Kieschnick played college baseball at the University of Texas at Austin for the Texas Longhorns from 1990 until 1993, when he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs. After two seasons with the team, he was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1997 expansion draft. However, he never played a major league game for them and played only in the minor leagues during his tenure with the organization. Although he was originally projected to be a hitter, he eventually revived his career by returning to pitching, which he excelled at during his years with the Texas Longhorns. He was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2003 and played his final major league game for them on October 3, 2004.