Certainly one of the greatest starting pitchers in UMass Lowell's revered baseball history, Nate Linstad's career is all the more impressive considering he hadn't originally planned to play baseball in college.
Linstad originally attended the University of Kentucky to play football in 1996-97, but transferred to UMass Lowell after one year to pursue baseball, which he did with rapid success.
During his tenure, Linstad helped lead the baseball team to a four-year clip of 134-51 - an average of 33.5 victories per season - over which it twice eclipsed the school record for wins in a season, won four conference titles and reached the NCAA Tournament each year.
"Nate was a tremendous athlete," said Jim Stone, who was the head baseball coach from 1966-2003. "He had a strong arm, he threw real hard. I remember his first year he was a closer for us, then we needed him to start. I think he could've played a number of other positions. He was just a terrific athlete. He ran very well and could've played the outfield if we needed him.
"He was a terrific competitor," he added. "This is a well deserved honor for him."
As a senior, Linstad was an instrumental player in leading the River Hawks to their first NCAA Northeast Region Championship and appearance in the Division II World Series in Montgomery, Ala. That year, Linstad went 9-2 with a 3.22 ERA and earned a plethora of honors - ABCA All-American, Northeast-10 Conference and ABCA Northeast Region Pitcher of the Year - as UMass Lowell went 39-19.
After making 13 appearances in relief as a freshman, Linstad went 5-3 with a 4.33 ERA as a sophomore to earn All-New England Collegiate Conference Second Team status. The River Hawks posted then a school-record 36-9 clip, captured the NECC and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Northeast Region championship game.
Linstad continued to thrive as a junior, going 8-3 with a 3.52 ERA, good enough for NECC and NCAA Northeast Region First Team honors. The River Hawks won their third straight NECC title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year.
Linstad graduated with school records in innings pitched (298.2) and strikeouts (265), both of which currently rank second all-time. He also ranks tied for second in wins (23) and winning percentage (.742, 11th). His 102.1 innings pitched in 2000 remains the single season standard.
Linstad graduated in 2001 with a degree in criminal justice.
