Table of Contents Location ...... Omaha, Neb. (409,416) • Roster and Schedule • Founded ...... 1878 Roster ...... 2 Enrollment ...... 6,804 Pronunciation Guide ...... 2 President ...... Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J. 2006 Schedule ...... 3 Director of Athletics ...... Bruce Rasmussen School Colors ...... Blue (PMS 280) and White • Preview and Personnel • Nickname ...... Bluejays Affiliation ...... NCAA Division I Season Preview ...... 4-5 Conference ...... Missouri Valley Head ...... 6-7 Assistant Coach Travis Wyckoff ...... 8 Bluejay Assistant Coach Spencer Allen ...... 9 Head Coach ...... Ed Servais Volunteer Assistant Rich Symonds ...... 9 Alma Mater ...... Wisconsin-La Crosse, 1981 Returning Player Profiles ...... 10-22 Record at CU/Years ...... 83-41 (39-16 MVC) / Two Newcomer Profiles ...... 23-27 Career Record/Years ...... 265-123-1 / 11 Servais’ Phone ...... (402) 280-2483 • 2005 In Review • Assistant Coach ...... Travis Wyckoff Season in Review ...... 29 Alma Mater ...... Wichita State, 1996 Game-by-Game Results ...... 30 Wyckoff’s Phone ...... (402) 280-5545 Overall Statistics ...... 31 Assistant Coach ...... Spencer Allen MVC Statistics ...... 32 Alma Mater ...... Iowa State, 2001 MVC Season in Review ...... 33 Allen’s Phone ...... (402) 280-2628 2005 Overall Record ...... 48-17 2005 MVC Record/Finish ...... 17-7/1st • 2006 Opponents • Lettermen Returning/Lost ...... 15/13 Air Force / Arkansas-Little Rock / Belmont ...... 34 Position Players Returning/Lost ...... 6/11 Bradley / Evansville / Illinois State ...... 35 Starting Returning/Lost ...... 4/1 Illinois-Chicago / Indiana State / Kansas ...... 36 NCAA Regionals ...... Seven Kansas State / Missouri / Missouri State ...... 37 ...... (1973, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2005) / North Dakota State / Northern Colorado ...... 38 CWS Appearances ...... One (1991) Northern Iowa / Saint Louis / South Dakota State ...... 39 Southeast Missouri State / Southeastern Louisiana / Southern Illinois . . . .40 Creighton Sports Information Tennessee Tech / Vanderbilt / Wichita State ...... 41 Sports Information Director ...... Rob Anderson Phone ...... (402) 280-5544 • Creighton Baseball • E-mail ...... [email protected] and Kitty Gaughan Pavilion ...... 42 Assistant SID ...... Rob Simms Rosenblatt Stadium ...... 43 Office Phone ...... (402) 280-2433 Traditions ...... 44-45 E-mail ...... [email protected] A Look Back: 1992 Season ...... 46 Baseball Contact ...... Ben Adamson Office Phone ...... (402) 280-5801 Cell Phone ...... (405) 742-7585 • Creighton Baseball Records • E-mail ...... [email protected] Single Game Records ...... 47 SID Fax ...... (402) 280-2495 Season and Career Records ...... 48-50 Press Box ...... (402) 280-2787 Year-By-Year Results ...... 51-55 Creighton Hotline ...... (402) 280-5555 All-Time Coaching Records ...... 55 Web Site ...... www.gocreighton.com All-time Series Records ...... 56 SID Mailing Address: The Last Time ...... 57 Creighton Sports Information 2500 California Plaza • Creighton University • Omaha, NE 68178 Creighton University ...... 58-59 Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., President ...... 60 Bruce Rasmussen, Director of Athletics ...... 61 Media Guide Credits Omaha, Nebraska ...... 62 The 2006 Creighton Baseball Media Guide is a production of the Creighton Academics ...... 63 Creighton University Sports Information Office. Design, writing and edit- ing by Sports Information Intern Ben Adamson using an iMac with Athletics Department Staff ...... 64 QuarkXPress 4.04 and Adobe PhotoShop software. Editorial assistance Baseball Support Staff ...... 65 provided by Sports Information Director Rob Anderson, Assistant Sports Information Director Rob Simms, Assistant Athletics Director Kevin Sarver, Kim Manning and the Creighton baseball staff. Printed by • General / Media Information • MultiAd Sports of Peoria, Ill. Outside cover design by Creative Missouri Valley Conference ...... 66 Reservoir, Ralston, Neb. (402) 492-8631. Photos by Creighton Media Services, Scott Bruhn, Eric Francis, John Wall of MSU Photo Services, Media Information ...... 67 , Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, , Radio Broadcast Information and Schedule ...... 68 Northwoods League, USA Baseball, and the Media Directory ...... 68 National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, N.Y.

