Former DVC baseball star Jake Benz in his life has played for nine years with clubs in the minor leagues, including the Montreal Expos and the Florida Marlins. But his path to professional baseball was filled with transition and competition.
On February 23rd the DVC had its annual Hall of Fame dinner and induction. One of the inductees was Benz.
“I wasn’t even the best athlete in my family; that was my older brother,” Benz said. Benz, who went to College Park High School and continued on to DVC, Benz was a standout at DVC as a utility fielder and an outfielder. Jake was the first person in DVC history to be named an All American at a different position each year.
“I wasn’t the big man on campus. I stand 5-foot-8, 5-foot-9 on a good day,” he said, laughing. The baseball team wasn’t the most sought-after attraction on campus, with just a few hardcore baseball fans, friends and families of the players.
During a summer vacation, Steve Ward, the coach of the DVC baseball team, told Jake to go out for the Cape Cod League. The Cape Cod League is a wood bat league, where almost three-quarters of the players are chosen to play in the major leagues.
“I remember being one of two or three junior college kids playing out there. I knew the competition was going to be tough,” Jake said, “Can I really compete?”
Jake did compete even alongside the likes of soon-to-be Major League stars Billy Wagner (Astros, Mets), Todd Walker (Twins, Cubs) and minor leaguer Paul Failla (Lake Elsinore).
In Jake’s first at bat in the Cape Cod League he hit a triple. Jake was named player of the week for the first week, and led the entire league in hitting until the final week, when, he finished third in batting. Some of the highlights for Jake were being named a mid-season and post-season all star in the Cape Cod league.
When Jake came back from the Cape Cod League he was looking for a school to transfer to. Jake decided to transfer to Oklahoma State, with the help of Ward, who is now the DVC Hall of Fame Chair. At Oklahoma State Jake continued his status as an All American and was voted in at two more positions, pitcher and designated hitter.
From Oklahoma State Jake was drafted by the Montreal Expos, a major league team that played in Canada until the early 2000s. The team is now known as the Nationals and plays in Washington D.C.
Jake played seven years for the Expos reaching as high as Triple-A. After being traded to the Marlins, Jake played two years for the Florida franchise, once again reaching as high as Triple-A ball.
When Jake was asked about his life path, he said, “I would do it all over again.”
“Being inducted means a lot to me. I was born here, grew up here. I went to Valley View Middle School, College Park High School and DVC,” Jake said. “It was a special moment.”
Jake is a father of two boys, whom he would love to coach.
“If the opportunity arises I would love to be back in baseball, coaching or managing fiscal items,” said Benz. “I just need to find the right balance between my family and the game.”
