Greg Montalbano, one of the greatest pitchers in America East history, died Friday, August 21, after a long battle with cancer. He was 31.
Greg Montalbano a Fighter On, Off Field, Steve Buckley, Boston Herald, August 23, 2009
Montalbano Recalled as Extraordinary, Lenny Megliola, MetroWest Daily News, August 24, 2009
Boston Globe, August 23, 2009
"A Pitch for Life", Stan Grossfield, Boston Globe, October 16, 2008
Montalbano, who was diagnosed with cancer during his freshman year at Northeastern, would later earn America East Pitcher of the Year honors as a junior in 1999, when he compiled an 8-2 record with a 2.09 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings. He started the season with a no-hitter vs. Niagara and also had a one-hitter and three two-hitters in 11 starts that year.
He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the fifth round of the amateur draft in 1999 and was named the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2001 after posting a 12-6 record with a 3.49 ERA and 122 strikouts in 139 1/3 innings.
He was 19-7 with a 2.55 ERA and a school-record 217 strikeouts in his career at Northeastern, where he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005. He graduated Northeastern with a degree in Civil Engineering.
He received numerous awards for his courage and dedication to overcoming adversity, including the ECAC Award of Valor and the New England Hero Award from the Northeastern University Center for Study of Sport in Society.