2006 Baseball 1 2006 Creighton Baseball Numerical Roster Alphabetical NO. NAME POS. HT. WT. B-T YR. HOMETOWN / LAST SCHOOL 2 2 Trevor Benson L H P 1 Michael Lam INF 5-9 165 R-R So. Honolulu, Hawaii / Punahou 1 3 Tony Bilek R H P 2 Curtis Smith OF 5-9 175 R-R Jr. Edmond, Okla. / Garden City CC 3 3 Dan Blair C 3 John Nowaczyk OF 5-9 185 L-L So. Omaha, Neb. / Creighton Prep 2 1 Matt Bowers R H P / I N F 4 Ryan Urzendowski INF 6-1 185 R-R Jr. Omaha, Neb. / Garden City CC 1 7 Wes Castle C 5 Andrew Small OF 6-2 180 R-R Jr. Hastings, Neb. / Barton County CC 6 Brandon Knox OF 5-11 170 R-R Fr. Omaha, Neb. / Millard West 1 6 Dave Cleveland I N F / R H P 7 Connor O’Neill INF 5-10 165 R-R So. Omaha, Neb. / Westside 2 3 Zach Daeges I N F / O F 8 Chase Odenreider OF/INF 6-2 209 R-R Sr. Omaha, Neb. / Nebraska 1 8 J e ff Daneff R H P 10 Zak Moore RHP 6-2 175 R-R Fr. Elkhorn, Neb. / Elkhorn Ryan Forrest R H P 11 Tyson Parks OF/LHP 6-2 200 L-L Fr. Beatrice, Neb. / Beatrice 2 0 Chris Gradoville C 12 Ty Johnston RHP 6-2 175 R-R Fr. St. Paul, Minn. / Blair Academy 1 2 Ty Johnston R H P 13 Tony Bilek RHP 6-2 170 R-R Sr. Omaha, Neb. / Iowa Western CC 3 5 Pat Kleine O F / I N F 14 Ben Mancuso LHP 6-0 170 L-L So. Omaha, Neb. / Creighton Prep 6 Brandon Knox O F 15 Darin Ruf INF 6-3 215 R-R Fr. Omaha, Neb. / Westside 1 Michael Lam I N F 16 David Cleveland INF/RHP 6-4 210 R-R Fr. Omaha, Neb. / Central 17 Wes Castle C 5-11 195 S-R So. Centennial, Colo. / Regis Jesuit 1 9 Marc Lewis L H P 18 Jeff Daneff RHP 6-2 205 R-R Sr. Omaha, Neb. / Creighton Prep 1 4 Ben Mancuso L H P 19 Marc Lewis LHP 6-0 205 L-L Jr. Plainfield, Ill. / Benet Academy 3 2 Chris Marchildon LHP 20 Chris Gradoville C 6-3 235 R-R Jr. Omaha, Neb. / Bryan 2 9 David Merchant R H P 21 Matt Bowers RHP/INF 6-2 225 R-R So. Omaha, Neb. / Roncalli 1 0 Zak Moore R H P 22 Trevor Benson LHP 6-0 180 L-L Sr. Earlville, Ill. / Illinois Valley CC 3 6 Justin Mosley O F 23 Zach Daeges INF/OF 6-5 225 L-R Sr. Harlan, Iowa / Harlan 3 John Nowaczyk O F 24 Mark Wellwood INF 5-10 175 L-R Sr. Omaha, Neb. / Butler County CC 7 Connor O’Neill I N F 26 Adam Schaecher RHP 6-4 200 R-R Sr. Omaha, Neb. / Bryan 8 Chase Odenreider O F / I N F 27 RHP/LHP6-1 180 R-S So. Omaha, Neb. / Central 29 David Merchant RHP 6-5 210 R-R So. Seward, Ill. / Winnebago 3 4 Teddy Ogilvie R H P 3 0 Dan Stanley R H P 6 - 1 1 8 5 R - R S o . Sewell, N.J. / St. John’s Kale Olson R H P 31 Ross Sinclair OF 6-4 190 R-R Jr. Omaha, Neb. / Iowa Western CC 11 Tyson Parks O F / L H P 3 2 Chris Marchildon LHP 6-1 185 L-L Jr. Scottsdale, Ariz. / Glendale CC 4 0 Scott Reese L H P 33 Dan Blair C 6-1 180 R-R Fr. Boulder, Colo. / Boulder 1 5 Darin Ruf I N F 34 Teddy Ogilvie RHP 6-2 215 R-R Jr. Buffalo Grove, Ill. / Stevenson 2 6 Adam Schaecher R H P 35 Pat Kleine OF/INF 5-11 172 R-R Fr. Omaha, Neb. / Skutt Catholic 3 1 Ross Sinclair O F 36 Justin Mosley OF 5-11 180 R-R Jr. Lincoln, Neb. / Pius 5 Andrew Small O F 39 Andrew Webb C 6-3 180 R-R Fr. St. Louis, Mo. / Chaminade Prep 40 Scott Reese LHP 6-6 215 L-L Jr. Portland, Ore. / Jesuit 2 Curtis Smith O F Ryan Forrest RHP 6-2 170 R-R Fr. Highland Ranch, Colo. / Regis Jesuit 3 0 Dan Stanley R H P Kale Olson RHP 6-5 200 R-R Fr. Rochester, Minn. / Century A J S t e e l e C AJ Steele C 5-8 190 L-R Jr. Omaha, Neb. / Colby CC 4 Ryan Urzendowski I N F 2 7 Pat Ve n d i t t e R H P / L H P Head Coach: Ed Servais (Wisconsin-La Crosse, 1981), Third season 3 9 Andrew We b b C Assistant Coach/Pitching: Travis Wyckoff (Wichita State, 1996), Third season 2 4 Mark We l l w o o d I N F Assistant Coach/Hitting: Spencer Allen (Iowa State, 2001), Second season Volunteer Assistant Coach: Rich Symonds (Wayne State, 1968), Second season

Pronunciation Guide Bluejays By Class Tony Bilek BEE • lick Seniors (7) Juniors (11) Sophomores (9) Freshmen (11) Zach Daeges DAY • giss Trevor Benson Chris Gradoville Matt Bowers Dan Blair Pat Kleine Kline Tony Bilek Marc Lewis Wes Castle David Cleveland Michael Lam Lamb Chris Marchildon Marshall • done Zach Daeges Chris Marchildon Michael Lam Ryan Forrest Ben Mancuso Man • CUE • so Jeff Daneff Justin Mosley Ben Mancuso Ty Johnston John Nowaczyk Na • VA • check Chase Odenreider Teddy Ogilvie David Merchant Pat Kleine Chase Odenreider O • den • ride • er Adam Schaecher Scott Reese John Nowaczyk Brandon Knox Darin Ruf Rough Mark Wellwood Ross Sinclair Connor O’Neill Zak Moore Adam Schaecher SHECK • er Ed Servais Service Andrew Small Dan Stanley Kale Olson Rich Symonds Simmons Curtis Smith Pat Venditte Tyson Parks Ryan Urzendowski Urr • zin • DOW • ski AJ Steele Darin Ruf Pat Venditte VEN • det • ee Ryan Urzendowski Andrew Webb Travis Wyckoff WHY • cough

