University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Rob Diestel 1989 - Baseball
The first three-year captain and the only sophomore team captain in the rich 100+ year history of Vermont baseball, Rob Diestel, inducted into the UVM Hall of Fame in 2000, was a four-year starting infielder who graduated in 1989 as the all-time leader in hits. He was a two-time all-conference selection and an all-New England selection as a senior. In addition to his record number of hits, Diestel was among the Cats' career leaders in batting average, total bases, runs scored, stolen bases and games played.
As a freshman, he started at shortstop and hit .338, second on the Cats behind senior Mike Stamer. His .338 at the time was the best for a first year player and 16th all-time. In his first collegiate start against national power North Carolina he went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI. After the season he was the first (and only) freshman to win the team's Ralph Lapointe Baseball Award for leadership, loyalty and dedication to Vermont baseball.
His second season, and first as a captain, Diestel led the team with a .303 average and 27 hits while driving in 19 runs. He had six multi-hit games including a 4-5 effort vs. Dartmouth. He capped his solid season by being named the first-team all-ECAC New England shortstop. Moving to second base for his junior year, he improved his average 58 points to .361 and led the Cats in runs scored and stolen bases playing in all 32 games. Diestel jumped his average his senior year hitting .383 to lead the team. He had 36 hits to become the Vermont all-time leader passing UVM Hall of Famer Dan Gasparino '82, who held the record for seven years. His .383 single-season average was the sixth best in UVM history and his career .348 mark was third all-time. He was named as a second team (ECAC NE) conference all-star and earned all-New England honors playing in the region's all-star game at Fenway Park in June. His teammates honored him with the Larry Gardner Most Valuable Player Award.
"Rob was one of the best players in New England and one of the top all-around players we have had during my tenure," commented coach Bill Currier, who has been at the helm since 1987. Diestel graduated from UVM with a degree in Economics and holds an MBA from F.W. Olin School of Business at Babson College.
