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Asbury University - Baseball

Manny Cervantes

Head Coach

Coaching Mission

  • Athletics, specifically baseball, is the tool that our coaching staff uses to relate to our program's student-athletes and speak into their lives. Our ultimate goal is to use baseball to develop strong Christian men who honor God, love their family, and make a positive impact for Jesus Christ. With God’s grace, our common love for baseball provides us the opportunity with its life analogies to help our guys reach their potential in their integrity, academics, and athletics.  

Education / Coaching Credentials

  • Oklahoma State University 1992 – B.S. (HRAD)
  • University of Kentucky 1991 – Nutrition

Coaching Experience 

  • Asbury University Head Coach (2014-Present)
  • Coached in the Seattle Mariners Minor-League System (1993-1995)
  • Stillwater High School Assistant Coach (2011-2012)
  • Oklahoma Christian University Assistant Coach (2012-2014)
  • Established private baseball coaching business in Stillwater, Okla.

Baseball Career

  • Drafted by the New York Mets in 1987 out of high school
  • Played at Oklahoma State 1988-1990, making it to the NCAA tournament three times and reaching the national title game in 1990.
  • Named the Big Eight Conference Player of the week in April, 1988
  • Two-Time Academic All-Big Eight Conference selection (1989 and 1990)
  • Played at the University of Kentucky 1991
  • Earned Second-Team All-Southeastern Conference honors in 1991 for the Wildcats
  • Signed with the Seattle Mariners and played two seasons in the minor leagues (1992-1994)

Personal

  • Coach Cervantes resides in Wilmore, Kentucky with his wife Jami and their lab Jackie. They have three grown children Mikayla, Jacob, and Mia.
  • Hometown | Whittier, Calif.



Manny Cervantes enters his 10th season as the Asbury head coach in 2023-24 after becoming the first full-time coach in Asbury baseball history in 2014.

The Asbury baseball program continued to strive forward under the leadership of Coach Cervantes in 2023, taking 23 wins with the NCCAA Mideast Region Player of the Year, Ethan Cartwright. Ten total Eagles were honored by NCCAA Regional awards including the Mideast Pitcher of the Year (Brody Bearden) and Mideast Freshman of the Year (Andrew Billington). 


In 2022 Coach Cervantes led Asbury to 29 wins and an NCCAA Mideast Region Championship to earn a trip to the NCCAA World Series in Kansas City, Mo. The 29-16 season took AU to an 81-35 record since 2020. Asbury baseball also produced the NCCAA National Player of the Year in Walker Paris, alongside three Eagles named 2022 NCCAA All-Americans. 


In his time at the helm Asbury baseball has become a program synonymous with development. The program takes pride in its ability to not only develop skilled players on the field, but also develop men of character off it.

 

Asbury baseball team’s historic 2021 season sent the program to new heights and national recognition. The Eagles set a plethora of new team and individual records on their way to a program-best 38 wins. Asbury recorded a 52-16 (.765) record over the past two seasons, including a 14-4 start in 2020 which was the best start in the program’s history before the year ended due to COVID-19. Their 14-4 record included multiple wins against top 25 ranked opponents.

 

Academically, AU Baseball was recognized by the American Baseball Coaches Association with the Team Academic Excellence Award after another successful year in the classroom. This marks the third consecutive year that AU has received the Team Academic Excellence Award. Additionally, Asbury was the only small college school in the state of Kentucky (NAIA, NCAA DIII, NCAA DII) to receive the award.

 

In 2019, Asbury created a historic season. A 24-22 record (the most wins since 2011) earned them their first spot in the River States Conference Tournament. Equally important is the number of young men who graduated from Asbury University. In that same period, more than 10 student athletes have received their degrees. It’s about more than just baseball for Coach Cervantes, and it shows.

 

As a result of the 2019 season, Asbury baseball had five players named to the River States All Conference-Team, the most in the Cervantes era, including being named the River States Coach of the Year. He is the first coach in Asbury Baseball history to be given this award. Probably more impressive than the athletic performance is the academic performance. Nine Asbury players were named to the All-River States Conference Academic Team, and three of those were honored with NAIA Scholar-Athlete status.

 

The lines of the development of the program run directly through Coach Cervantes. He takes such pride in the development of men of faith, men of character, and winners on the field. In his words “For me, coaching is about more than the game of baseball. It’s an opportunity and a responsibility to make a positive impact on young men. I’ve learned that a coach who demonstrates strong Christian leadership has the ability to make a lifelong impact on his players and develop them into Christ’s ambassadors to the world.”

 

During his tenure at Asbury, the program has had numerous players earn All-Conference recognition, with most of his players graduating with their degrees. The interesting and beautiful thing about Coach Cervantes is the obvious unseen. The job he does daily making sure he pours into his players is unique. There is a focus on God, our Savior, as much as there is a focus on academics, and as much as there is a focus on winning. It’s this daily consistency that laid the foundation for the program’s current success.

 

2016 was the first year it was becoming clear Coach Cervantes was making the developmental progress he envisioned. The Eagles doubled their win total from the 2015 season, finishing with a 22-29 record. That season included multiple wins against a Top 25 ranked Rio Grande (OH) team, and an impressive 13-4 streak in the middle of the season.

 

Cervantes, originally from Whittier, Calif., was drafted by the New York Mets in 1987 out of high school, but instead opted to play in college. He played first base at Oklahoma State from 1988 to 1990, during which time the Cowboys made the NCAA tournament three times and reached the national title game in 1990. In April 1988 he was named as the Big Eight Conference player of the week and was a two-time Academic All-Big Eight Conference selection (1989 and 1990). He transferred to the University of Kentucky for his senior season and earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors in 1991 for the Wildcats.

 

He went on to sign with the Seattle Mariners and played two seasons in the minor leagues before becoming a coach in the Mariners’ minor-league system. He later established a private baseball coaching business in Stillwater, Okla. and worked as an assistant coach at Stillwater High School in 2011 and 2012. Prior to coming to Asbury, Cervantes served as an assistant at Oklahoma Christian University from 2012 until 2014, helping the Eagles finish '14 with a 38-17-1 record.

 

Coach Cervantes resides in Wilmore, Kentucky with his wife Jami and their lab Jackie. They have three grown children Mikayla (25), Jacob (22) and Mia (20).