McFarland: Pitching in WCBL Rural Roots Classic was homecoming for Benton
Lethbridge Bulls right-hander Max Benton (Clyde River, P.E.I.) gets ready to throw a pitch at Doug Lehman Field in Oyen during the WCBL’s Rural Roots Classic. Photo: Ian Wilson
*This article was originally published on Alberta Dugout Stories on June 21. You can read it here.
June 22, 2025
By Joe McFarland
Alberta Dugout Stories
It was a homecoming Max Benton didn’t think he would ever make.
The Lethbridge Bulls starting pitcher toed the rubber at Doug Lehman Field in Oyen for the Western Canadian Baseball League’s Rural Roots Classic, where he had done it many times before as a member of the Badlands Baseball Academy.
Sitting down Sylvan Lake’s Noah Konings, Simon Baker and Bryce Turner in order to start the game, it was as if he had never left.
Benton cruised the rest of the way, allowing five runs on five hits and a walk while striking out five in six innings to pick up the win in a 19-11 victory in front of 550 fans.
“It was definitely déjà vu all over again,” Benton told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast. “I did this for two years and it was like coming back home – just like riding a bike and just getting back on and doing it.”
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
You can listen to Alberta Dugout Stories interview Max Benton here.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
It was all part of a full weekend of reunions for the right-hander, who says he was most proud of being able to give back to a small community that gave him so much.
ISLAND PROUD
Originally from Clyde River, Prince Edward Island, Benton says he always found solace in baseball as an outlet from the normal trials and tribulations of being a teenager in a small town.
He started training year-round by the age of 13 at Eastern Baseball Academy, which is now known as Blue Wave Atlantic Baseball Academy.
“It was also a bonding point for my father and I as, after school every day, he would have a workout and running plan for me to complete prior to driving the 45 minutes up to the academy,” Benton recalled.
He was eventually contacted by Elliott Shrive, then the pitching coach at Badlands, who wanted to see if the young prospect was willing to come west.
“It was an opportunity I didn’t know I needed, but I know I wanted to do it.”
With the help and blessing of two coaches back home, Andrew MacNevin and Jason Monaghan, he got to work to get himself set up for his two high school years in Oyen.
ALBERTA BOUND
Benton was a star in his two seasons as a middle infielder and pitcher with the Badgers.
It didn’t hurt that he didn’t feel like he was across the country from his home.
“When I came out here, it was just like the East Coast way,” Benton said. “Very welcoming and supportive of me and let me flourish as a person.”
It paved the way for him to start his collegiate career at Douglas College, but his first season was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He helped the Lethbridge Bulls claim the 2021 WCBL championship before opting to continue his collegiate career north of the border with Prairie Baseball Academy in the Canadian College Baseball Conference.
Benton immediately became a key piece of their rotation, going 2-3 with a 3.30 earned-run average in 13 starts during the 2022 season, following that up with a 5-0 record and 1.35 ERA in eight starts in 2023, while also suiting up with the Bulls during the summer.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound hurler then made the move to William Woods University, where he made 28 starts over the next two seasons, going 12-13 with seven complete games and 128 strikeouts and a 6.17 ERA.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Coming back to the Bulls as a senior, Benton has one thing in mind: raising the Harry Hallis Trophy again as a WCBL champion.
Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would end up back in Oyen.
But when the opportunity presented itself, he was all-in, including a kids camp on the Saturday before the Rural Roots Classic.
It was an opportunity to give back to the community and see the next generation of Badgers.
“I even got to instruct a former billet family member back from my days here and it all felt like it was a full-circle moment that was meant to happen,” Benton said.
“It meant the world to me to do some coaching in a community that played such an instrumental role in my development as a player and as the person I am today.”
Max Benton (back row centre) enjoyed showing kids the ropes at a kids’ camp in Oyen on June 7, 2025. Photo: Ian Wilson
His advice for the youngsters: stack the days and take every day as a gift and an opportunity to get better.
Benton says not everyone has the privilege of programs like Badlands where you can take care of your schooling and utilize all the baseball facilities you could need.
“Baseball can take you places that you never fathomed before,” he said. “It gave me the opportunity to gain an education and meet life-long friends from across Canada and North America.”
As he signed autographs following the Bulls’ victory on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Oyen, Benton was reminded about the power of community, whether it be his teachers and coaches, or his billet parents, Vicki and James Duffield, who he says put in countless hours to help him stay calm in the face of baseball and homework requirements.
“Everyone I came across just met me with open arms,” he said. “You know the saying: it takes a community to raise a child and it definitely did with me in Oyen.”
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a young pitcher who enjoyed every minute.