Hall Of Fame Pitcher And Former National Player Of The Year Kris Benson Selected to The College Baseball Foundation Board of Trustees

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas - Kris Benson, 2025 College Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and former national player of the year at Clemson University, has been named to the Board of Trustees of the College Baseball Foundation (CBF).

A former No. 1 overall Major League Draft pick and Olympic bronze medalist, Benson was the National Player of the Year at Clemson University where he pitched the Tigers to the 1996 College World Series.

Following his professional baseball career, Benson established himself as a leader in the business management industry. He currently serves as the founder and principal of Sentinel Management Group, while also working in baseball player development in a variety of roles. He is the varsity pitching coach at Del Norte High School in San Diego, California. He is the pitching director for the Upper Deck Performance Center and Trosky Force.

“We are excited to have Kris become a member of the Board of Trustees,” CBF CEO and Executive Director Tom Jacobs said. “Kris has an amazing background as a player – a former No. 1 overall Major League Baseball Draft pick, Olympic Bronze Medalist, College Baseball Hall of Fame (Class of 2025) inductee, and Dick Howser Trophy winner while at Clemson with a 13-year professional career (10 years MLB). Kris is a proven leader at the intersection of elite player development and business operations, with 12+ years building and managing companies, leading teams, and delivering high-performance outcomes, all of which brings great value to our Board.”

The CBF is the parent organization of the College Baseball Hall of Fame (CBHOF). Kris Benson is among 22 trustees who present annual player and coach awards and induct a new class of Hall of Fame honorees each year, including the 2026 College Baseball Hall of Fame class, which was announced in June and will be honored at the Night of Champions on February 10-11, 2026, in Overland Park.

“I am tremendously honored and privileged to have been elected to the College Baseball Foundation Board of Trustees,” Benson said. “College baseball played an incredibly important role in shaping not only my baseball career, but also the person I am today. My years at Clemson University provided me with opportunities, relationships, and life lessons that have stayed with me long after my playing days ended. Being inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame was one of the greatest honors of my career, and now having the opportunity to serve on the Board of Trustees makes it even more meaningful.

I want to sincerely thank the Foundation’s leadership and my fellow trustees for their confidence in me. This is a responsibility I take very seriously, and I look forward to contributing my experience, perspective, and passion for the game to help preserve its rich history, recognize those who have made it special, and continue creating opportunities to inspire future generations of college baseball players. It’s a privilege to give back to a game that has given me so much.”

The College Baseball Foundation Board of Trustees are led by chairman Craig Ramsey, vice-chairman Dale Ancell, treasurer Mark Chapman, secretary Jana Howser Stephenson and at-large executive committee member Chris Snead. Other Board of Trustees include Lori Bertman, Justin Dedeaux, Mike Fiore (CBHOF inductee), Rick Greenspan, Jim Hendry, Jared Hertz, Aaron Hill, Gerald Jones, Tai Kreidler, Arlene Matthews, Jim Merritt, Gene Stephenson (CBHOF inductee), Kevin Trainor, Alfred White and John Winters.

Kris Benson

Kris Benson was a dominant college pitcher for the Clemson Tigers, being named National Player of the Year in 1996 while leading his Tigers to the College World Series. He was a First-Team All American in 1996 when he went 14-0 with a 1.40 era while setting single season records for starts and innings pitched. In his Clemson career, he went 29-8 and had 356 strikeouts. In 1996 he was also a member of the Team USA Olympic team, which earned a bronze medal.

Following his stellar collegiate career, Benson went on to play 13 years of professional baseball, including 10 in the Major Leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1997-2004), New York Mets (2004-05), Baltimore Orioles (2006-07), Texas Rangers (2009) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2010). He won 70 games in his MLB career and had more than 800 strikeouts.