Hamline University Athletics

Casey Benford is in his seventh season as an assistant baseball coach for Hamline, joining the staff before the 2017 season. Benford originally hails from Mesa, Arizona, but landed on Hamline’s campus in Saint Paul, Minnesota in the fall of 2009, where he would pitch for the Pipers until he graduated in 2013.

During his time as a Piper student-athlete, his teams notched 87 total wins, one MIAC Conference Championship in 2011, and the program’s first NCAA tournament victory. Individually, he toed the rubber for a total of 116.2 innings. He was named captain during his senior season, while also being a MIAC pitcher of the week in 2011, and a 2013 All-Sportsmanship Team recipient. Benford was an active member of Hamline’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), serving as Co-President in 2012-13, as well as Co-Chair of the MIAC SAAC in the same years.

As an alum, he served as a volunteer assistant to the Hamline Athletics Department, and partnering with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, launched the development and fundraising for the Klas Field Row of Honor.

Outside of Hamline, Benford has been a familiar face in the Twin Cities baseball community, working as an instructor at Players Only Inc., serving as head coach for the Edina Jr. Legion II team, assistant coaching for Roseville youth baseball teams, and instructing US Baseball Academy Camps.

Benford graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, while minoring in Biology.