage<br />

in 2004 led the country and was the second-best<br />

mark in NCAA history. In 2005, the <strong>Bluejays</strong> led<br />

the nation in double plays turned with 85 and<br />

set a team record for assists with 803. <strong>Creighton</strong><br />

led The Valley in fielding again in 2005 with a<br />

.972 fielding percentage. Since Servais took over,<br />

<strong>Creighton</strong>’s .976 overall fielding percentage, 329<br />

errors and 1.08 double plays turned per game all<br />

lead the country.<br />

Servais has coached 32 players that received<br />

All-MVC honors in his first six seasons. In addition,<br />

15 players have been named to the MVC<br />

Scholar-Athlete Team during that span. <strong>Creighton</strong>’s<br />

four selections in 2005 were the most of any<br />

Valley team.<br />

Servais was named head coach on July 29,<br />

2003 after serving as the program’s interim head<br />

coach for the previous month. He succeeded<br />

Jack Dahm, who resigned after 10 years as head<br />

coach in late June.<br />

“During Ed’s first six seasons at <strong>Creighton</strong>, he<br />

has established our baseball program as one of<br />

the most fundamentally sound, over-achieving<br />

programs in the country,” said <strong>Creighton</strong> Director<br />

of Athletics Bruce Rasmussen. “Ed is a great<br />

teacher of the game of baseball and his program<br />

has done a tremendous job of representing themselves<br />

and <strong>Creighton</strong> <strong>University</strong>.”<br />

Servais came to <strong>Creighton</strong> on August 25,<br />

1997, when Dahm named him an assistant on his<br />

[12] 2010 Cr e i g h t o n Ba s e b a l l

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!