09/24/2026
***Saint Albert Catholic Names Alumnus Eric Janecek Head Baseball Coach***
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA — Saint Albert Catholic is excited to announce Eric Janecek ’96 as the new Head Coach of the Falcon Baseball program.
For Janecek, the opportunity is a homecoming. A 1996 Saint Albert graduate, he was a member of the Falcons’ 1995 and 1996 State Tournament teams, helping Saint Albert capture a State Championship in 1996.
Janecek brings extensive experience in education and coaching to Saint Albert, along with an accomplished playing background. Following his time at Saint Albert and Iowa Western Community College, Janecek continued his baseball career at the NCAA Division I level at the University of South Alabama. His coaching career has included serving as a head baseball coach, varsity assistant and pitching coach, in addition to his work as a physical education teacher and school administrator.
“A lot of my success started when I was playing at Saint Albert,” Janecek said. “To have the opportunity to go back where my success started and finish my coaching career here is a special opportunity.”
His philosophy centers on fundamentals, hard work and teaching student-athletes how to respond to adversity.
“My coaching philosophy is to provide an opportunity for anyone to step on a baseball field, learn the fundamentals, master the fundamentals and play the game,” Janecek said. “Failure is a part of baseball. Our players will learn how to accept it, move forward and work harder so it does not happen again.”
Saint Albert Activities Director and fellow alumnus Nate Noon ’95 believes Janecek's connection to Saint Albert will be an important part of building the program.
“Eric knows what it means to wear Saint Albert across your chest,” Noon said. “He experienced success here as a student-athlete and has spent his career developing young people as an educator and coach. We are excited to welcome Eric back home and have him lead our baseball program.”
Janecek's first priority will be building relationships with his players and establishing expectations for the program. He plans to emphasize offseason development and fundamentals while expecting his players to work hard in the classroom, weight room and community.
“These players are going to be model students in the classroom and model citizens out in the community,” Janecek said. “We are going to work hard in the classroom, weight room, and offseason workouts so we are ready when Day 1 begins.
For questions, please reach out to Saint Albert Catholic’s Activities Director Nate Noon at [email protected].
