Journey is the institutional magazine of Carson-Newman University. Journey tells stories of Carson-Newman students, faculty and alumni of the University.
Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/50035
PRESIDENT O'BRIEN CONGRATULATES CISCHEK ON A PROMISING CAREER IN THE MAJORS. THE RECOGNITION CAME DURING HALFTIME OF THIS YEAR'S HOMECOMING FOOTBALL GAME. Aſter leaving the restaurant, he checked his phone messages and was told to call the Florida Marlins, the team that draſted him in 2007 in the fiſth round aſter his junior season at Carson-Newman. "I was wondering if I did anything wrong," said Cishek, who had pitched in 22 games out of the bullpen for Jacksonville in 2010. What Cishek learned was that the (now Miami) Marlins were short of pitchers for the last few days of the season and he was being summoned to The Show for the first time. "That was the last thing that I expect- ed," said the 25-year-old, who was driving home to Falmouth, Massachusetts. "So I made a U-turn." Cishek reported to the Marlins in South Florida on September 20, 2010 and made his Big League debut six days later at Mil- waukee, where he threw two scoreless in- nings against the Brewers. Ironically, the first MLB game he saw as a kid featured the Brewers and Red Sox at Fenway some 15 years earlier. "I was not really nervous. It was sort of a surreal feeling out there. Last year gave me a shot of confidence that I can get guys out at this level," said the 6-foot-6, right- hander following a September win against Washington. As a young boy growing up on Cape Cod, Cishek recounted how he and friends would spend time during the summer go- ing to watch top college baseball players in the Cape Cod League. Over the years, the Cape Cod League has become known as one of the top amateur leagues in the country producing many Major League players. One of these players includes Red Sox pitcher Kyle Weiland, a high school friend. "We would play pepper around back of the dugout aſter three innings," recalled Cishek. 14 JOURNEY fall 2011 ing with the Red Sox by any means, but this may be better (due to the chance to be a closer). This is an unbelievable expe- rience." For Cishek, the road from Cape Cod to Miami ran through Jefferson City. "I was looking for a Division II school, mainly in the South, and knew I wanted to major in physical education," he said. Cishek, who was not a top prospect in high school and had a fastball that barely reached the mid-80s, received some guid- ance from family friend Tom O'Connell. A former Princeton baseball coach, O'Connell provided Cishek with a list of schools he might want to consider. "We always joked around about playing in the Big Leagues. I am not play- "Carson-Newman caught my eye," said Cishek, who was interested in a liberal arts school. "I checked it out online and in the fall of my senior year I made a visit." Tom Griffin, Carson-Newman's head coach, used to attend camps run by O'Connell. "If coach recommends a kid, we take him sight unseen," Griffin said of O'Connell. "He said (Steve) was a diamond in the rough. We knew we had a very ath- letic kid. He was tall and lanky. We knew if he got stronger, he had a lot better chance (at the pros) than a 5-10 kid." "Carson-Newman fit in great. The coach- es were really nice and they have a com- petitive program," noted Cishek, who also liked how he was pushed to work hard and became a better player. "I was so far from home I wanted to be comfortable while I was there. That is my second family." Griffin recalls how Cishek grew as an ath- lete during his C-N years. "Each year his Mark Brown