Former Honker Shea Harris Returns to coach alongside a well-rounded Demetre Kokokoris.
(Rochester, Minn.)–The Rochester Honkers Baseball Club announced today the finalization of their coaching staff for the 2015 Season. Shea Harris returns to the Honkers but this time in a coaching role, and well-rounded Demetre Kokoris finishes out Field Manager Trevor Hairgrove’s staff.
Harris was a member of the record-setting 2006 Rochester Honkers 54-17 Championship squad. The hard-nosed catcher from Gardner Webb University was honored with a Rawling’s Silver Glove for the best defensive catcher in the Northwoods League. Harris committed zero errors in the entire season.
After graduating from Gardner Webb in 2007 with a Sports Management Degree, Harris became the Catching and Hitting Coach for Pfeiffer University. Not wanting to stop playing, Harris also earned a spot with the Atlantic City Surf of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. Over the next 7 years, Harris continued his independent professional career playing for the Sioux City Explorers (American Association) and his last six years in the Atlantic League, playing for the Bridgeport Bluefish and finishing his last four seasons with the Camden River Sharks. He caught the first no-hitter in franchise history and the sixth in Atlantic League history.
Fluent in Spanish, Harris has played in 28 states and Canada and boasts a professional fielding percentage of .994. Harris is currently the Volunteer Assistant Coach at Rowan University, a Division III program in Glassboro, N.J.
Demetre Kokoris (Ko’-Kor-es) has been the Pitching Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Ore. since 2012. He was the Head Coach of the Central Oregon Bucks of the West Coast Summer Collegiate League from 2011-2012.
A graduate of the University of South Carolina in 2006, Kokoris earned his BS in Sport & Entertainment Management. He served as a student-manager for Gamecock Baseball, reaching a Regional in 2005 & Super Regional in 2006.
Kokoris also has experience on the business end of professional baseball. He served as an intern with the Los Angeles Dodgers group sales department in the summer of 2004 & as an operations intern with the Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Instructional Camp in the fall of 2006. Kokoris then pursued his MBA at Cal State Fullerton. He served as a Facilities Manager for Titan Baseball, as they reached the College World Series in 2007 & were crowned Big West Co-Champions in 2008 & hosted a Super Regional. Kokoris followed Coach George Horton from Fullerton to the University of Oregon to be an Administrative Assistant with Duck Baseball from 2010 -2011. His time was spent with the pitching staff and assisting Duck Baseball Camps.
The Rochester Honkers 22nd season begins on May 26th when the Mankato MoonDogs bark into Mayo Field for a 7:05pm first pitch. Season Tickets, Bonus Books, Suites and Patios are now available. Call the Rochester Honkers office at 507-289-1170 for more information. The Honkers are also looking for host families for the 2015 season and ask all interested parties to call the business office for more information.
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The are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2015, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (BOS) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website. For more information, visit www.rochesterhonkers.com
