Nate Cole – previously an assistant coach at Southern Connecticut State and the University of Massachusetts – enters his fifth season on the Harvard University baseball staff in 2025-26 after joining the Crimson in the fall of 2021. Cole served the Crimson as an assistant coach for four seasons from 2021-25 before earning a promotion to associate head coach in August 2025. He became the program’s recruiting coordinator in August 2024.
During the 2025 season, the Crimson earned a spot in the Ivy League Tournament and finished as the tournament’s runner-up. Harvard registered seven All-Ivy selections, including unanimous First Team All-Ivy accolades for Gio Colasante, alongside three Ivy League Tournament All-Tournament Team selections and three Academic All-District picks.
After the 2025 season, Harvard notched a pair of MLB Draft picks for the third straight season as right-hander Truman Pauley went to the New York Mets in the 12th round with the 373rd overall pick while right-hander Callan Fang was picked by the Minnesota Twins in the 13th round with the 389th overall selection.
In 2024, Harvard totaled seven Ivy League awards, including Ivy League Pitcher of the Year honors for Callan Fang and unanimous First Team All-Ivy accolades for Ben Rounds who hit .403, becoming the first member of the Crimson to hit above .400 since 2004. Over the course of the season, Harvard earned at least one win over all seven other Ivy programs.
Following the 2024 season, the Crimson tallied a pair of MLB Draft selections for the second straight season as right-hander Sean Matson went to the Cleveland Guardians in the ninth round with the 265th overall pick and right-hander Tanner Smith went to the San Diego Padres in the 15th round with the 450th overall selection.
Cole helped guide the Crimson to a berth in the inaugural Ivy League Tournament in 2023, securing the No. 2 seed behind a 15-6 Ivy League record, marking Harvard’s most Ivy League wins since 2005. The Crimson captured six of its seven Ivy League series during the regular season. Cole coached relief pitcher Callan Fang to earn Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors as the Crimson tallied five All-Ivy honorees and five Academic All-District selections.
Following the conclusion of the 2023 season, the Crimson boasted a pair of draft picks in the 2023 MLB Draft. On the second day of the draft, the Los Angeles Angels took right-handed pitcher Chris Clark in the fifth round with the 147th overall pick while the Cleveland Guardians snagged right-handed pitcher Jay Driver in the ninth round with the 278th overall pick.
In 2022, the Crimson won 19 games, including 10 Ivy wins, and finished in fourth place in the Ivy League standings. Harvard recorded a pair of wins over Power Five opponents during its non-conference season, topping Miami – 11-6 in the season opener – and UCLA – in a 5-0 shutout victory. The Crimson pitching staff ranked 29th in the NCAA in strikeouts per game (9.8). Harvard totaled five All-Ivy selections and three CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees. Jay Driver (First Team) and Chris Clark (Second Team) both gained All-Ivy honors from Cole’s pitching staff.
Prior to Harvard, Cole served the Massachusetts baseball program as an assistant coach for six seasons from 2016-21, joining the Minutemen in July 2015. Cole directed all recruiting efforts for the program.
Cole was instrumental in developing right-handed pitcher Justin Lasko (2016-19), guiding the former Minuteman into the Friday night slot in the rotation before Lasko was drafted and signed with the New York Mets in 2019. Lasko, who returned to High-A Brooklyn in 2021, left UMass in possession of multiple program records, including starts (48), innings pitched (311.1), and strikeouts (247).
Before UMass, Cole spent eight seasons (2008-15) coaching one of the top pitching staffs in Division II at Southern Connecticut. At SCSU, Cole mentored 18 all-conference selections and two All-Americans along with the 2008 and 2014 Northeast-10 Pitchers of the Year. Four Southern Connecticut hurlers signed professional contracts during that span.
Under his direction, SCSU's pitching staffs consistently ranked among the NCAA statistical leaders. The Owls' 2010 pitching staff led all of Division II with a 2.53 ERA. That figure was the third best in the NCAA, trailing only St. Thomas of Minnesota (2.41) and the University of Texas (2.45).
Cole helped guide SCSU to a school record 45 wins in 2011 as the pitching staff led Division II in ERA for much of the season and finished the year at No. 3. In 2009, Cole coached the Owls' hurlers to the fourth-most wins in the Northeast-10 (25) and second-fewest losses (20).
Prior to SCSU, Cole was a three-year starter on the mound at Central Connecticut State University. While with the Blue Devils, he won two Northeast Conference championships and helped CCSU reach the NCAA Regionals in 2004 and 2007. He earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Central Connecticut in 2007.
A native of Wrentham, Mass., Cole captained King Philip Regional High School as a senior and helped the team advance to the state title game for the first time in school history.
