Named Furman’s head baseball coach in July of 2016, Brett Harker is now entering his fourth season as the Paladins’ mentor, sixth as a member of the program, and 10th year of coaching in the Palmetto State.
He is only the fourth head coach over the past half century of a Furman program, which began in 1891 and spans 119 seasons.
As head coach Harker has helped Furman maintain its competitiveness in the Southern Conference, highlighted by a third place regular season finish and tournament runner-up finish, 11-game league winning streak, and program tying 33 victories in 2017.
Triumphs over Michigan State and Ohio State, as well as a pair of wins over South Carolina, have punctuated his still young head coaching tenure.
In addition helping Furman post solid on-the-field results over the last five years, he has spearheaded a number of notable facility improvements, including the addition of 800 permanent eats in Latham Stadium and new padded fencing around the entire field, and construction of a new Furman bullpen area.
Harker’s arrival at Furman as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator in 2015 coincided with the emergence of pitcher Will Gaddis, who was named to the 2015 Southern Conference All-Freshman Team and in 2016 garnered SoCon Pitcher of the Year honors after posting a 10-3 record and 3.45 earned run average. Following a summer of work in the prestigious Cape Cod League, Gaddis registered an even more impressive junior season in Harker’s first season as head coach in 2017, going 9-3 with a 1.89 ERA prior to becoming Furman’s highest ever Major League Draft selection when he was taken in the third round by the Colorado Rockies.
In addition, Harker oversaw the successful return to action of left-hander Grant Schuermann from Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for the entire 2016 season. In 2017 Schuermann displayed outstanding command (11 walks in 96.2 IP) and proved to be one of the league’s top hurlers down the stretch, posting a 4-0 record with an 0.71 ERA over his final five starts, highlighted by a 6-1 SoCon Tournament victory over regular season champion Mercer.
Harker came to Furman after serving as pitching coach at Newberry (S.C.) College in 2014, where he worked with four all-conference performers. Prior to that he coached pitchers and coordinated recruiting at North Greenville (S.C.) University for the 2013 campaign. In the summer of 2013 he served as pitching coach for the Southeast representative in the Big League World Series, helping the Greenville-based team beat Venezuela in an ESPN-televised championship game played in Easley, S.C.
He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Greenville High School in 2011 and also worked as an instructor/16U travel baseball team manager at the West End Baseball Academy from 2011-13.
Harker starred on the mound at nearby prep powerhouse Hillcrest High School, claiming all-region, all-state, and MVP honors of the 2002 North Carolina/South Carolina All-Star Game en route to earning a baseball scholarship from the College of Charleston.
In three seasons with the Cougars (2003-05) he twice garnered first team All-Southern Conference accolades as a relief pitcher and as a junior was named SoCon Pitcher of the Year and Louisville Slugger All-America, helping the Cougars to consecutive 47-16 and 48-15 campaigns and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances his sophomore and junior campaigns.
He appeared in 78 games and posted a career record of 14-6 with a 4.08 ERA, setting a school season record with 15 saves and finishing his CofC tenure with a program record 29 saves. In 2014 he was inducted into the College of Charleston’s Wall of Fame.
Following his junior season, Harker was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth round of the Major League Baseball Draft. He spent four seasons in the Phillies organization, advancing to Double A before being selected in the 2009 Rule 5 Draft by the Florida Marlins, where he competed in both Double and Triple A. In 2010 he played with the Northern League Schaumburg Flyers before completing his professional career with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association.
He and his wife, the former Tiffany Stevenson of Simpsonville, have a daughter, Emma, and a son, Hudson.
PERSONAL
Full Name: Brett Keaton Harker
Born: July 9, 1984, in Greenville, S.C.
Wife: Tiffany Stevenson of Simpsonville, S.C.
Children: Emma (daughter) and Hudson (son)
EDUCATION
Hillcrest High School, 2002
College of Charleston, B.A. Communications, 2006
PLAYING CAREER
Hillcrest High School, 1999-02
P, Four-year letterman, All-Region, All-South Carolina, South Carolina vs. North Carolina All-Star Game (MVP)
College of Charleston, 2003-05
P, All-Southern Conference (2004 & ‘05), SoCon Pitcher of the Year (2005), Louisville Slugger All-America (2005)
NCAA Tournament (2003 & ‘04)
Career Record: 78 Appearances, 14-6, 4.08 ERA, 29 Saves (1st in CofC history)
Philadelphia Phillies, 2005-08
2005 Major League Draft (Philadelphia, 5th Round, 17th Pick, 157th Overall Selection)
Florida Marlins, 2009
2009 Major League Rule 5 Draft (Florida/New Orleans Zephyrs, 25th Pick, Triple-A Phase)
Schaumburg Flyers (Northern League), 2010
Senadores de San Juan (Puerto Rican Winter League), 2010
Lincoln Saltdogs (American Association), 2011
