 |
My Account for
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Ed Servais enters his 10th season leading the Creighton baseball program in 2013. He is the winningest coach in program history, surpassing Jack Dahm (283) and Jim Hendry (289) in 2011, when he led his team to a 45-16 overall record, Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Servais was named the MVC Coach of the Year following the 2011 season, the fourth time he has earned the award at Creighton. He led the Jays back to the NCAA Tournament in 2012 as Creighton posted a perfect 4-0 record in the MVC Tournament to advance into the Los Angeles, Calif. (UCLA)
Regional.
Servais holds a .626 winning percentage at the helm of the Jays, the second highest in school history. He has taken the Bluejays to four NCAA
Tournaments (2005, 2007, 2011 & 2012). In nine seasons under Servais' leadership, the Bluejays have averaged 36 wins per season.
In December of 2012, Servais was tabbed as one of three assistants for USA Baseball's 2013 Collegiate National Team. Servais will coach team defense and serve as the first base coach for the USA National Team.
Servais' tenure has ranked among the best as a Creighton head coach, as he has guided the team to a 327-195 record, placing him second in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), third in the Midwest, and in the top 30 in the nation in winning percentage during that time. Servais led the Jays to the MVC Tournament title three times (2007, 2011
& 2012) and regular-season crowns in 2005 and 2011.
His teams have finished among the nation's best in fielding percentage and sacrifice bunts every season, including 2012, when the Bluejays finished eighth in fielding percentage (.978) and 17th in sacrifice bunts (73). Since coming to Creighton, Servais' teams have committed the fewest errors in the nation, while holding a .977 fielding percentage in the last nine seasons, which also leads the country.
Despite finishing last season with a 28-30 overall record and a 6-14 mark in MVC play, Servais led his team to the NCAA Tournament via an inspired four-game sweep at the MVC Tournament. The Jays opened the MVC Tournament with an upset win over top-seed Indiana State, then went on to defeat Illinois State twice to advance to the title game against Southern Illinois. Creighton completed the four-game run by besting the Salukis, 8-6, to earn the MVC's automatic berth.
At the UCLA Regional, the Bluejays dropped their opening game to the host Bruins (3-0), but Creighton rebounded to eliminate San Diego (8-2) and New Mexico (7-2), before succumbing to UCLA (13-5).
The 2011 team finished with a 45-16 overall record, finishing first in MVC play with a 15-6 mark. It marked the first time in school history a Bluejay baseball team has won the regular-season and tournament titles in the same year. The Bluejays finished the season ranked 25th in the nation, breaking into the top-25 for the first time since 2007.
The Bluejays moved into TD Ameritrade Park Omaha midway through the 2011 season, leaving behind the friendly confines of the CU Sports Complex where Servais had a .770 winning percentage. The new venue, however, gave Creighton the chance to host the MVC Tournament for the first time in Servais' tenure.
Servais was named the 2011 MVC Coach of the Year, as he guided the Jays to series sweeps of Indiana State, Bradley and Missouri State. The three wins over the Bears to close the regular season gave Creighton the MVC regular-season crown outright.
The Bluejays then overcame fatigue and weather conditions in the MVC Tournament (including playing two games a day on back-to-back days after storms postponed play) to position themselves for a chance at the tournament title. Creighton defeated Missouri State for the fifth time in eight days, needing a wild-pitch in the 12th inning to get a 4-3 victory. Creighton then downed Wichita State 3-1 in the title game to earn the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, finishing 1-2 in the Corvallis, Ore., Regional.
The Bluejays earned a host of postseason accolades, led by Servais' MVC Coach of the Year. Trever Adams became the first Bluejay outfielder since 2000 to be named First Team All-MVC, joined by Jimmy Swift and Jonas Dufek. Mike Gerber, Ty Blach and Kurt Spomer were recognized as second teamers. Dufek garnered All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball, while Adams was named All-America by Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America and the NCBWA. Gerber finished as a freshman All-American from Collegiate Baseball, while Ty Blach became the seventh player in program history to be named a CoSIDA Academic
All-American.
