The Wilmington Sharks have signed six players currently playing at colleges located in the state of Missouri to the 2009 roster. Two players, Curt Courtwright, a shortstop, and Sean Toler, a right-handed pitcher, are from Missouri State University. Three others, infielder Andrew Guerra, right-handed pitcher Garrett Cooper and outfielder J.D. Dunn are from St. Louis University. Kyle Smith, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Central Missouri, will also be joining the Sharks.

Courtwright, who also played basketball and football in high school, owns his school’s record in baseball for hits, doubles, triples, runs, walks, at bats and stolen bases. Last season at Missouri State, as a sophomore, he played in 44 games, making 38 starts at shortstop despite being sidelined by an illness for nearly a month.

Toler, a junior from Montana, was a 24th round draftee by the Colorado Rockies in 2005; He is currently holding batters to a .318 average as a relief pitcher for Missouri State.

Guerra, a junior, who transferred from Rice University in Houston after his freshman season, held a .298 batting average in his first year at St. Louis, the fifth best on the team, and recorded a single-season record 21 doubles. This season, Guerra has a .267 batting average, 26 RBI and six home runs after 135 at bats.

Cooper, a freshman, went 6-1 with a 1.97 ERA and 84 strikeouts his senior year of high school, helping his team to a conference championship. This season at St. Louis, he has a 5.89 ERA and is keeping opposing teams batting a .300 average at the plate.

Dunn, a junior, started all 53 games in the 2008 at St. Louis; he had a .326 batting average, the second highest on the team, and was first in runs and stolen bases. His 26 steals are the fourth-most in school history, while his 15 doubles are eighth overall. This season, Dunn has a .228 batting average and 11 RBI after 114 at bats.

Smith, also a junior, is currently holding opponents to a .321 batting average and has 10 strikeouts this season at Central Missouri.

The Wilmington Sharks are members of the summer collegiate Coastal Plain League, the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league. In 2008 the Sharks drew more than 50,000 fans to the "Shark Tank" for an average of 1,650 per game. For more information on tickets, merchandise or advertising opportunities please call (910) 343.5621 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Opening day is on May 28th, and will be played against the Columbia Blowfish. Game time is at 7p.m. and gates open at 6p.m. The first 1,000 fans will receive Sharks magnet schedules presented by Project Assist and QuitlineNC.com