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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- He was a two-time, first-team all-OVC
shortstop who was named Tennessee Tech's Outstanding Male Athlete
of 2003. Those credentials helped land Casey Benjamin in the Class
of 2014 of the TTU Sports Hall of Fame.
Benjamin is one of five people who will be inducted at the annual
Hall of Fame Dinner, scheduled for Friday, Nov. 7, in the
Multipurpose Room of the Roaden University Center. The induction
dinner is part of Homecoming festivities. Tickets for the dinner,
or the Saturday afternoon game against Southeast Missouri, can be
purchased through the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center or by
calling (931) 372-3940.
A member of the Golden Eagle baseball team from 2001-03, Benjamin was named first-team all-Ohio Valley Conference in both 2002 and 2003. He led the team in batting average (.423), runs scored (56), hits (85), and doubles (17). Following just three years with the Tech squad, he found his name among the all-time Golden Eagle greats, finishing in the top 10 of several statistical categories.
Benjamin started every game of his Tech career, playing in 170
contests, including 61 of the 63 games as a member of the 2001 OVC
Tournament Championship team. He led the Golden Eagles to a
Knoxville Regional victory, smoking a two-run, game-winning home
run in the top of the ninth to defeat the No. 1 seeded Wake Forest
Demon Deacons, 9-7.
At the conclusion of his career, Benjamin ranked second all-time
at Tech in hits with 209, just four shy of then-hits leader Chad
Malone. His 304 total bases ranked fourth all-time when he finished
his Golden Eagle career. He also held the No. 4 spot in career
doubles with 44, helping the 2001 squad to a record-setting season
with 153 doubles. Benjamin drew 96 walks in his three seasons at
Tech, finishing fourth all-time in base on balls. He wrapped up his
career ranking fifth in runs scored with 143, sixth in RBI with
114, and seventh in triples with six.
Benjamin enjoyed a largely successful senior campaign in 2003, finishing the season with a .423 batting average, which was good enough for fourth best in single season in Tech history. He also concluded the 2003 season with 82 hits, fourth most among Golden Eagle players. He cracked the top 10 in single season performances two more times including seventh in total bases with 126 and eighth in runs scored with 56. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Player after leading the Tech squad in batting average, runs scored, hits, and doubles. He also earned OVC Player of the Week honors in 2003.
In 2003, Benjamin signed with the Texas Rangers as an undrafted free agent. He spent eight years with the Rangers’ organization, playing as high as the AAA level for the Oklahoma City RedHawks. He was named to the AA Texas League All-Star Team in 2007. He was also named both a Mid-Season and Post-Season Atlantic League All-Star in 2010 and 2012 as a member of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. The Blue Crabs named him as the team MVP in both 2010 and 2012 as well.
Prior to his Golden Eagle career, Benjamin earned three letters in baseball, two letters in basketball, and two letters in tennis at West Fargo High School in West Fargo, N.D. He spent one year at Iowa Western Community College, batting .343 as a freshman before transferring to Tech. Benjamin is the owner and an instructor of LTD Baseball Academy in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Casey and his wife, April, have one daughter, SammyRay.
