Hometown Kid Makes It Big

Many ballplayers grow up wanting to play for their hometown team, and for Chris Coy, that’s exactly what he did. 

A St. Joseph native, Coy attended Mustangs games every summer and loved being able to watch the Mustangs bring home championship after championship. 

“I was here all the time at games,” Coy said. “I've probably been to more games than I haven't.”

Now, having freshly graduated from Benton High School, Coy is beginning his collegiate baseball career with the Mustangs. Being from St. Joe, Coy didn’t plan on playing anywhere else this summer than with the team that’s created so many memories for him. 

“Growing up in the clubhouse, the dugout, being around college athletes like that, it's really helped me mature,” Coy said. “It's awesome, the first opening day, putting on the white vest uniforms I've seen my whole life. It was kind of a surreal feeling, getting to play in front of all the St. Joe fans out here, thousands of people who are from my hometown, and getting to showcase my ability to them is just a dream come true. It's truly an awesome feeling.” 

Playing for the Mustangs is special for Coy in more ways than just growing up around the team. While he’s wearing a Mustangs jersey, he gets to continue to play under the coaching of his uncle Johnny Coy.

“He's my high school coach at Benton, so I'm kind of used to [him coaching me], but I wouldn't want it any other way. He's a phenomenal coach. He's a great coach. He's taught me a lot. He's somebody who's been through playing college baseball and has a lot of experience, so getting to learn from him side by side every single day is just such an advantage,” Coy said. 

After he wraps up business in St. Joe, Coy plans to bring his talent to the University of Nebraska Omaha and join the Mavericks on the field in the spring. Coy knows the amount of hard work and discipline it takes to play at the college level, and his advice to young athletes who want to follow in his footsteps highlights just that. 

“I'm a firm believer in if you work for it, you're gonna get it. People who work hard they're always gonna get more than somebody who doesn't. I like to quote ‘Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard,’” Coy said. “There are some people when they're younger, they might be more talented than you, but if you stick with it and you work hard and you outwork them, the world is yours.”

- Morgan Albrecht