Father-Daughter Duo Team Up to Coach Marion Military Institute Softball

Marion, AL—It is a rarity in softball (or any sport, for that matter) to have a father-daughter coaching combo on the same team, on the same field, and in the same dugout, but that is the extraordinary phenomenon that is going to play out during this year's softball season at Marion Military Institute.  Jeff Benson has been hired to be the head softball coach of the Tigers, and his daughter, Kori, has been hired to be his assistant coach.

The Bensons have a combined twenty-eight years of softball coaching and playing experience between them.

Jeff Benson has the coaching experience.  He has coached all manner of softball, including travel ball, high school, and college.  For the past three seasons as an assistant coach, he has helped guide perennial softball powerhouse Wallace State Community College Hanceville to two Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Championships.  Benson prowled the softball field for the Lady Lions in the 2015-2016 season first as the assistant coach and then as the interim head coach, leading the Lady Lions to the ACCC title.  For his exceptional interim coaching efforts, Jeff Benson was named ACCC Region XXII Coach of the Year.

Kori Benson has the playing experience.  She played two years for national juggernaut Wallace State Community College Hanceville and one year for Shorter University before being sidelined by a nagging back injury.  During her time at Wallace State, Benson established the single-season home run record of 23 in her first year of play and then blasted 15 more home runs in her sophomore season to set the all-time Wallace State home run record of 38. 

The father-daughter coaching duo of Jeff and Kori Benson will provide the fans of Tiger softball with plenty of excitement this year.  It is only natural, then, that they have only two key ingredients for success—play hard and be very competitive.