Creighton finished the 2010 season 27-25 and 9-12 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Creighton excelled on the defensive side, finishing second in the nation in fielding percentage at .980. The Jays closed the year second in Division I, committing just 41 errors in 52 games.
The end of the 2010 season saw four Jays honored by the MVC and one Bluejay pitcher earning national honors. Elliot Soto and Carson Vitale were drafted, with Soto being taken by the Chicago Cubs in the 15th round and Vitale by the Texas Rangers organization in the 38th round. The two became the 11th and 12th players drafted under Servais as Creighton's head coach.
In 2009, the Bluejays came within one win of their third NCAA Tournament in five years, as they reached the MVC Tournament Championship game before falling to Wichita State, 4-2. Defense set the tone for the squad as it finished with a .984 fielding percentage, tops in the nation and the best in NCAA history during the aluminum bat era.
Individually, Servais coached seven All-MVC selections in 2009, the most since taking the reins in 2004. He also saw first baseman Darin Ruf come just 38 putouts shy of an NCAA record, finishing with 2,251 during his four years.
The Creighton skipper guided the 2008 team to another strong season, especially on the defensive side. The Bluejays, who were 37-21 overall, posted a .976 fielding percentage, good for third in the nation, after committing only 52 errors in 58 games. Creighton was also near the top of the nation in sacrifice bunts as well as shutouts. Individually the Bluejays featured four All-MVC picks in 2008, as Pat Venditte, Darin Ruf, Robbie Knight and Steve Winkelmann all earned accolades.
In 2007, Servais led Creighton to 45 wins and the first Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship in school history. Servais was named the MVC Coach of the Year for the third time as the Jays advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years. Creighton won 26 of its final 31 games, including a memorable 10-9, 12-inning victory over 12th-ranked Wichita State in the finals of the MVC Tournament. The 2007 season saw 12 school records broken and the Bluejays' second season series victory over in-state rival Nebraska under Servais' guidance.
Individual accolades came in bunches with the successful 2007 season under Servais. Sophomore first baseman Darin Ruf was named the Joe Carter MVC Player of the Year, junior southpaw Ben Mancuso was the MVC Pitcher of the Year, and senior transfer Andy Masten was the league's Newcomer of the Year. Mancuso, Masten and junior ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte were selected to All-America teams, while freshman hurler Casey Schmidt earned Freshman All-America honors.
The 2006 team posted a record of 31-21 overall and placed fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 13-11 mark. Servais guided Creighton to its third-consecutive 30-win season, becoming the third coach in school history to win 30 games in each of his first three seasons.
In 2005, the Bluejays had one of the best seasons in school history. Servais coached the Bluejays to a 48-17 record, the school's first-ever Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship and the team's first NCAA postseason appearance since 2000. The squad's 48 wins were the second-most in program history, behind only the 51 games won by the 1991 College World Series team. Servais also brought home his second MVC Coach of the Year award in as many seasons.
Creighton ended the 2005 campaign nationally ranked for the first time since 2000, a No. 28 ranking from Collegiate Baseball. Servais also led the Jays to a 5-3 victory against No. 3 Nebraska in front of more than 20,000 fans at Rosenblatt Stadium during the regular season.
In 2004, Servais was honored as the MVC Coach of the Year, the first time in league history it was awarded to a first-year coach. Creighton's 15-win improvement from its 2003 record was the fifth-best turnaround in the NCAA that year and the largest in the MVC since 1991. Servais led the Bluejays to 35 wins, including a school-record 22 Missouri Valley Conference victories.
Known as a coach who emphasizes the importance of team defense, his first season didn't disappoint. Creighton's .982 fielding percentage in 2004 led the country and was the second-best mark in NCAA history. In 2005, the Bluejays led the nation in double plays turned with 85 and set a team record for assists with 803. Creighton led the Valley in fielding again in 2005 with a .972 fielding percentage.
Servais has coached 46 players that received All-MVC honors, in addition, 22 players have been named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team during that span.
|
|
|
Returning Customers
|
|
Jays Video users
or
returning customers, please login here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
