A Met stops off at Coleman Country

Davis gave some hitting tips to young campers.

Janette Pellegrini/Herald

Davis high-fived campers as they rounded third base.

Janette Pellegrini/Herald

Coleman Country camp owner and director Ross Coleman chatted with Ike Davis.

Janette Pellegrini/Herald

Mets first baseman Ike Davis spoke to campers at Coleman Country Day Camp, on the Freeport-Merrick border, on Tuesday.

Janette Pellegrini/Herald

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Hundreds of Coleman Country day campers sat eagerly in the bleachers, their chants of “Ike Davis!” rising into the hot summer air on Tuesday. Minutes later, Mets first basemen Ike Davis strolled out of left field to loud applause, accompanied by camp owner and director Ross Coleman.

The Coleman Country camp, on the Freeport-Merrick border, boasts nearly 900 campers — all of whom got a chance to meet Davis, ask questions and share a high-five with the star infielder.

Davis offered words of wisdom to the young campers, many of whom are aspiring athletes. “If you want to do something in life, if you want to really excel in something that you enjoy,” he said, “you have to focus in on that and give up a lot of things that a lot of people don't give up.

“From age 13, I hit for an hour every day,” Davis continued. “I put all my time and effort into trying to get better. The only way to get good at something is to thoroughly commit to it.”

The campers asked Davis a variety of questions, ranging from his relationship with Mets teammate David Wright to his favorite sports team when growing up to the brand of toothpaste he uses –– Aquafresh, in case you’re wondering.

“Ike Davis is probably my favorite Met, and I remember I was watching a game with my mom and my brother last year, and I saw him hit a really huge home run,” said Jordan Gerand, 12, of Merrick. “I thought it was really amazing, and now I get to meet him and talk to him. It's really cool.”

Coleman Country Day Camp, which is celebrating its 29th anniversary, is owned by the Coleman family — Ross and his parents, George and Marla. Last year, Ross brought Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner to the camp to meet the kids. This year, Coleman said, he was introduced to Davis by a former camper who now works in sports.

“Right away, I knew this was the only person we wanted here at camp to be with our kids,” Coleman said. “It's not enough to have a baseball player come to camp; it has to be somebody who represents us well, represents himself well, and that's Ike.”