ACADEMY STAFF

Ed Servais
Head Coach

Ed Servais returns for his 17th season at the helm of the Creighton baseball program in 2020, after guiding the Bluejays to their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance under his leadership in 2019 (2005, 2007, 2011, 2012 & 2019).

Known as a coach who emphasizes team defense, Servais’ teams have consistently been among the nation’s best in fielding percentage. In his first season (2004) the Bluejays’ .982 fielding percentage led the country. Creighton has repeated that impressive feat two additional times (2009 & 2014). During Servais’ 16 seasons at Creighton, the Bluejays have finished in the NCAA’s top-10 in fielding 11 times (including fifth in 2019). Since the Servais era began, Creighton has committed the fewest errors in the nation (758), while also leading the country with a .977 fielding percentage.

The focus on defense and fundamental baseball has delivered wins in historic fashion. The winningest coach in Creighton baseball history, Servais’ overall record of 740-402-2 (.648) places him 19th in the nation in winning percentage amongst active coaches.

Servais has posted a winning record in 21 of his 25 seasons as a head coach. During his 16 seasons at Creighton, Servais has guided the Bluejays to 13 seasons of at least 30 wins. He has topped 40 wins in four seasons. A total of 12 times Servais led his teams to at least a .667 winning percentage.

Servais’ reputation for teaching was rewarded during  the summer of 2013, Servais served as one of three assistants for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team. Servais was responsible for team defense and was the first base coach. Servais helped Team USA post a 7-3 record, including a five-game sweep of the Cuban National Team.

Servais’ ability to prepare his squad to play beyond the college ranks led to 37 Bluejays being taken over the last 16 seasons in the MLB Draft. Six Creighton players were selected in the draft following the 2019 season, tying the six Bluejays taken from the 1991 team.

During 2019 five former Bluejays that played for Servais appeared for an MLB: Anthony Bemboom (Anaheim & Tampa Bay), Ty Blach (Baltimore & San Francisco), Mike Gerber and Pat Venditte (San Francisco) as well as Nicky Lopez (Kansas City).

Servais was named the Creighton head coach on July 29, 2003 after serving as the program’s interim head coach for the previous month. As an assistant, Servais was on the bench for 174 Creighton wins (including a pair of NCAA Regional berths in 1999 and 2000).

He was on staff when previous head coach Jack Dahm was named MVC Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2002. With the help of Servais’ instruction, the 2002 edition of the Bluejays finished second in the MVC. Servais served as Creighton’s hitting and first base coach, as well as the defensive infield coach.

He also served as the Bluejays’ recruiting coordinator. He made an immediate impact on the program in his first year, as the Bluejays ranked among the nation’s top defensive teams with a .965 fielding percentage in 1998. The team’s offensive numbers also increased significantly as the team batting average went up 29 points to .313. The run production also increased from 6.9 to 7.5 runs per game.

Before coming to Creighton, Servais spent two years as an assistant coach at Iowa State University. During his time at ISU, he served as recruiting coordinator, hitting instructor, infield and outfield coach. He helped lead the Cyclones to a second-place finish at the final Big Eight Conference tournament in 1996.

Prior to 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. He was named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Coach of the Year in both 1990 and 1993 after leading St. Mary’s to MIAC championships in both years. His 1990 pitching staff led Division III schools with a 2.34 earned run average. Between the years of 1991 and 1992, his teams went on a 26-game winning streak.

His 1993 team at St. Mary’s came just short of making the Division III World Series, falling in the finals of the Division III Midwest Regional. That team was ranked as high as No. 10 in the country. In his seven years as head coach, St. Mary’s had six players drafted by major league teams.

Servais’ first collegiate head coaching position came at Viterbo College in La Crosse, Wis., in 1988 when he coached the NAIA Division II V-Hawks in the first year of baseball at the school.  He made his only season there one to remember as Servais led the V-Hawks to a 23-6 overall record and an 11-1 conference mark. Making that record even more impressive is that of the 17 players on the team, 14 were  freshmen. One of those freshmen he coached was Damian Miller, who went on to the Major Leagues and was a member of the world champion Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.

Servais’ first college coaching job came at St. Mary’s in 1984 as an assistant. He stayed there for three seasons, after which he left to start the baseball program at Viterbo. He got his start in coaching at Rib Lake High School in Rib Lake, Wis. He coached for two years at Rib Lake and rang up a two-year record of 24-11 from 1982-1983. He led Rib Lake to the district finals in both of his years.

Servais graduated from Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1980 with a degree in physical education. As a player, Servais was a three-time all-conference selection, the team’s co-captain and Most Valuable Player his senior year. He holds a master’s degree in physical education from Wisconsin-La Crosse, which he earned in 1986 while coaching at St. Mary’s.

Servais resides in Omaha with his wife Anne.  The couple has three adult children: Angela, Joe and Michael.

Angela graduated from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, in 2006 and went on to complete her master’s degree at Drake. Angela and her husband Zach Gradnon, recently welcomed Ed’s first grandchild, Gwen.

Joe transferred to Creighton from the University of Kansas, and played for the Bluejays in 2008, finishing with a .298 average in 54 games. Michael played second base and graduated from Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb.

Ed is also the uncle of former Creighton All-American and major league catcher Scott Servais, who is the manager of the Seattle Mariners.