2 2006 Creighton Bluejays Baseball Bluejays By State 2006 Schedule DATE OPPONENT TIME (1) Friday, Feb. 10 at Arkansas-Little Rock 3 p.m. Scottsdale - Chris Marchildon Saturday, Feb. 11 at Arkansas-Little Rock 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12 at Arkansas-Little Rock 1 p.m. Colorado (3) Friday, Feb. 17 vs. Illinois-Chicago & 3:30 p.m. Boulder - Dan Blair Saturday, Feb. 18 vs. Air Force & 11:30 a.m. Centennial - Wes Castle Sunday, Feb. 19 vs. Illinois-Chicago & 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24 at Saint Louis 2 p.m. Highland Ranch - Ryan Forrest Saturday, Feb. 25 at Saint Louis 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26 at Saint Louis 1 p.m. Hawaii (1) Saturday, March 4 vs. Southeast Louisiana % 12 p.m. Honolulu - Michael Lam Sunday, March 5 at Southeast Missouri State 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 7 at Vanderbilt 4 p.m. Illinois (4) Wednesday, March 8 at Belmont 3 p.m. Buffalo Grove - Teddy Ogilvie Friday, March 10 at Tennessee Tech 3 p.m. Earlville - Trevor Benson Saturday, March 11 at Tennessee Tech 1 p.m. Plainfield - Marc Lewis Sunday, March 12 at Tennessee Tech 12 p.m. Seward - David Merchant Tuesday, March 14 North Dakota State 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 15 North Dakota State 3 p.m. Iowa (1) Friday, March 17 Northern Colorado 3 p.m. Harlan - Zach Daeges Saturday, March 18 Northern Colorado 1 p.m. Sunday, March 19 Northern Colorado 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 22 Kansas 3 p.m. Minnesota (2) Friday, March 24 at Bradley* 3 p.m. Rochester - Kale Olson Saturday, March 25 at Bradley* 1 p.m. St. Paul - Ty Johnston Sunday, March 26 at Bradley* 1 p.m. Friday, March 31 Wichita State* $ 6 p.m. Missouri (1) Saturday, April 1 Wichita State* 2 p.m. St. Louis - Andrew Webb Sunday, April 2 Wichita State* 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 4 Nebraska $ 7 p.m. Nebraska (22) Friday, April 7 Illinois State* 3 p.m. Beatrice - Tyson Parks Saturday, April 8 Illinois State* 1 p.m. Elkhorn - Zak Moore Sunday, April 9 Illinois State* 1 p.m. Hastings - Andrew Small Tuesday, April 11 Kansas State 2:30 p.m. Friday, April 14 at Southern Illinois* 1 p.m. Lincoln - Justin Mosley Saturday, April 15 at Southern Illinois* 2 p.m. Omaha -Tony Bilek Sunday, April 16 at Southern Illinois* 1 p.m. Matt Bowers Tuesday, April 18 at Nebraska 6:35 p.m. David Cleveland Friday, April 21 Evansville* 3 p.m. Jeff Daneff Saturday, April 22 Evansville* 1 p.m. Chris Gradoville Sunday, April 23 Evansville* 1 p.m. Pat Kleine Tuesday, April 25 vs. Missouri @ 7:30 p.m. Brandon Knox Wednesday, April 26 vs. Kansas @ 4 p.m. Ben Mancuso Friday, April 28 South Dakota State 3 p.m. John Nowaczyk Saturday, April 29 South Dakota State 1 p.m. Connor O’Neill Sunday, April 30 South Dakota State 1 p.m. Chase Odenreider Friday, May 5 at Missouri State* 12 p.m. Darin Ruf Saturday, May 6 at Missouri State* 7 p.m. Sunday, May 7 at Missouri State* 12 p.m. Adam Schaecher Tuesday, May 9 at North Dakota State (DH) 2 p.m. Ross Sinclair Friday, May 12 Indiana State* $ 12 p.m. AJ Steele Saturday, May 13 Indiana State* $ 2 p.m. Ryan Urzendowski Sunday, May 14 Indiana State* 1 p.m. Pat Venditte Tuesday, May 16 Nebraska $ 7 p.m. Mark Wellwood Thursday, May 18 at Northern Iowa* 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 19 at Northern Iowa* 6:30 p.m. New Jersey (1) Saturday, May 20 at Northern Iowa* 6:30 p.m. Sewell - Dan Stanley Wed.-Sat., May 24-27 ConAgra Foods MVC Tournament ^ TBA Fri.-Mon., June 2-5 NCAA Regionals TBA Oklahoma (1) (&) Played at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz.; (%) Played in Cape Girardeau, Mo.; (*) Missouri Valley Conference; Edmond - Curtis Smith (@) Best of the Midwest Tournament, Kansas City, Kan.; ($) Played at Rosenblatt Stadium; (^) Played in Wichita, Kan.; B o l d Home Games, played at CU Sports Complex; All times Central and subject to change Oregon (1) Portland - Scott Reese

