2011 Baseball - Creighton University Bluejays

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2004 led the country and was thesecond-best mark in NCAA history.In 2005, the Bluejays led thenation in double plays turned with85 and set a team record for assistswith 803. Creighton led The Valleyin fielding again in 2005 with a .972fielding percentage. Since Servaistook over, Creighton’s .977 overallfielding percentage and 370 errorslead the country.Servais has coached 36 playersthat received All-MVC honors inhis first seven seasons. In addition,16 players have been named to theMVC Scholar-Athlete Team duringthat span. Creighton’s four selectionsin 2005 were the most of anyValley team.Servais was named head coachon July 29, 2003 after serving as theprogram’s interim head coach forthe previous month. He succeeded Jack Dahm, who resigned after 10 years ashead coach in late June.“During Ed’s first seven seasons at Creighton, he has established our baseballprogram as one of the most fundamentally sound, over-achieving programs in thecountry,” said Creighton Director of Athletics Bruce Rasmussen. “Ed is a greatteacher of the game of baseball and his program has done a tremendous job ofrepresenting themselves and Creighton University.”Servais came to Creighton on Aug. 25, 1997, when Dahm named him an assistanton his staff. As an assistant, Servais was on the bench for 174 Creightonwins, including a pair of NCAA Regional berths in 1999 and 2000. He was also onstaff when Dahm was named MVC Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2002. With thehelp of Servais’ instruction, the 2002 edition of the Bluejays finished second in theMissouri Valley Conference.During his time as associate head coach, Servais served as Creighton’s hittingand first base coach, as well as the defensive infield coach. He also served asDahm’s recruiting coordinator.He made an immediate impact on the program in his first year, as the Bluejaysranked among the nation’s top defensive teams with a .965 fielding percentage in1998. The team’s offensive numbers also increased significantly as the team battingaverage went up 29 points to .313. The run production also increased from 6.9 to7.5 runs per game.His most talented team as an assistant was in 1999. That Bluejay squad hitHead coach Ed Servais with (from L to R) daughter Angela, son Michael,wife Anne and son Joe..326 and averaged nearly eight runs per game. Ryan Gripp was named a first-teamABCA All-American following that season and was drafted by the Chicago Cubsin the third round of the MLB amateur draft.Gripp is one of many Creighton student-athletes Servais has coached who havegone on to play professional baseball. They include Tim Gradoville (2000-02), DanLawler (1998-2001), Vince Pietro (1997-2000), Kenny Sarna (1997-2000), KevinFrederick (1995-98), Peyton Lewis (1999), Dan Gooris (1998-2001), Tom Oldham(2001-2003), Ryan Fitzgerald (2002-03), Steve Grasley (2001-04), Eric Wordekemper(2003-05), Tony Roth (2002-05), Zach Daeges (2003-2006), Adam Schaecher(2003-2006), Chase Odenreider(2004-2006), ChrisGradoville (2004-07), MarcLewis (2004-07), Chad Ogden(2006-07), Pat Venditte (2005-08), Vicente Cafaro (2008-09),Darin Ruf (2006-09), JeremyHauer (2008-09), Kirk Clark(2009), Carson Vitale (2006-10) and Elliot Soto (2007-10).Nine seasons ago, as partof his job as infield coach, hehelped make Tony Roth intoan honorable mention all-MVC player. Roth was namedconference Freshman of theYear in 2002 and was also afreshman All-American selectionby Collegiate Baseball. Thatsame year, second basemanChris Hinrichs and shortstopScott Allen were each namedhonorable mention all-MVC,making for a combination thatturned 54 double plays, whichranked among NCAA leaders.Catcher Tim Gradoville wasalso named honorable mentionall-MVC in 2002.As part of his job as first2011 BaseballSERVAIS NOTES• Head Coach, Creighton (2004-present)Overall record of 227-124• Head Coach, St. Mary’s (Minn.) (1989-95)Overall record of 159-76-1• Head Coach, Viterbo (Wis.) (1987-88)Overall record of 23-6• 2005 NCAA Regional ParticipantMVC Regular Season Champions• 2007 NCAA Regional ParticipantMVC Tournament Champions• 2008 FieldTurf National Coach of the Year• 2007 MVC Coach of the Year• 2005 MVC Coach of the Year• 2004 MVC Coach of the Year• 1993 MIAC Coach of the