2011 Baseball - Creighton University Bluejays

This is Creighton Records and History 2010 in Review Opponents Meet the Players Meet the Staff Creighton Baseball12Creighton BluejaysYear Schoolrecord1984 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Assistant Coach 20-161985 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Assistant Coach 20-181986 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Assistant Coach 14-241987 Viterbo, Head Coach Program Not Yet Started1988 Viterbo, Head Coach 23-61989 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Head Coach 13-22-11990 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Head Coach 28-8 *1991 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Head Coach 20-101992 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Head Coach 28-71993 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Head Coach 26-7 *1994 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Head Coach 20-111995 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Head Coach 24-111996 Iowa State, Assistant Coach 23-311997 Iowa State, Assistant Coach 21-311998 Creighton, Assistant Coach 27-27-11999 Creighton, Assistant Coach 38-25 !2000 Creighton, Assistant Coach 38-23 !2001 Creighton, Assistant Coach 21-312002 Creighton, Assistant Coach 30-242003 Creighton, Assistant Coach 20-372004 Creighton, Head Coach 35-24 @2005 Creighton, Head Coach 48-17 !@2006 Creighton, Head Coach 31-212007 Creighton, Head Coach 45-16 !@2008 Creighton, Head Coach 37-21 #2009 Creighton, Head Coach 31-252010 Creighton, Head Coach 27-2516-Year Head Coaching Totals 436-231-17-Year Creighton Totals 254-149* MIAC Coach of the Year! NCAA Regional@ MVC Coach of the Year# FieldTurf National Coach of the YearEd Servais enters his eighth season leading theCreighton baseball program in 2011. He currentlyholds a .630 winning percentage at the helm of theJays, which is the second best in school history.Servais needs just 30 wins to move into second inCreighton history in wins by a head coach, as JackDahm (283) and Jim Hendry (289) sit in front ofhim. He has taken the Jays to two NCAA Tournamentsand has won the Missouri Valley ConferenceCoach of the Year award three times in his sevenseasons. He has also led the Bluejays to an averageof 37 wins each of the previous seven seasons.Servais’ tenure has ranked among the best as aCreighton head coach, as he has guided the teamto a 254-149 record, placing him second in theMissouri Valley Conference, fifth in the Midwest,and in the top 50 in the nation during that time.The Bluejays are one of just 10 schools in the Midwestto earn four or more NCAA Regional berthsin the last 12 years, and only the second in theMVC along with Wichita State. Servais also has ledthe Jays to the MVC Tournament title in 2007 andregular-season crown in 2005.Creighton finished the 2010 season 27-25 and9-12 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Creightonexcelled on the defensive side, finishing second inthe nation in fielding percentage with a .980 percentageas a team, and tied for first in Division Icommitting just 41 errors in 52 games.The end of the 2010 season saw four Jays honoredby the MVC and one Bluejay pitcher earningnational honors. Elliot Soto and Carson Vitalewere drafted into the major leagues, with Soto beingtaken by the Chicago Cubs in the 15th roundand Vitale into the Texas Rangers organization inthe 38th round. The two became the 11th and12th players drafted under Servais as Creighton’shead coach.In 2009, the Bluejays came within one win oftheir third NCAA Tournament in five years, asthey reached the MVC Tournament Championshipgame before falling to Wichita State 4-2. Defenseset the tone for the squad as it finished with a .984fielding percentage, tops in the nation and the bestin NCAA history during the aluminum bat era.Individually, Servais coached seven All-MVC selectionsin 2009, the most since taking the reins in2004. He also saw first baseman Darin Ruf comejust 38 putouts shy of an NCAA record, finishingwith 2,251 during his four years.In 2008, the Creighton skipper guided the teamto another strong season, especially on the defensiveside. The Bluejays, who were 37-21 overall,posted a .976 fielding percentage, good for third inthe nation, after committing only 52 errors in 58games. In six of Servais’ seven years on the bench,Creighton has finished in the top 20 in the nationdefensively, has finished in the top 10 five times,and in the top 3 four times. The team’s 37 winsin 2008 were the fourth year under Servais it hadover 35 wins.Fundamentals played a key in the 2008 season.9 • Ed ServaisHead CoachUW-La Crosse (1980)254-149 • Creighton (8th Season)436-231-1 • Overall (17th Season)Besides defense, Creighton was also near the topof the nation in sacrifice bunts as well as shutouts.Individually the Bluejays featured four all-MVCpicks in 2008, as Pat Venditte, Darin Ruf, RobbieKnight and Steve Winkelmann all earned accolades.In 2007, Servais led Creighton to 45 winsand the first Missouri Valley Conference TournamentChampionship in school history. Servais wasnamed the MVC Coach of the Year for the thirdtime in four seasons as the Jays advanced to theNCAA Tournament for the second time in threeyears. Creighton won 26 of its final 31 games, includinga memorable 10-9, 12-inning victory over12th-ranked Wichita State in the finals of the MVCTournament. The 2007 season saw 12 school recordsbroken and the Bluejays’ second seasonseries victory over in-state rival Nebraska underServais’ guidance.Individual accolades came in bunches with thesuccessful 2007 season under Servais. Sophomorefirst baseman Darin Ruf was named the Joe CarterMVC Player of the Year, junior southpaw Ben Mancusowas the MVC Pitcher of the Year, and seniortransfer Andy Masten was the league’s newcomerof the year. Mancuso, Masten and junior ambidextrouspitcher Pat Venditte both were selected toAll-America teams, while freshman hurler CaseySchmidt earned Freshman All-America honors.The 2006 team finished with a record of 31-21 overall and placed fourth in the Missouri ValleyConference with a 13-11 record. Servais guidedCreighton to its third-consecutive 30-win season,becoming the third coach in school history to win30 games in each of his first three seasons.In 2005, the Bluejays had one of the best seasonsin school history. Servais coached the Bluejaysto a 48-17 record, the school’s first-ever MissouriValley Conference regular season championshipand the team’s first NCAA postseason appearancesince 2000. The squad’s 48 wins were the secondmostin program history, behind only the 51 gameswon by the 1991 College World Series team. Servaisalso brought home his second MVC Coach ofthe Year award in as many seasons.Creighton ended the 2005 campaign nationallyranked for the first time since 2000, including a No.28 ranking from Collegiate Baseball. Servais also ledthe Jays to a 5-3 victory against No. 3 Nebraskain front of more than 20,000 fans at RosenblattStadium during the regular season.In 2004, Servais was honored as the MVCCoach of the Year, the first time in league historyit was awarded to a first-year coach. Creighton’s15-win improvement from its 2003 record was thefifth-best turnaround in the NCAA that year andthe largest in the MVC since 1991. Servais led theBluejays to 35 wins, including a school-record 22Missouri Valley Conference victories.Known as a coach who emphasizes the importanceof team defense, his first season didn’tdisappoint. Creighton’s .982 fielding percentage in