2006 Creighton Bluejays Baseball 3 Bluejays Look to Ride Momentum From Historic 2005 Campaign At first glance, 2006 looks like a rebuilding year for the year in the outfield. The junior batted .467 during the final month Creighton baseball team, but a look reveals a pitching of 2005, and he enters the 2006 campaign having reached base staff that returns the most wins in school history and enough tal- in 18 straight games. He also has good arm strength, throwing ented veterans in the field to continue Creighton’s recent suc- out 6-of-17 (35 percent) attempting base stealers in his career, cess under third-year head coach Ed Servais. and has yet to commit an error in his time at Creighton. Wes Castle will serve as Gradoville’s backup. Castle is a INFIELD switch-hitter who made nice strides in the off-season. Creighton faces the daunting task of replacing all four infield positions this season. Senior Chase Odenreider is expected to make a smooth transition back to third base from the outfield. Designated hitter is the most wide open position on the 2006 He spent time at as a sophomore and at the hot cor- squad, with as many as five or six players rotating throughout ner during his freshman year and summer ball. Odenreider the season. Expect the spot to be filled by a number of players could make the move back to outfield if his defensive presence including Andrew Small, Connor O’Neill, Curtis Smith and is needed. He is also a consistent threat offensively, .292 others. and driving in 32 runs in 2005. Mark Wellwood will provide depth at third base. The senior OUTFIELD has the tools necessary to step into the role and appeared in 16 Zach Daeges returns to the field this spring after spending a games last season. productive 2005 season as the Bluejays’ designated hitter. The Shortstop will be occupied by Ryan Urzendowski, a junior senior has recovered from 2004 Tommy John surgery, and his college transfer with solid defensive skills who has worked hard presence is needed as the Jays must replace all three outfield on his offensive game during the off-season. positions with the departure of Colin Shockey and the moves of A pair of players will try to fill the shoes left by the departure Chase Odenreider and Chris Gradoville to the infield. A true of four-year starter Tony Roth at second base. Connor O’Neill , Daeges had a terrific summer in the Northwoods brings experience and a solid offensive game to the table. Last League and led last season’s team in batting average, slugging, season, the sophomore batted .538 while appearing in 14 runs batted in, on-base percentage and walks. The potential is games with two starts at second base. there, however, for Daeges to move back to the infield based on Michael Lam, a sophomore from Honolulu, did not see any the health of his arm, and Odenreider to move back to the out- action his first season on campus but is very athletic and had a field if the team can absorb his absence from third base. terrific fall camp. Lam has the double play turning ability needed Outfield is also a wide open position, with a number of talent- at second. ed players competing for the three spots. John Nowaczyk is Darin Ruf is projected to start at first base, and is good one of the team’s most improved players from last year, and has around the bag while comfortable fielding the position. Despite the ability to step in and contribute. being a freshman, Ruf has plenty of big-game experience from Three junior college transfers also have their eyes set on the playing in three state championship games in high school at outfield. Curtis Smith possesses excellent speed, stealing 66- Westside High in Omaha. of-69 bases in his Garden City Community College career, and Zach Daeges w i l l also hit .389 in the leadoff spot his freshman season. He is one step in at first if his sur- of several play- gically repaired arm ers who will keeps him from playing allow the in the outfield. The sen- Bluejays to uti- ior saw time at the posi- lize an increase tion during summer ball in team speed in 2005. to manufacture runs. A n d r e w Junior C h r i s Small is a ter- Gradoville is poised to rific all-around step in for three-year athlete with starter Tony Daniel good defensive behind the plate. skills and hit- Gradoville gained expe- ting ability, evi- rience each of the last denced by his two seasons backing up .534 slugging Daniel, and his bat was percentage last too valuable to keep out season at of the lineup last season Barton County as he spent much of the C o m m u n i t y Chris Gradoville College. Zach Daeges

4 2006 Creighton Bluejays Baseball Ross Sinclair comes from a successful program at Iowa Stanley, a transfer from Western Community College and has a strong arm with poten- St. John’s University, tial to be the team’s top defensive . will provide depth in the Brandon Knox and Pat Kleine are two freshmen who are pen. also in the mix. Both of them have a tremendous upside with Matt Bowers should tools such as speed, arm strength and power. be completely healthy after off-season arm PITCHING ROTATION surgery by late The Bluejays return 39 wins from last year, the most in school February or early March history. Jeff Daneff and Marc Lewis are fully recovered from and will share the clos- last season's injuries and will join Adam Schaecher in the er’s