Hall of Fame
Every aspiring young athlete has at one time dreamed of being selected in the first round by a professional sports organization. Well, in the case of former Utica College standout pitcher Tom Fiesthumel, that dream became a reality when he was selected in the first round (16th overall) of the 1977 Major League Baseball Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
"Tommy has as much desire as Dave Cash (Native Utican and Major League All-Star) and has all the tools," said Joe Buccolo a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Fiesthumel's baseball career blossomed locally as he was a star athlete at nearby Proctor High School, posting a 13-1 record on the mound and a near .400 batting average. He entered Utica College in 1974 and made an instant impact as he was the team's Most Valuable Player and Co-Most Valuable Player for the two years he played for the Pioneers prior to being drafted into the big leagues.
During his time as a Pioneer he posted a 13-4 career record, including two no-hitters, three one hitters and seven shutouts. He posted a perfect 5-0 record in 1974 and ended up winning his first seven decisions in the blue and orange. He finished his freshman season with an incredible .90 earned run average.
His baseball abilities extended past the pitching mound, as he was a .350 career hitter for the Pioneers, and even went 4-for-5 at the dish while throwing a no-hitter against Houghton College. In his sophomore season he posted 41 strikeouts in 28 innings of work to help the Pioneers to their second best overall record (to that point) in program-history.
Fiesthumel went on to play in the minor leagues for the Niagara Falls Pirates where he posted a 2.48 career ERA and he even had two outings against the Utica Blue Sox, where he registered 10 and two thirds scoreless innings to earn one win and one save against his hometown team.Â
Following his pro career he returned to Utica College and became an assistant coach to Rich Joseph and since he had exhausted his baseball playing eligibility, he demonstrated his athletic prowess by becoming a standout performer for the golf and tennis teams at Utica. He graduated from UC in 1980 with a degree in business administration.
"Fiest was a great teammate, athlete and competitor," said teammate Mark Salsbury '79. "He had exceptional juice on his fastball, a super change and a variety of curveballs. With him on the mound UC could beat anybody. He could have easily gone to the pros as an outfielder as well."