Year• 1990 MIAC Coach of the Year• 1993 Midwest Regional Runner-UpPLAYING CAREER• Wisconsin-La Crosse (1977-1980)• Three-time all-conference pick• Co-captain, 1980• Team MVP, 1980base coach, Servais helped that same 2002 team rank ninth in the country with2.19 stolen bases per game. In addition to the team-leading 27 stolen bases fromHinrichs, seven other players swiped eight or more bases.Prior to coming to Creighton, Servais spent two years as an assistant coach atIowa State University. During his time at ISU, he served as recruiting coordinator,hitting instructor, infield and outfield coach. He helped lead the Cyclones to asecond-place finish at the final Big Eight Conference tournament in 1996.Before his time at Iowa State, Servais was the head coach at St. Mary’s (Minn.)for seven years from 1989-1995. While at St. Mary’s, he compiled a record of 159-76-1 at the NCAA Division III school where he began his college coaching career.He was named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Coachof the Year in both 1990 and 1993 after leading St. Mary’s to MIAC championshipsin both years. His 1990 pitching staff led Division III schools with a 2.34 earnedrun average. Between the years of 1991 and 1992, his teams went on a 26-gamewinning streak.His 1993 team at St. Mary’s came just short of making the Division III WorldSeries, as it was runners-up in the Division III Midwest Regional. That team wasranked as high as No. 10 in the country. In his seven years as head coach, St. Mary’shad six players drafted by the major leagues.Servais’ first collegiate head coaching position came at Viterbo College in LaCrosse, Wis., in 1988 when he coached the NAIA Division II V-Hawks in the firstyear of baseball at the school. He made his only season there one to rememberas he led the V-Hawks to a 23-6 overall record and an 11-1 conference mark.Making that record even more impressive for a first-year team is that of the 17players on the team, 14 were freshmen. One of those freshmen he coached wasDamian Miller, who went on to the major leagues and was a member of the worldchampion Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.Servais’ first college coaching job came at St. Mary’s in 1984 as an assistant. Hestayed there for three seasons, after which he left to start the baseball program atViterbo.He got his start in coaching at Rib Lake High School in Rib Lake, Wis. Hecoached for two years at Rib Lake and rang up a two-year record of 24-11 from1982-1983. He led Rib Lake to the district finals in both of his years.Servais graduated from Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1981 with a degree in physicaleducation. He was a three-time all-conference pick, the team’s co-captain andMost Valuable Player his senior year. He holds a master’s degree in physical educationfrom Wisconsin-La Crosse, which he earned in 1986 while coaching at St.Mary’s.He resides in Omaha with his wife Anne, their daughter Angela (26), and sonsJoe (24) and Michael (19). Angela graduated from Simpson College in Indianola,Iowa, in 2006 and recently completed her master’s degree at Drake. Joe transferredto Creighton from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., and playedfor the Bluejays in 2008, finishing with a .298 average in 54 games, all starts. Michaelis currently on the baseball team at Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb.Ed is also the uncle of former Creighton All-American and major league catcherScott Servais.Creighton Baseball Meet the Staff Meet the Players Opponents 2010 in Review Records and History This is Creighton13
This is Creighton Records and History 2010 in Review Opponents Meet the Players Meet the Staff Creighton Baseball14Creighton BluejaysSMITH NOTES• Associate Head CoachRecruiting CoordinatorPitching CoachCreighton University (2007-present)• Pitching CoachPurdue University (2001-2006)• Volunteer Assistant CoachPurdue University (1999)PLAYING CAREER• Indiana Southeast (1993-1994)• Vincennes University (1991-1992)Rob Smith will enter his fifthseason at Creighton and secondas associate head coachin 2011. Smithworks as the Bluejaypitching coachand recruiting coordinator.In hisfirst four seasonswith the Bluejays, hehas coached threeAll-Americans, twofreshman All-Americans,one MVCPitcher of the Year,two MVC Newcomersof the