role with Reese. weekend rotation. The three have combined for 72 starts and a Servais believes the 27-16 record in their time at Creighton. challenge with the pitch- Schaecher led the team with 14 starts last season and is 10- ing staff will be finding 4 the last two years. The senior’s fastball tops out in the low 90s spots to pitch each play- and he has continued to improve each off-season. He also has er early in the season so pitched in a number of pressure situations at Creighton. they can gain confi- Daneff was 4-1 in 2005 before a shoulder injury cut his sea- dence and experience son short in April. He is on track with his rehabilitation and for later in the season. should see action on the first weekend of the season. Daneff has shown the ability to be a dominant throughout his SCHEDULE career, and enters 2006 with a career ERA of 3.80 and a 13-6 The 2006 schedule record. begins with 16 straight Like Daneff, Lewis was derailed by injury last April. The junior games away from has made a nice recovery from Tommy John surgery and is also Omaha and includes a Scott Reese expected to be ready by the opening weekend. He finished 2005 total of nine games with with a 4.41 ERA. four opponents that made the 2005 NCAA Tournament as well Tony Bilek is the third senior in the rotation. He started 10 as five games played at Rosenblatt Stadium. games last year and came out of the bullpen in eight more. His The Jays take on 2005 Lincoln Regional participant Illinois- role could be similar this season, with weekday and spot starts Chicago twice on the second weekend of the year at Hohokam when necessary, as well as relief appearances on the weekend. Stadium in Mesa, Ariz., the home of the Chicago Ben Mancuso is expected to have a role much like Bilek’s. Cubs. Just a sophomore, Mancuso has a lot of promise and has Creighton travels to Tennessee for Spring Break to play three pitched in a number of pressure situations already in his career. opponents for the first time in school history: Vanderbilt, Belmont and Tennessee Tech. In fact, CU has never played a game in or BULLPEN an opponent from Tennessee. Scott Reese, a National Collegiate Baseball Wr i t e r s The conference schedule begins at Bradley (March 24-26) Association preseason first-team All-American, will anchor this before CU hosts Wichita State at Rosenblatt on March 31 in the unit in 2006 after one of the more remarkable seasons for a first game of the three-game series. The Bluejays take on reliever in NCAA history. The junior went 12-0 in 2005 and came Nebraska at the venue on April 4 and May 16 and also play out of the pen a school-record 37 times. Reese could be Indiana State there on May 12 and 13. depended on in any situation, throwing a team-high 88.1 innings The Bluejays will take on Missouri and Kansas at the Best of in 2005, including a stretch of 22.1 straight scoreless frames in the Midwest Tournament in Kansas City. MU participated in the April. 2005 Fullerton Regional. The Jays also host Kansas and Reese is not the only reliable arm in the bullpen. Trevor Kansas State in midweek contests, making a total of seven Benson had a solid 2005, finishing with a 3.54 ERA, and is match-ups with the Big 12 this season. expected to provide similar consistency this season. The final scheduled weekend of the season is the 2006 Pat Venditte, the nation’s only returning switch pitcher, made ConAgra Foods MVC Tournament in Wichita, Kan., from May huge improvements during the summer and will be used more 24-27. this year. NCAA Regionals begin June 2, with Super Regionals taking Teddy Ogilvie provides another experienced arm, appearing place the following weekend and the in 37 games his first two years, with the ability to give quality rounding out the year June 16-26 in Omaha. innings in long relief and in a starting role as well. He went 6-3 as a sophomore and finished third on the squad with 55.2 innings. Freshman Tyson Parks and mid-season transfer C h r i s Marchildon also have the ability to be reliable southpaws. From the right side, freshmen Ty Johnston and Zak Moore look to step in and contribute immediately, while D a v i d Merchant is a hard-worker with a lot of potential as well. Dan

2006 Creighton Bluejays Baseball 5 Creighton’s hitting and first base coach, as well as the defensive Ed Servais infield coach. He also served as Dahm’s recruiting coordinator. He made an immediate impact on the program in his first year, as 3rd Year as Head Coach the Bluejays ranked among the nation’s top defensive teams with a 9th Year Overall at Creighton .965 fielding percentage in 1998. The team’s offensive numbers 83-41, 39-16 MVC also increased significantly as the team batting average went up 29 Career: 265-123-1 points to .313. The run production also increased from 6.9 to 7.5 runs per game. Wisconsin-La Crosse, 19 81 His most talented team was in 1999. That Bluejay squad hit .326 and averaged nearly eight runs per game. Ryan Gripp was named a first-team ABCA All-American following that season and was draft- Ed Servais enters his third year at the helm after one of the best ed by the Chicago Cubs in the third round of the MLB amateur draft. seasons in school history. He coached the 2005 Bluejays to a 48- Gripp is just one of a handful of Creighton student-athletes 17 record, the school’s first-ever Missouri Valley Conference regu- Servais has coached who have gone on to play professional base- lar season championship and the team's first NCAA postseason ball. They include Tim Gradoville (2000-02), Dan Lawler (1998- appearance since 2000. The squad's 48 wins were the second- 2001), Vince Pietro (1997-2000), Kenny Sarna (1997-2000), Kevin most in program history, behind only the 51 games won by the 1991 Frederick (1995-98), Peyton Lewis (1999), Dan Gooris (1998- College World Series team. Servais also brought home his second 2001), Tom Oldham (2001-2003), Ryan Fitzgerald (2002-03), Steve MVC Coach of the Year award in as many seasons. Grasley (2001-04), Eric Wordekemper (2003-05) and Tony Roth Creighton ended the 2005 campaign nationally ranked for the first (2002-05). time since 2000, including a No. 28 ranking from Collegiate Four seasons ago, as part of his job as infield coach, he helped Baseball. Servais also led the Jays to a 5-3 victory against No. 3 make Tony Roth into an honorable mention all-MVC player. Roth Nebraska in front of more than 20,000 fans at Rosenblatt Stadium was named conference Freshman of the Year in 2002 and was also during the regular season. a freshman All-American selection by Collegiate Baseball. That In 2004, Servais was honored as the MVC Coach of the Year, the same year, Chris Hinrichs and shortstop Scott first time in league history it was awarded to a first-year coach. Allen were each named honorable mention all-MVC, making for a Creighton’s 15-win improvement from its 2003 record was the fifth- combination that turned 54 double plays, which was ranked among best turnaround in the NCAA that year and the largest in the MVC NCAA leaders. Catcher Tim Gradoville was also named honorable since 1991. Servais led the Bluejays to 35 wins, including a school- mention all-MVC in 2002. record 22 Missouri Valley Conference victories. As part of his job as first base coach, Servais helped that same Known as a coach who emphasizes the importance of team 2002 team rank ninth in the country with 2.19 stolen bases per defense, his first season didn’t disappoint. Creighton’s .982 fielding game. In addition to the team-leading 27 stolen bases from percentage in 2004 led the country and was the second-best mark Hinrichs, seven other players swiped eight or more bases. in NCAA history. In 2005, the Bluejays led the nation in double plays Prior to coming to Creighton, Servais spent two years as an turned with 85 and set a team record for assists with 803. Creighton assistant coach at Iowa State University. During his time at ISU, he led The Valley in fielding again in 2005 with a .972 fielding percent- served as recruiting coordinator, hitting instructor, infield and out- age. field coach. He helped lead the Cyclones to a second-place finish Servais has coached 11 players to All-Missouri Valley Conference at the final Big Eight Conference tournament in 1996. honors his first two seasons. In addition, seven players have been Before Iowa State, named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team during that span. Servais was the head Creighton's four selections in 2005 were the most of any Valley coach at St. Mary’s team. (MN) for seven years Servais was named head coach on July 29, 2003 after serving as from 1989-1995. the program’s interim head coach for the previous month. He suc- While at St. Mary’s, he ceeded Jack Dahm, who resigned after 10 years as head coach in compiled a record of late June. 159-76-1 at the NCAA "He is known as a great teacher of the game and is a man of very Division III school high character," commented Creighton Director of Athletics Bruce where he began his Rasmussen at the time of Servais’ hire. "I am convinced the best college coaching person to lead our program at this time is Ed Servais." c a r e e r. He was Servais came to Creighton on August 25, 1997, when Dahm named the Minnesota named him an assistant on his staff. As an assistant, Servais was Intercollegiate Athletic on the bench for 174 Creighton wins, including a pair of NCAA Conference (MIAC) Regional berths in 1999 and 2000. He was also on staff when Coach of the Year in Dahm was named MVC Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2002. With both 1990 and 1993 the help of Servais’ instruction, the 2002 edition of the Bluejays fin- after leading St. ished second in the Missouri Valley Conference. Mary’s to MIAC cham- During his time as associate head coach, Servais served as pionships in both years. His 1990 pitch-

