Assistant Coach Nate Mulberg

The 2024 season marks Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Nate Mulberg's eighth season with the Spider Baseball program. Mulberg was elevated to assistant coach in July 2017 and added recruiting coordinator duties in fall of 2018 after spending 2016 season as the Spiders' volunteer assistant and earned the position of recruiting coordinator during the fall of 2018.

Among his many duties with the program, Mulberg focuses on defensive work with the infielders and catchers while also helping with hitting. The 2023 squad led the league for a second-straight season with a .309 team average and 136 doubles and sat in second with 579 hits. The squad was also third in .483 slugging and .401 on-base percentages and fourth with 385 runs batted in while hitting into the second fewest double-plays (25) and second fewest strikeouts (366). Mulberg helped guide A-10 Second Team All-Conference selections Johnny Hipsman, Jared Sprague-Lott and 2023 A-10 Rookie of the Year and First Team honoree Jordan Jaffe at the plate. Hipsman finished the season 5th in the country with 25 doubles and led the league with 86 hits. He also ranked in the top five in slugging percentage (.659, 2nd), OPS (1.093, 2nd), batting average (.381, 4th) and RBI (55, 5th). Once inserted to the lead off spot, Sprague-Lott found ways to reach base, finishing second with 44 walks, fourth with 13 home runs and fifth with 60 runs scored. Jaffe, the Spiders first ROY since 2013, was immediately comfortable from the three-spot in the lineup, finishing second with 59 RBI, third with 20 doubles and seventh with 12 home runs.

Mulberg took on a hefty task in the 2020 offseason in his recruiting coordinator role. 2021 featured 20 newcomers with an influx of nine graduate transfers and a junior college transfer. These transfers paid immediate dividends as four logged at least 80 at bats, and three of the four starting pitchers on opening weekend were newcomers. Along with his recruiting duties, Mulberg worked day-to-day with the catching corps. Under his tutelage, Richmond recorded the lowest stolen base allowed percentage in the Atlantic 10, throwing out 15 of 40 attempted base stealers, for a .625 SBA%. Throughout the season, Richmond catchers combined to earn a perfect fielding percentage having not committed an error in 334 chances. Redshirt junior Drew Blakely earned Academic All-Atlantic 10 for his efforts during the season. Blakely was named one of 16 semifinalists for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year award in late May. He finished the season having thrown out 14 base runners and was errorless in 262 chances along with hitting for a .342 average, 10 extra-base hits, 13 RBI and scored 20 runs. Throughout the season, Mulberg assisted with coordinating all Spider travel, equipment distribution and game day meals at home and one the road.

In the summer of 2021, Mulberg is slated to head to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics as part of the Team Israel coaching staff. Mulberg was a part of the staff that won the WBSC European qualifier for the first time in Israeli baseball history.

In 2020, Mulberg assisted worked primarily with the catching unit, assisted with the logistics of travel during the COVID-19 shortened season as well as continuing his role as the recruiting coordinator for Spider baseball. During the season, Richmond saw three catchers get playing time behind the dish, led by junior transfer Drew Blakely. Blakely ended the season hitting for a .296 average in 16 games and was second on the team with 16 RBI. Defensively, the Michigan-native threw out three attempted base stealers during the season and allowed just two passed balls. He earned a .970 fielding percentage and assisted on a double play. Freshman Zach Lass started in five games and earned a .972 fielding percentage having committed just one error in 36 chances. James Valdivia appeared in two games behind the dish, earning a 1.000 fielding percentage.

Mulberg expanded his role with Richmond baseball in 2019, working as the recruiting coordinator, infield instructor, working with the catchers and assisting with the offense. The 2019 Spiders hit for a .280 team average during the year and slugged 54 home runs. Mulberg helped the hitters hone their approach at the plate, working as the primary batting practice pitcher. The Spiders finished 2019 with 294 walks, leading the conference and coming in 30th nationally. Defensively, Richmond earned a .969 fielding percentage. Four hitters were named All A-10 following the 2019 season as Tyler Plantier and Anthony Forte were named First Team All A-10 Selections, Kyle Schmidt was a Second Team honoree and outfielder Johnny Hipsman was an A-10 All-Freshman team award winner. Catchers Schmidt and A.J. Kloehn combined to be some of the toughest defensive catchers in the league, committing just three errors in 514 chances to earn a .994 combined fielding percentage and threw out 17 attempted base stealers during the season. Schmidt was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 33rd round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

The 2018 season saw Mulberg work with the Spider infielders, assist with the offense and spend some games on the bases as the first base coach. 2018 saw the Spiders hit for a .268 team average, with two players earning All-Atlantic 10 honors in the infield. Senior Vinny Capra and sophomore Justin Cook were named Second Team All-Atlantic 10 for their efforts during the year. Capra was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 20th round of the MLB Draft in June. Richmond swiped 47 bases during the year and were picked off just seven times during the season.

In his first season with the Spiders he served as the volunteer assistant and worked with the catchers, infielders and hitters. In addition, he spearheaded the team's partnership with Go4theGoal, a non-profit with a mission to improve the lives of children battling cancer.

Prior to joining Richmond, Mulberg completed stints at Bucknell (2016) and Franklin and Marshall (2015-16).

A four-year starting shortstop at the University of Rochester, Mulberg and the Yellowjackets reached its first Liberty League Championship game in 2014, during which Mulberg hit .359 with an on base percentage of .468. He picked up Liberty League All-Tournament honors and finished as the sixth toughest batter to strike out in Division III.

At Rochester, Mulberg ranks in the top 10 in school history in sacrifice hits, assists, double plays turned and most times hit by a pitch. He is also a two-time CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District selection, and was named to the Liberty League/UAA All-Academic teams three times. Mulberg was honored by the Rochester Athletic Department with the John Vitone Sportsmanship Award in 2014.

In 2020, Mulberg married the former Kristen Litchfield.

Away from the diamond, Mulberg broadcasted Rochester athletic events and interned for various sports companies, including the Buffalo Bills, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and the Rochester Red Wings - the Minnesota Twins’ Triple-A affiliate.

In 2014, Mulberg graduated cum laude from the University of Rochester with a bachelor's degree in English and minor in business, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his Master of Education in Sport Management from Millersville University in 2016 and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as well as a Master of Non-Profit Management from the University of Richmond in 2022.