Baseball Adds Six Floridians to its Class

HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Coker College baseball coach Dave Schmotzer announced today that Florida natives Shane Wilder, Jack Leech, Alexander Hernandez, Stephen Fernandez, Mark Ramcharitar and Jake Bogaards have agreed to play for the Cobras.

"We have a great history of bringing outstanding players from Florida to play for us here at Coker, and this group of guys is no different," said Schmotzer. "We feel each player will be able to help us as we continue to grow as a team."

Wilder is a 5-foot-8-inch center fielder from Davie, Fla. He attended Coral Springs Christian Academy where he played baseball and football. This season, in baseball, Wilder was the 18-and-under Prospect Select Tournament MVP, played on a district championship team and was honored by The Miami Herald newspaper twice – winning its Courage Award and garnering an honorable mention selection.

Shane is the son of Todd and Pascale Wilder.

Leech, a 5-foot-10-inch catcher, is from Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School in Miami, Fla. He was a four-year starter on the varsity team, serving as captain his senior season. He was named honorable mention four times and player of the week once by The Miami Herald, and was named his team's pitcher of the year in 2012, best offensive player in 2011, MVP in 2010 and rookie of the year in 2009.

Jack is the son of Jeff and Sharon Leech.

Hernandez, a 5-foot-9-inch pitcher, comes from Westwood Christian School in Miami, Fla. His senior season he went 3-0 with six saves while posting a 1.95 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 22 innings. He also batted .479 with nine homers and 32 RBIs. Hernandez was selected to the Miami-Dade County All-Star team and helped the Warriors to district and regional championships as well as a runner-up finish in the state tournament.

Alexander is the son of Leonardo and Beatriz Hernandez.

Fernandez is a 5-foot-9-inch second baseman who is transferring from Lynn University. He posted a .333 average with four doubles, two triples and 13 RBIs as a sophomore. He is originally from Westminster Christian School in Miami, Fla., where he hit .394 with eight home runs, 12 doubles and 46 RBIs his senior season.

Stephen is the son of Manny and Lourdes Fernandez.

Ramcharitar, a 6-foot-2-inch pitcher, is from Plantation High School in Plantation, Fla. As a senior he won team MVP, posted a 2.89 ERA and finished the season with 27 straight innings without giving up an earned run.

Mark is the son of Philip and Nanda Ramcharitar.

Bogaards is a first baseman transferring from Miami Dade College. Originally from Miami, Fla., he attended Coral Reef High School where he was an All-Dade County selection, team captain and team MVP.

Jake is the son of Debbie and Jay Bogaards.

With the addition of this group, Coker now has 14 players on its roster from the state of Florida.

For more information, contact Chris Dougherty, manager of athletics media relations, at 843-383-8018 or cdougherty@coker.edu.

                                                -------------------------------------------------

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.