6 2006 Creighton Bluejays Baseball ing staff led Division III schools with a 2.34 earned run average. Between the The Ed Servais File years of 1991 and 1992, his teams went Year School, Position Overall Conf. Notes on a 26-game winning streak. 1982-83 Rib Lake (Wis.) HS, Head Coach 24-11 n/a District Finalist in both years His 1993 team at St. Mary’s came just 1984 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Assistant Coach 20-16 15-5 short of making the Division III World 1985 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Assistant Coach 20-18 14-6 Series, as it was runners-up in the 1986 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Assistant Coach 14-24 13-7 Division III Midwest Regional. That team 1987 Viterbo, Head Coach Program Not Yet Started was ranked as high as No. 10 in the 1988 Viterbo, Head Coach 23-6 11-1 country. In his seven years as head 1989 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Head Coach 13-22-1 9-11 coach, St. Mary’s had six players drafted 1990 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Head Coach 28-8 14-6 MIAC Coach of the Year by the Major Leagues. 1991 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Head Coach 20-10 11-7 Servais’ first collegiate head coaching 1992 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Head Coach 28-7 15-5 position came at Viterbo College in La 1993 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Head Coach 26-7 17-3 MIAC Coach of the Year Crosse, Wis. in 1988 when he coached 1994 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Head Coach 20-11 14-6 the NAIA Division II V-Hawks in the first 1995 St. Mary’s (Minn.), Head Coach 24-11 12-8 year of baseball at the school. He made 1996 Iowa State, Assistant Coach 23-31 12-14 2nd Place in Big 8 Tourney his only year there one to remember as 1997 Iowa State, Assistant Coach 21-31 6-21 he led the V-Hawks to a 23-6 overall 1998 Creighton, Assistant Coach 27-27-1 12-19 record and an 11-1 conference mark. 1999 Creighton, Assistant Coach 38-25 18-13 NCAA Regionals Making that record even more impressive 2000 Creighton, Assistant Coach 38-23 17-14 NCAA Regionals for a first-year team is that of the 17 play- 2001 Creighton, Assistant Coach 21-31 11-21 ers on the team, 14 were freshmen. One 2002 Creighton, Assistant Coach 30-24 21-10 of those freshmen he coached was 2003 Creighton, Assistant Coach 20-37 14-17 Damian Miller, who went on to the Major 2004 Creighton, Head Coach 35-24 22-9 MVC Coach of the Year Leagues and was a member of the world 2005 Creighton, Head Coach 48-17 17-7 MVC Coach of the Year champion Arizona Diamondbacks in 11-Year College Head Coach Totals 265-123-1 142-63 2001. (.683) (.693) S e r v a i s ’ first college coaching job came at St. Mary’s in 1984 as an assistant. He stayed there for Servais’ Teams in the National Rankings three seasons, after which he left to start the baseball program at Year Category Rank Viterbo. 2004 Fielding percentage 1st He got his start in coaching at Rib Lake High School in Rib Lake, 2005 Fielding percentage 17th Wis. He coached for two years at Rib Lake and rang up a two-year 2005 Triples 28th record of 24-11 from 1982-1983. He led Rib Lake to the District 2005 Doubles 21st Finals in both of his years. 2005 Slugging 29th Servais graduated from Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1981 with a 2005 Doubles plays 1st degree in Physical Education. He was a three-time all-conference 2005 Win percentage 7th pick and was also the team’s co-cap- tain and Most Valuable Player his sen- ior 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. He holds a career college head coaching record of 265-123-1. Servais is the uncle of former Creighton All-American and Major League catcher . He resides in Omaha with his wife Anne, their daughter Angela (21), and sons Joe (19) and Michael (14). Angela attends Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, and Joe is a sopho- more on the baseball team at Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kan.

Head Coach Ed Servais with son Michael, daughter Angela, son Joe and wife A n n e .

