A college baseball player was found shot to death in his South Florida apartment
A Keiser University student and baseball player who was named after New York Yankees star and Miami Marlins owner Derek Jeter was found shot to death in his West Palm Beach apartment Sunday morning.
Derek Becker’s death at the age of 21 was first reported by the Palm Beach Post and confirmed by the school.
A statement from Keiser CEO Dr. Arthur Keiser said Keiser coach Brooke Fordyce called Becker, “an exceptional friend and associate to those whose lives he touched.”
Keiser also said the school’s 2021 baseball season would be designated in Becker’s honor.
Becker had transferred to Keiser after starting 49 of 63 games over three seasons at Iona University, where his bio noted he was named after Jeter. Becker even wore Jeter’s No. 2 at Iona and at Cohoes (NY) High School, where he was a Second Team All-State player in 2017.
Keiser University is providing grief counselors for its students.
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 6:26 PM.
