During a game last year against Jacksonville, Montgomery Biscuits pitcher Neil Schenk gave up a fly ball that sailed straight up in the air. Attempting to catch it, Schenk fell over the mound flat on his back.
“I got knocked out for a second but the out was made. I really didn’t care about the embarrassment,” said Schenk, who seldom falls flat on his face.
With a 3–0 record, a 3.40 ERA and seven June appearances without giving up a run, Schenk has been a stable reliever for a Biscuits team that is trying to earn a South Division playoff spot in the Southern League. They have had the best record in the league since the end of April.
“He is a solid left-handed pitcher,” said Montgomery catcher Mark Thomas. “He is kind of like a set-up guy that comes in and sets the table for a bunch of our closers.” He also is “in touch” with God, he said. “Faith is definitely a big part of his life and his career.”
Schenk (pronounced Shaynk) said a reliever getting wins is sometimes about being in the right place at the right time.
“As a reliever you go out there and help the team win. Sometimes you pitch well and get a loss and sometimes you pitch poorly and get a win. Wins and losses for relievers are not everything. A reliever shouldn’t be banishing a record unless he is a long reliever or a closer,” he said.
For Schenk it is about perspective.
After a good, bad or mediocre day on the mound, he is able to put the past behind him and focus on what he needs to fix, whether it is consistently hurling strikes with off-speed pitches or maintaining stamina when he is behind the count.
“You just have to get over the bad stuff that happens on the field and find a technique and work at your game and dedicate yourself to the right ways of throwing. You compete the best you can and try to perform your role,” he said.
One of his roles is being a spiritual encourager to his team, a desire to be “God’s salt and light on planet Earth.”
“God’s glory is more important to me than anything. To further His Kingdom, to be a witness for Christ and be obedient to Him, you don’t have to do anything world-changing or headline-making. It’s important to share Christ with others.”
Schenk’s father, David Schenk, shared Christ with him.
“He opened up eternity for me by the things he showed me in his life,” said the younger Schenk, 26. “God has used him more than anybody else to bring me closer to Christ.”
Neil was in the sixth grade when David and his mother, Kathy Schenk, and sister, now Rachel Campbell, came home from their church, Bellevue Baptist, Memphis, Tenn.
In the back of the car David began to tell them about “giving our lives to Christ, repenting of our sins and deliverance from God’s wrath and punishment from sin. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was enough for our salvation. It’s a real thing and not a figment of some religious person’s imagination. That is when I made my profession of faith and was adopted into the family of God. I was a little guy but I knew I had done plenty of bad things that made me a sinner and needed God’s grace.”
Neil was baptized at Bellevue on Jan. 11, 1998.
A contract carpenter in Memphis, David earned a Ph.D. in theology and wanted to be a seminary professor. He has passed on his love for the Bible and books by theologians to his son.
Neil’s favorite book in the Bible is Colossians. His favorite passage is Colossians 1:19–22.
“Jesus is everything. It talks about [how] all the fullness of God is in Christ. It talks about Christ’s sacrifice and how it is only [being] in Christ that gives us a chance to live life. All things consist in Christ. Everything is made for Him and nothing would have been made without Him. There is nothing I can do to earn or deserve salvation. It’s all 100 percent Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross for our sins. It’s His love. That is 100 percent why I live and breathe.”
Bible verses John 14:6 and John 10:10 also are important to him. “He is the way, the truth and the life. He said ‘I came to give you life and that you would have it more abundantly.’ That is what faith in Christ is all about.”
Books by John Owen, Jonathan Edwards, John Piper and Puritan authors have influenced Schenk’s thinking. He commits to daily Scripture memory, taking to heart Psalm 119:11.
“Having it ready for certain stressful situations in life is how you grow in your faith,” he said.
Montgomery pitcher Shane Dyer said Schenk does not waver in his faith. “That is what each one of us see and we respect him dearly for it. He just carries himself in such a high manner.”
Pitcher Scott Shuman calls Schenk a rock.
“Playing minor league ball, everybody has their ups and downs. He is always there when you need somebody to talk to when we are struggling, whether it is on the mound or spiritually. He is one of those guys who obviously has a great passion for the Lord. He lives his life the right way and is a good role model for other people.”
Said Schenk, “I think any career is a platform to be salt and light to believers. I hope in the way I act (people know that I am a Christian). Christ said by your fruits you will know them. Believers are different.”
Schenk also has a skill that helps him relate to a group of people others cannot: he is fluent in Spanish. A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Memphis with a 3.9 GPA, Schenk majored in Spanish. He teaches his Hispanic teammates English concepts and grammar. He wants to use his second language as a witnessing tool, even though with red hair and a ruddy complexion, Schenk (6 foot 3 inches, 220 pounds) looks more Scottish than Hispanic.
“Spanish is one of my hobbies (playing the piano and guitar are others). Everybody is always surprised to see me being able to speak it. It’s something about me a lot of people don’t know. I have a lot of fun with it,” he said.
At the University of Memphis Schenk learned he could pursue a career in pro baseball. During his senior season he first learned how to pitch to hitters.
“Everything kind of fell into place. The Lord was really good to me that season,” said Schenk, who was a Florida State League Mid-Season All-Star in 2010. He had a 1.72 ERA with Peoria in the Arizona Fall League that year.
What has surprised him is that pro players “fail big time. Every person at the beginning of their career becomes disillusioned. People can be beaten. Generally nobody is head and shoulders above everybody else. It’s a pretty even game.”
Montgomery outfielder Brad Coon said Schenk brings an even-keeled attitude when he enters the game. “He gives a calmness,” he said. “He is not one of those guys who is up and down when he goes out there. He is going to be a solid performer every time.”
Schenk made a career-high 46 appearances in 2011 and during 10 appearances from April through May that year pitched 19 straight scoreless innings.
“He gives us quality innings when we need them,” Dyer said. “You can’t get enough of those guys.”
A Conference USA All-Academic team member in 2008, Schenk takes a cerebral approach to his game.
“He is one of the most mentally sound people I know,” Dyer noted.
Pitcher Matt Buschmann added, “He is an intelligent guy who brings conversation to the field that goes beyond baseball. It expands your horizon a little bit. It’s good to wrap your head around something bigger than this.”
Whether or not he plays in a league bigger than Double-A, Schenk said it is an honor to put on a pro jersey. “I wake up every day thanking the Lord that I am doing what I want to do.”
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