Year andhad four pitchersoffered professionalcontracts. His staffs have twice led the MVC in pitching (2008,2009) while ranking in the top 20 nationally in lowest ERA over thatsame four years. In all, during his 9 year stint as a division one pitchingcoach, Smith has developed 10 pitchers that have been draftedor offered professional contracts.Last season marked the fourth straight in which the Jays rankedin the top-25 nationally for fewest walks per nine innings. Overthat same four year period, the Creighton pitching staff has a combinedERA of 4.14 which ranks 19th overall in the country. In hisfirst three seasons as pitching coach, Smith’s pitching staff put togetherone of the best streaks in school history. During that threeyear span, the Jays pitchers combined ERA ranked them 7th in thecountry from 2007-2009. They placed inside the top 15 in pitchingnationally for three consecutive seasons joining North Carolina andVirginia as the only schools to do so.At the conclusion of the 2010 season, Ty Blach became the 5thAll American selection during Smith’s four years with Creighton.Blach finished with a 3.11 ERA which was good enough for thirdbest in the league.During the 2009 season, Creighton finished 13th in the nationin pitching while ranking 1st in the MVC. Smith also tutored freshmanBrandon Koenigstein, who threw just the fourth no-hitter inCreighton history, and the first complete-game, no-no since 1971.This historic performance moved the Bluejays into the MVC championshipgame. The Creighton staff also led the league in fewest hitsallowed per nine innings and fewest walks allowed per nine innings.In 2008, Creighton finished 14th in the nation in ERA for thesecond consecutive year, while finishing first in the MVC and 2ndin the country for shutouts (8). The staff, led by All-American and20th round draft pick Pat Venditte, also finished 16th in the nationfor walks allowed per nine innings. Individually the Bluejays boastedthe best pitcher in the MVC in terms of ERA as junior Mike Nihsenled the league in 2008 with a 2.30 mark in 70.1 innings. In addition,weekend starter Jeremy Hauer was named the MVC newcomer ofthe year as he anchored the Friday night starting spot for the jays.At the conclusion of the 2008 season, Smith was named the CollegiateBaseball Teaching Professional of the year.29 • Rob SmithAssociate Head CoachIndiana (1998)Fifth SeasonIn his first season as pitching coach in 2007 Smith made an immediateimpact as the staff picked up 21 saves in relief to set a newschool record. Relievers Pat Venditte, Andy Masten, and starter BenMancuso all earned All-America honors following the season. Thecountry’s only known switch-pitcher, Venditte recorded a stretchof 43.2 scoreless innings, was named the MVP of the MVC Tournament,and set a school record for lowest ERA in a season. Mancusohad team-best 10 victories in 2007 and he recorded seven scorelessoutings in 13 appearances on his way to being named MVC Pitcherof the Year. Masten was named the league’s Newcomer of the Yearafter finishing with 16 saves to tie for second-most in the country.His 16 saves also set Creighton’s school record and ranked thirdmostin MVC history for a season.Smith also instructed freshman right-hander Casey Schmidt, whofinished 6-1 and earned Freshman All-American accolades. Fridaystarter Marc Lewis was selected in the 20th round of the MajorLeague draft after finishing with an 8-3 record. Lewis was joined byVenditte, Mancuso, and Masten to give Creighton four pitchers onthe All-MVC first team.Smith came to Creighton after a successful five-year stint at PurdueUniversity. Smith arrived at Purdue in the fall of 2001 and spentfive seasons training the Boilermaker pitching staff. In his last seasonin West Lafayette, Purdue had its most wins since 2001 (31) andthree pitchers were named all-conference. In addition, he helpedlead Purdue to its third straight Big Ten Tournament berth whichmarked the first time in program history that had been accomplished.Three members of his pitching staff were drafted, tying aschool-record. In 2002, Purdue hurler Chadd Blasko was pickedin the supplemental first round, 36th overall, making him Purdue’shighest draftee since 1993.Purdue’s staff ERA dropped by more than 1.7 runs per game in
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