May 25, 2026
USA Baseball selects Cishek, Griffin to help with National Team Development Program
CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball has announced that Carson-Newman baseball coach Tom Griffin as one of four managers for the 2026 16U/17U National Team Development Program and former C-N pitcher Steve Cishek as a pitching coach for the event in late July.
CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball has announced Carson-Newman baseball coach Tom Griffin as one of four managers for the 2026 16U/17U National Team Development Program and former C-N pitcher Steve Cishek as a pitching coach for the event in late July.
Coach Griffin will manage Team Navy during the development program, which also serves as a USA Baseball national team identification event from July 27-30 at the National Training facility in Cary, North Carolina. Griffin is one of ten coaches that will bring experience from the collegiate ranks. Cishek will be the pitching coach for the same team Griffin manages.
The sixth edition of the 16U/17U NTDP will feature an 88-player roster split into four teams and will consist of both on- and off-field player development, as players will participate in workouts and skill development sessions, compete in a series of round-robin scrimmages, and have the opportunity to attend educational seminars. Throughout the development program, players will gain exposure to USA Baseball national team coaches and Task Force, professional scouts, and college recruiters. Additionally, players will be assessed and evaluated by USA Baseball coaches for future national team participation.
Collectively, Griffin and Cishek are with a staff that brings 98 seasons of major league playing experience, multiple All-Star nominations, two World Series titles, and one Cy Young Award. The assemblage also combines to contribute nearly 100 seasons of collegiate coaching experience and more than 70 seasons at the high school level. This summer will be Griffin's third stint with USA Baseball, having previously served as manager in the Prospect Development League (PDP), from 2021-22 and in 2024. The veteran skipper just concluded his 21st season leading Carson-Newman baseball. He has 562 career wins with the Eagles and has coached five MLB draft picks and more than 50 all-conference players.
Griffin's pitching coach with the Navy squad is former MLB pitcher and Carson-Newman alum Steve Cishek, who will be making his USA baseball coaching debut. The thirteen-year MLB veteran Cishek, who's known for his sidearm delivery as a right-handed pitcher, was a member of USA Baseball's 2013 World Baseball Classic team and pitched in four games to a 3.86 ERA. Over three seasons in Mossy Creek, he made 42 appearances on the bump, notched five wins, earned eight saves, and held opponents to a .233 batting average. In 2007, Cishek helped lead the Eagles to a South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship and a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Falmouth, Massachusetts, native was drafted in the fifth round by the Florida Marlins in the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft and became the highest drafted player in school history. He retired from Major League Baseball in 2022 after 737 appearances with a career 2.98 ERA.
