Batavia grad Coffey flourishing in senior year at Minnesota

It seems like yesterday that Micah Coffey quarterbacked Batavia's football team to its first state football championship, manned the point guard position on the basketball squad and played a key role for the regional title-winning baseball team.

Since then, the former 3-sport high school standout has dedicated himself to one sport - baseball - and his numbers suggest that the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder made the correct choice.

Coffey, a senior at the University of Minnesota, has built a reputation as one of the top players in the Big Ten Conference.

As a sophomore, Coffey hit .333 with 7 home runs, 13 doubles and team-high 42 RBI, posting a 21-game hitting streak with 18 multihit games while being named to the 2016 All-Big Ten Second Team.

Last season as a junior, the left-handed hitter batted .340 (. 370 in Big Ten play) with 4 home runs, 15 doubles and 46 RBI and repeated as an All-Big Ten Second Team selection.

Now he is trying to soak up his senior season in Minneapolis.

"It's kind of surreal thinking this is it," said Coffey, who is currently hitting .307 with 4 home runs, 5 doubles and 27 RBI for the Golden Gophers (23-10). "It definitely gives me perspective. I'm really trying to take every game and make it a good one."

Coffey has plenty of "good ones" over the course of his collegiate career.

As a freshman, he recorded his first collegiate hit, run scored and RBI during a mid-March game against Richmond.

The next year, Coffey scored the game-winning run that clinched the Big Ten regular season title for the Gophers against Ohio State. He later added a pair of doubles and 2 RBI in NCAA Tournament contests against Wake Forest and Texas A&M.

Last May, Coffey became the first Gopher to hit for the cycle since 2002 when he went 4-for-6 with a career-high 6 RBI and 4 runs scored against Penn State. He also earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors.

This past weekend, Coffey was back at it during the Gophers' back-to-back blowout victories over Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

With a rooting section that included his parents, Brian and Lorene, his brothers, Jordan, Jesse and Canaan, his fiancee, Gianna Carlini and her mom, Coffey went 5-for-9 with a home run, 5 runs scored and 3 walks in Minnesota's 22-7 and 18-8 wins.

In addition, Coffey drove in 5 runs in both games, becoming the first Gopher since 2009 to finish with 10 RBI over a 2-game span.

"It was a good weekend for us as a whole," said Coffey. "We had a lot of good at-bats. Personally, I'm seeing the ball really well. It was great to have the whole crew in town."

Team success has always been a part of the Coffey way.

"If the team wins and I play well, it's like the perfect day," he said. "I'll do whatever I can do to help the team win."

Last summer, Coffey played for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in the invitation-only Cape Cod League and was selected to the All-Star Game after hitting .282 with 2 home runs and 12 RBI.

"It was incredible - a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Coffey. "It was a huge challenge because the competition level was so high."

Disappointingly, one month earlier, the affable 22-year-old was not selected in the MLB's First-Year Player Draft.

"It helped me grow up a little and get in touch with my own identity," said Coffey, who owns a .319 career batting average with 15 home runs and 125 RBI. "I can only control the things I can control."

He is hoping for a second crack at the draft this June.

"I'd jump at the chance to pursue playing baseball at the next level," said Coffey, who calls being a member of the 2016 Big Ten championship team and playing in the NCAA Tournament his best collegiate memories.

"Just being around the guys and an unbelievable coaching staff has been so fun."

Majoring in human resources development, Coffey is on course to graduate next month.

On Tuesday night, he'll look for his 200th career hit against South Dakota State.

Improvements on the horizon for St. Charles East's athletic facilities: The St. Charles East athletic boosters recently announced a fundraising initiative to renovate and beautify various athletic facilities during the 40th anniversary of students attending the Dunham Road campus.

A fundraising kickoff event will be held from 7-10 p.m. Monday, April 30, at the Club Arcada in St. Charles. Boosters will preview project details and introduce fundraising rewards and incentives for donations above $2,500.

The four phases include the District 303 school board-approved installation of an artificial turf field at Norris Stadium and expansion of the weight room into a fully-equipped fitness center.

"We see this as a once-in-a-generation effort," said Robert Stackhouse, booster president.

Potential donors are encouraged to contact Stackhouse at 630-624-9225, or Gary Dellostritto, booster vice president, at 630-881-2108.

More details to come.

Craig Brueske can be reached at csb4k@hotmail.com