Michael Benevides did not make the varsity baseball team as a junior at Vacaville High School. He got just one-bat as a senior in 2020 when COVID-19 wiped out the season after five games. At least he got a single in that one at-bat, so he finished his high school career with the meaningless distinction of a 1.000 batting average.
Few folks would have given Benevides a chance of playing baseball in college, but he was confident he could. And he has, playing two seasons at Yuba College and one at Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D. He will return to Northern State in two weeks, driving 28 hours after playing for the Solano Mudcats this summer.
The 21-year-old Benevides received his fair share of action his summer with Mudcats head coach Kyle Stafford changing the lineup from one game to the next. Players pay to play for the Mudcats, so rotating players keeps them committed and prevents the problem of those not playing much from feeling shortchanged and quitting.
“I was fine with having some days off,” said Benevides, who started 43 of Northern State’s 49 games as an outfielder in the spring. He came to Northern State after two seasons at Yuba College. He left Yuba after one year to walk on at Chico State and then returned to Yuba after that opportunity amounted to nothing.
South Dakota is hardly a hotbed for baseball, but Northern State suits Benevides in more ways than one. “It’s a smaller school, so you can build relationships with the teachers. They know you by name,” he said. “Driving in the snow is not that bad. I love the cold. I’ve always been a cold person. I’m more of a Midwest person.”
Benevides thawed out in two months with the Mudcats, who weathered several scorching days in July. They got a break in their season finale Sunday with an 86-degree afternoon at Solano Community College. And the Mudcats made the most of the mild temperature by holding off the Lincoln Potters for a 12-10 victory.
JJ Menesini had three hits and three RBI in his second game with the Mudcats. The Vacaville High graduate joined the team for the final four games with the Mudcats in need for an infielder. The Mudcats added his older brother Austin on July 14 after catcher Tony Castonguay left the team to nurse a hamstring injury.
The Potters finished second in the Pacific Empire League at 15-12 and will face the Healdsburg Prune Packers in the league’s inaugural championship series. The Prune Packers won the league at 22-5. The fifth loss came against the Mudcats on July 20 when Benevides hit a two-run single in the ninth inning for a 5-3 victory.
The Mudcats were in playoff contention until losing seven of the last 10 games to finish 10-15. Benevides will not remember the record as much as the friendships he made with his teammates. “We had a good group of guys,” he said. “You hang out with these dudes for two months and then you don’t see them again.”
Folks in Vacaville may not see much of Benevides once he graduates with a degree in kinesiology from Northern State. He plans to work at the college as an assistant to the strength and conditioning coach. Strength is important in South Dakota will all the snow to be shoveled each winter. Benevides does not mind that one bit.
