Creighton baseball’s Ben North is embracing his final year with the program as Mark Kingston takes over for long-time head coach Ed Servais in 2026.
Kingston served as associate head coach and coach-in-waiting in 2025 and is now running the show. The senior shortstop described the change as “Pretty seamless.”
“Kingston obviously was on staff last year with (assistant coach Mike) Current and (pitching coach Billy) Mohl as well, so we got introduced to them last year and they were a big help and a big factor in our success last year,” North told Hurrdat Sports. “I think the discipline that coach Servais instilled in the guys who know what it was like to play for him is going to carry over into this new coaching staff, and I think we’ll be better for it.”
North began his Bluejay career primarily playing as a third baseman before moving to shortstop in 2025. The infielder said that his and Kingston’s relationship has continued developing as the latter’s taken over the team.
“He’s been super helpful individually with just kind of more the mental side of the game with me,” North said. “Being an older player, the fundamentals and such have kind of been developed over the first four years that I’ve been in college, so now it’s kind of just refining those skills and then working really hard on the mental side of the game, which I think has been his biggest help for me.”
Last season, the Bluejays finished the year with an overall record of 43-16, winning the Big East regular season and tournament titles and advancing to the Fayetteville Regional before losing to Arkansas.
“I think we learned that there’s another level that we still need to strive for to compete with the top teams in the nation,” North said. “Arkansas was a really, really good team, and they would have beat just about anybody last year, so just kind of striving for a little bit more than just winning the conference and winning the conference tournament. That doesn’t guarantee you wins in June.”
In his junior season with the Bluejays, North played in and started all 59 games, hitting .289. The Woodbury, Minn., native finished second on the team in runs with 48, hits with 69 and home runs with eight. He led the team in at-bats with 239 and RBIs with 59.
The team is looking to use that loss as encouragement going into the 2026 season.
“It was a super successful season with 43 wins and conference tournament champions, so just having that ability to say you’ve been there before, I think, will help with the nerves, and kind of helps show the younger guys who haven’t made it there kind of what it takes,” North said.
The senior said he’s taking on more of a leadership role in 2026.
“I would definitely say that my leadership style has grown over the years,” North said. “I always have kind of been more of a quiet, soft-spoken player. Leading by example is more of my method, but with our outfielder Tate Gillen suffering a season ending injury in the fall, he was one of the more vocal leaders on the team, and I’ve kind of had to take over that role with him not being healthy. So it’s been an adjustment for me, and I’m getting better at it every day, I think.”
Creighton graduated a lot of seniors last season but returned some key members including North.
“I think the culture that we’ve created here is something that I have kind of been harping on with these younger guys,” North said. “We’re a gritty Midwest program who plays in the cold, and we’ve got to have that level of toughness and accountability when things are hard, practice is early, or it’s cold out. We don’t want to be complaining about that kind of thing.”
As for the culture that’s been built at Creighton, the objective is simple.
“Our goal and our standard is to be a contender in the Big East every year,” North said. “We want to be the team that the rest of the Big East looks at as one of if not the team to beat every year, so to get to that point, you have to work really hard in the fall. It’s not just at practice, but also what you’re doing outside of practice with sleep and nutrition and things like that. We have players from all over the country, and not to say people from other places aren’t gritty, but you’re forced to be gritty in the Midwest, just with all the factors that we have to deal with.”
For now, North will continue to prepare for the season opener against Saint Mary’s on Friday, hoping to build off the team’s success last season.
“I think I’m just looking forward to the camaraderie with the guys,” North said. “You kind of figure out who people are deep down when the games start happening, when things start going bad, and based on what I’ve seen out of this team, I think that that’s only going to bring us closer and we’re going to compete at a really high level this year. I think that we have a really good shot to not only repeat what we did last year but improve upon it.”
Creighton opens the season against Saint Mary’s in Moraga, Calif., on Friday. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