Year-by-Year Recap

2019: 41-13, 13-5 BIG EAST - NCAA
Powered with one of the most potent offenses in his time at the helm of the Bluejays, Servais and the Bluejays returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. Creighton was not just happy making an appearance, dispatching of the 2018 CWS champion Oregon State Beavers on their home field. The Bluejays went on to force a decisive game with the 2019 CWS runner-up Michigan Wolverines. Creighton earned the BIG EAST’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament with consecutive victories over Seton Hall, St. John’s and Xavier at Prasco Park. Servais and the Creighton staff collected the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honor.

2018: 34-16, 8-9 BIG EAST
The Bluejays topped the 30-win mark for the 12th time under Servais in 2018, closing the year at 34-16. Creighton, however, was unable to reach the BIG EAST Championship with an 8-9 mark in league play.

2017: 24-25, 11-4 BIG EAST
Creighton claimed its second regular-season BIG EAST title in just its fourth year as a member of the conference in 2017, going 11-4 in BIG EAST play. The Bluejays finished the season 24-25, falling in the conference tournament to Xavier and St. John’s at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.

2016: 38-17, 13-5 BIG EAST
The 2016 season saw Creighton compete for both the conference title as well as an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, posting a 38-17 overall record and a 13-5 mark in conference play. During the early portion of the season the Bluejays won 16 of 17 games (Feb. 26-March 27) and took a three game series from No. 20 BYU in Utah (April 22-23).

2015: 32-19, 13-4 BIG EAST
The Bluejays were 32-19 in 2015, collecting Servais’ 600th win on May 15 over Villanova. Creighton reached the BIG EAST title series for the second consecutive season, falling to St. John’s at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.

2014: 32-17-1, 14-4 BIG EAST
In 2014 Servais guided the Bluejays to the BIG EAST regular season championship, the first BIG EAST title for any sport at Creighton. The Bluejays closed the year with a 32-17-1 record and a 14-4 mark in their first season as a member of the BIG EAST. In the conference tournament, Creighton won its first two contests to advance to the championship game, but the Bluejays fell in a winner-take-all affair to Xavier. Creighton closed the season as the NCAA statistical champion in fielding percentage (.984), with just 32 errors. In addition, Servais picked up the 2014 BIG EAST Coach of the Year nod.

2013: 30-18, 13-8 MVC
Creighton got off to a fast start in 2013, sweeping a road series at Dallas Baptist (Feb. 15-17) and also took a road series at Wichita State (May 10-12). The Bluejays closed 2013 with a 30-18 mark, Creighton’s final year in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC).

2012: 28-30, 6-14 MVC - NCAA
Despite finishing 2012 at 28-30 and 6-14 in MVC play, Servais led his team to the NCAA Tournament with an inspired four-game sweep at the MVC Tournament. The Bluejays opened the MVC Tournament with an upset win over top-seed Indiana State and went on to defeat Illinois State twice to advance to the title game. Creighton completed the four-game run by besting Southern Illinois, 8-6. At the Los Angeles Regional, the Bluejays dropped their opener to host UCLA (3-0), but rebounded to eliminate San Diego (8-2) and New Mexico (7-2), before falling to the Bruins (13-5).

2011: 45-16, 15-6 MVC - NCAA
Creighton moved into TD Ameritrade Park Omaha midway through the 2011 season, leaving behind the friendly confines of the CU Sports Complex where Servais posted a .770 winning percentage. The 2011 team finished with a 45-16 overall record, claiming the regular season title in the Missouri Valley at 15-6 mark. It marked the first time in school history a Bluejay baseball team 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.

Servais was named the 2011 MVC Coach of the Year, as he guided the Bluejays 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 four games in two days) 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. Finally Creighton bested Wichita State 3-1 in the title game to earn the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

The Bluejays earned a host of postseason accolades, led by Servais’ MVC Coach of the Year recognition while Ty Blach became the seventh player in program history to be named a CoSIDA Academic All-American.

2010: 27-25, 9-12 MVC
Creighton finished the 2010 season, 27-25. Creighton excelled on the defensive side, finishing second in the nation in fielding percentage at .980. The Bluejays committed just 41 errors in 52 games. The end of the 2010 season saw four Bluejays recognized by the MVC and one Bluejay pitcher earning national honors.

2009: 31-25, 14-9 MVC
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 NCAA. Servais coached seven
All-MVC selections in 2009.

2008: 37-21, 16-8 MVC
The Creighton skipper guided the 2008 team to another strong season. 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, Pat Venditte, Robbie Knight, Steve Winkelmann and Darin Ruf.

2007: 45-16, 19-5 MVC - NCAA
In 2007, Servais led Creighton to 45 wins and the first MVC Tournament Championship in school history. Servais was named the MVC Coach of the Year for the third time as the Bluejays 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.

2006: 31-21, 13-11 MVC
The 2006 team posted a record of 31-21 overall and placed fourth in the MVC with a 13-11 mark. After dropping the opening series, the Bluejays went on a 15-game winning streak. Once back in Omaha Creighton won its first six home contests, including two over No. 11 Wichita State.

2005: 48-17, 17-7 MVC - NCAA
In 2005, Servais coached the Bluejays to a 48-17 record and the school’s first-ever MVC regular-season championship. It was also 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 Bluejays to a 5-3 regular-season win over No. 3 Nebraska in front of more than 20,000 fans at Rosenblatt Stadium. Creighton led the nation in double plays turned with 85 and set a team record for assists with 803.

2004: 35-24, 22-9 MVC
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 MVC victories.

Chad Miller
Director of Baseball Operations & Player Development