HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Coker College baseball coach Dave Schmotzer has been named the 2013 American Baseball Coaches Association/Diamond NCAA Division II Southeast regional coach of the year.
"I'm honored to receive this wonderful award," Schmotzer said. "The reason awards like this are possible is because of the guys that won games for us. The seniors led us to a wonderful season at Coker, and I can't thank them enough. To be recognized with some of the great coaches across Division II is humbling. I'm truly going to cherish this honor."
In his 19th season coaching at Coker, Schmotzer led the Cobras to a 38-16 overall record. They went 14-9 in Conference Carolinas play, earning the No. 2 seed in the tournament. Coker won the conference and NCAA Southeast regional tournament titles to reach the NCAA Division II National Finals for the first time in program history. They lost to the University of Tampa – the eventual national champion – and Grand Canyon University to end the season.
Coker was led this season by senior pitcher Dan Meyer (8-4, 4.35, 90 Ks), junior first baseman Fico Kondla (.418, 50 RBIs) and junior pitcher Zach Loraine (15 saves, 2.66, 68 Ks). Loraine became the second player ever drafted from Coker in June, when the St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the 21st round.
Schmotzer, the only baseball coach Coker has ever had, has a 588-443-2 record at Coker. He has a 673-483-2 overall record as a coach. The 2013 season marked the second time Schmotzer has taken a team to the national tournament. In 1994, his second season at Coker, he led the Cobras to the NAIA World Series.
This is the second award the Coker baseball program has received from the ABCA. Third baseman T.J. Giczkowski earned a first team all-gold glove honor for the Southeast region in May.
The other regional coaches of the year are: Matt Jones (Shippensburg University, Atlantic); Matt Magers (Minnesota State Mankato, Central); Jayson King (Franklin Pierce College, East); Jamie Detillion (Grand Valley State, Midwest); Joe Urso (University of Tampa, South); Rob Penders (St. Edwards University, South Central); Andy Stankiewicz (Grand Canyon University, West). Urso was named national coach of the year.
For more information, contact Chris Dougherty, manager of athletics media relations and marketing, at 843-383-8018 or cdougherty@coker.edu.
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Coker College readies undergraduates for personal and professional success through a distinctive four-year program that emphasizes a practical application of the liberal arts as well as hands-on and discussion-based learning within and beyond the classroom. Coker is ranked among the "Best Colleges" in the South by U.S. News & World Report as well as The Princeton Review. Located in Hartsville, S.C., Coker is within two hours of the cultural, financial and recreational resources of Charlotte, Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach.