Ex Cohoes Baseball Star Dies in Tragic Shooting

Derek Becker was a standout baseball player for Cohoes High School just a few short years ago.  He was honored with multiple postseason awards handed out by local media, and even earned a scholarship to play baseball at Iona College before transferring to Keiser University in Florida.  Tragically, this young man's life was taken from him after he was shot and killed Saturday night in Florida.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

According to the Times Union, Becker made first team Small School All-Area in 2016 and 2017 before earning the chance to play college ball at Iona.  After a season with the Gaels, he made his way down to Florida where he played for Keiser University according to the Times Union.

According to the report, Becker - known for his gritty play and his competitive spirit - wore # 2 in high school because he idolized Yankee legend Derek Jeter, for whom he was actually named after.

Details of his death have been vague and not much has been released as far as the events that unfolded on Saturday, but nonetheless the news rocked the Cohoes community as well as those who played alongside him or simply just watched him play.

Nick DeBrino, a young man who grew up playing ball with Becker, described him this way on the GoFundMe page he created to help the family offset the costs following his tragic passing:

"Derek was the life of every gathering, social event, baseball game, etc.  At any given time he always had a smile on his face. I got the chance to play against Derek in baseball when I was younger and soon enough ended up playing together. We created a friendship that turned into family and now I will always refer to him as my brother." Nicholas DeBrino GoFundMe page 

As of Monday morning, the GoFundMe has raised nearly $30,000 for the Becker family after initially setting out to raise $5,000.