Barton Community College approved the hiring of Marc Benjamin as head coach for the softball program on Thursday.
Benjamin comes to Barton from Southern Utah University, where he was the assistant coach for the NCAA Division-I Thunderbirds softball team the past three seasons.
He was recently hired to replace Heather Panning, who resigned her head coach position last month.
“Marc Benjamin comes to Barton with a tremendous amount of fast-pitch softball background,” Barton athletic director Trevor Rolfs said. “Not only did Coach Benji recently serve as assistant coach at NCAA Division-I Southern Utah University, he also has been playing fast-pitch softball competitively at the highest level.
“His background, combined with his coaching experience, makes Marc a great fit for Barton softball. I fully expect Coach Benjamin to take our softball program to new heights.”
Benjamin’s playing career began as a second baseman.
After two years at Cerritos College, Benjamin transferred to NCAA Division-I University of Utah.
At Utah, Benjamin held a .317 batting average with nine doubles, two triples, three home runs and 55 RBI. During Benjamin’s senior season, he finished in the top 10 of the Western Athletic Conference with 15 stolen bases, finishing with 29 career total stolen bases. Benjamin graduated from Utah with a degree in political science in 1994.
An accomplished fast-pitch softball player, Benjamin plays on elite teams, including internationally in New Zealand and Australia.