Cabrini senior Mack McKisson, who is a center fielder with a batting average of .391, has become the first student-athlete on the team to score 100 career runs.
“It is an awesome feeling to be able to reach such a milestone, especially since scoring runs is such a team accomplishment,” McKisson said. “Scoring runs in baseball is only possible if your teammates can get a hit and score you, so it is not only my accomplishment, it is also my teammates.”
McKisson started his baseball career at 3 and fell in love with the sport. While he did play soccer, basketball and football growing up. He found himself drawn to baseball and began to put his energy there. Over the years, he has played for several baseball teams, such as his local club, high school team, and summer travel team. These experiences made him realize that he was interested in playing at the college level one day. During his college search, McKisson searched for the place that felt like the right fit for him both academically and athletically. After spending time on campus, he knew that Cabrini was the right place.
“When I came on my visit and met the coach and players, I really felt at home and wanted to be a part of the team,” McKisson said.
When he is not on the field, McKisson is working toward earning his degree in exercise science and health promotion with a focus on sports science. This aligns with his interest in athletics and passion for baseball. Being a student-athlete means that he needs to have a good balance between school and his athletic schedule. When in season, McKisson spends six days a week practicing with the baseball team. However, this past year created some challenges with the onset of COVID-19. After Cabrini had to “cancel the remainder of the 2019-20 athletic schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” players like McKisson were unable to have a full season. This year, practices and games have been able to happen, but with precautions in place. McKisson notes that COVID-19 has continued to impact their season this year as they have needed to cancel some games whenever positive cases arose. Even with some of these setbacks during his junior and senior year, McKisson has loved being a part of the baseball team and mentioned that he will miss the bond with his teammates when the experience is over.
“It has been nothing but great. I feel like we are a family and I have developed a lot of friendships over the years,” McKisson said.
As he reflected on his experience, McKisson shared his advice for those who want to play baseball at the college level. He said that it is important for players to be ready for “long days” and that you will have teammates “who will push you to be the best person that you can be.” Even though there may be some tough days ahead, he also wants young student-athletes to know that through it all “someone is always there for you when you feel like there isn’t.” When asked what the future holds for him and if he could foresee a career in the major leagues, McKisson showed interest in the idea if the opportunity came his way.
“I have dreamed of playing professional baseball my whole life just like most baseball players and if an opportunity presents itself, I would pursue it,” McKisson said.
For now, McKisson feels honored to have reached such an incredible milestone in Cabrini’s athletic history and he would like to thank his parents and all of the coaches that he has had during his baseball career for supporting him over the years.
