Dave Schmotzer
Coker Hall of Fame Inductee - February 11, 2017
Dave Schmotzer became Coker's first head baseball coach in 1992, leading the Cobras to a record of 652-513-2 during his tenure. At the time of his retirement, he was ranked No. 18 among winningest active coaches in NCAA Division II with a career record of 737-553-2.
Under Dave, the Cobras captured seven conference titles, three conference tournament titles, and finished as tournament runner-up twice. The Cobras advanced to the NAIA World Series in 1994 and to the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2013.
Dave was named conference coach of the year five times and was named region coach of the year twice. He coached two MLB Draft picks, John Crowther (1994, 2nd Rd.) and Zach Loraine (2013, 21st Rd.), while numerous players went on to sign free agent and independent league contracts during his time at Coker.
In 2010, Dave along with his entire 1994 team, were inducted into the Coker Athletics Hall of Fame. In just the second year of the program's existence, the 1994 baseball team finished the season with a record of 48-12. The team was ranked as high as No. 3 and finished the season ranked No. 6 in the national NAIA poll. The Cobras won the CIAC Tournament, the NAIA Mid-East Regional and earned a berth in the 1994 NAIA College World Series in Des Moines, Iowa. The team's Regional Championship and trip to the College World Series were firsts in Coker baseball history.
In 2013, Dave and the Cobras returned to the national stage once again as the baseball team advanced to the NCAA DII National Championship for the first time in the history of the program. The Cobras finished the season ranked No. 3 in the nation with a record of 38-16. They won the 2013 Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship and the 2013 NCAA Southeast Region Baseball Tournament. Coker was one of the final eight teams to advance to the NCAA DII Baseball National Championship in Cary, N.C.
Dave is a native of Cleveland, Ohio. Along with his twin brother Dan, he attended St. Edward’s University in Texas, where he was two-sport athletes playing basketball and baseball. After graduating from St. Edward’s, he returned to Cleveland where he began his career at Trinity High School. Thanks to the flip of a coin, Dan became the basketball coach and Dave the baseball coach. After five seasons at Trinity, Dave returned to Texas to begin his collegiate coaching career at Texas Christian University. He spent 10 years as an assistant coach for the Horned Frogs. In addition to being a member of the Coker Athletics Hall of Fame, he was inducted into the Trinity High School Hall of Fame in 1996, and was inducted into the Padua Franciscan High School Hall of Fame in 2010.