2006 Creighton Bluejays Baseball 7 the pitching coach and also served as the program’s recruiting Travis Wyckoff coordinator for his final two years. In 2001, his pitching staff gave up the fewest earned runs of any team in the Big Ten Assistant Coach Conference. His pitching staff also finished ranked in the top three in the conference in earned run average in both 2001 3rd Year at Creighton and 2002. He coached two freshman All-Americans in his time with the Hawkeyes, Reed Pawelk in 2000 and Ryan Pitching Coach Mentkowski in 2001. Prior to working at Iowa, Wyckoff played three years in the Wichita State, 1996 minor league system of the Florida Marlins after being drafted in the 11th round of the June 1996 amateur draft. He played for the short season Class A Utica Blue Sox of the New York- Travis Wyckoff is entering his third season on the Creighton Penn League, the low Class A Kane County Cougars of the coaching staff. Wyckoff is well-known throughout the Missouri Midwest League and the high Class A Brevard County Valley Conference baseball circles from his playing days at Manitees of the Florida State League between the years of Wichita State as well as his recent success tutoring the 1996 and 1999. Bluejay pitching staff. He has coached a pair of All-Americans Wyckoff was drafted after completing a standout career as in his first two seasons, Steve Grasley and Scott Reese. both a pitcher and an outfielder at Wichita State, where he Reese is also a 2006 preseason All-American in three publi- helped lead the Shockers to the College World Series in 1993 cations. and 1996. As a senior in 1996, he was named a first-team All- Under his guidance in 2005, the pitching staff compiled 48 American by Collegiate Baseball. wins and a 4.13 team earned run average, an improvement of The Shockers finished in first place in the MVC in each of nearly half a run per game from 2004. Reese went 12-0 and his four years there and he was named first team all-MVC was named a third-team All-American by the National twice, as a pitcher in 1995 and as an outfielder in 1996. Also Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Eric in 1996, he led the MVC in hitting with a .400 average, hits Wordekemper was selected in the 2005 draft by the New York with 94, runs with 90, which was tied for seventh in the coun- Yankees. The Bluejay staff also had the fewest walks per nine try, and doubles with 29, which was tied for 12th in the nation. innings in the league. He had a perfect 5-0 record on the mound to go along with six In 2004, Wyckoff's first season, the Jays pitching staff saw saves in his senior year and was also undefeated with a 6-0 an improvement in every major statistical category from the record his junior year. 2003 season. Creighton ranked fourth in the MVC in earned Wyckoff graduated from Wichita State in 1996 with a degree run average and strikeouts and gave up the third fewest in general studies. He was named to WSU’s 25th anniversary amount of walks. team as a . Wyckoff also tutored one of the most dominating pitchers in "Travis brings experience as a Division I pitching coach to Creighton history in Grasley. During his senior campaign, Creighton," commented head coach Ed Servais. "He’s been Grasley led the MVC in wins with 12 and his 101 strikeouts part of a pair of College World Series teams while graduating were the second-most in The Valley. Grasley was named first- from Wichita State and is a passionate and enthusiastic team all-conference while fellow starting pitcher Wordekemper coach." earned all-conference honorable mention status. After the A native of Arkansas City, Kan., Wyckoff and his wife, season, Grasley signed a contract with the . Cherice, reside in Omaha with their sons Trevor (4) and two- Wyckoff came to Creighton after spending the previous four year old Cooper. seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa. While

Assistant coach Travis Wyckoff with his wife Cherice and Wyckoff (28) pays a visit to the mound. their sons Cooper (2) and Trevor (4). at Iowa, he was

8 2006 Creighton Bluejays Baseball Spencer Allen Rich Symonds

Assistant Coach Volunteer Assistant Coach 2nd Year at Creighton 2nd Year at Creighton Hitting Coach First Base Coach Iowa State, 2001 Wayne State, 1968

Spencer Allen is entering his second season as an assistant Rich Symonds enters his second season as the volunteer under Head Coach Ed Servais. Allen works with the Bluejays' assistant coach for the Bluejays. Symonds will work with the and hitters and is also in charge of Creighton baseball and be the first base coach on game days. camps. Symonds came to Creighton after a successful 30-year run Creighton's bats came alive in Allen's first season, as the as head baseball coach at Oakton Community College in Des Bluejays were atop the league in several offensive categories in Plaines, Ill. Symonds compiled an overall record of 673-375 for 2005. CU led the MVC in batting average (.313) by 22 points, a .642 winning percentage. and was also first in home runs (53), slugging (.478), doubles “He brings a wealth of knowledge,” commented Head Coach (151) and runs (459). The Jays played small ball in 2005 as Ed Servais. “Any time you have a chance to add a coach of his well, leading The Valley with 71 sacrifice bunts. The Jays were caliber to your staff, you are fortunate.” in the top 30 nationally in doubles, triples and slugging. Under the guidance of Symonds, 170 players at Oakton Allen spent the 2004 season as a volunteer assistant coach earned baseball scholarships to many four-year schools at the University of Iowa under former Creighton Head Coach throughout the country. Oakton also produced 25 Major Jack Dahm. While at Iowa, his duties included coaching first League Baseball draft picks during his time as head coach. base on game days, assisting with the outfielders and serving He was a five-time conference and five-time district coach of as baseball camp director. the year selection. In 2002, Symonds took early retirement, From 2001-2003, Allen worked in the Kansas City Royals ending his coaching tenure at Oakton. organization as an associate scout. During his three-year Symonds earned his bachelors degree from Wayne State tenure with the Royals, Allen gained coaching experience with College. As a baseball player at WSC, he was a 1968 NAIA ’s Northern Reign Baseball Club and Edmonds All-American . He also was a three-time All-Nebraska Community College. College Conference member, three-time NAIA All-District play- Allen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2001 from Iowa er and was the team and MVP his senior year. State University. As a member of the Cyclones baseball team, In 1971, Symonds entered graduate school at Western Allen was a three-year starter at second base. He was part of Illinois University. While a Big 12 record-breaking double play combination and was the completing grad school, he captain of the 2001 team that reached the Big 12 tournament. served as the freshmen baseball coach and assis- tant varsity coach for WIU. A native of Cumberland, Iowa, Symonds was induct- ed into the Wayne State College Athletics Hall of Fame on October 3, 1987. He has also been inducted into the Illinois Coaches Hall of Fame, Skyway Conference Hall of Fame and the NJCAA C o a c h e s Hall of Fame.

2006 Creighton Bluejays Baseball 9