Black's Tire family member earns pro baseball promotion

EASTLAKE, Ohio — The son of a well-known tire dealer is one step closer to playing major league baseball.

Pitcher Trey Benton, the 23-year son of Black's Tire Service's Ricky Benton II, has been promoted to the Lake County (Ohio) Captains, the high-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Cleveland Guardians.

Benton began the season with the Guardians' Class A affiliate, the Lynchburg Hillcats. In 13 games, the right-handed relief pitcher has six saves, compiling a record of 1-2 with a 1.13 earned run average.

Benton has given up only two earned runs this season, surrendering just five hits.

"It's a cool deal for our family," Ricky Benton, vice president of sales and marketing at Whiteville, N.C.-based BTS Tires, told Tire Business.

Trey Benton played his college baseball at East Carolina University, graduating from the ECU School of Business. Just before the MLB draft, Benton had "Tommy John" surgery, or more formerly known as ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction, to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament inside the elbow.

The Guardians drafted him in the 15th round of the 2019 draft.

Baseball runs in the family: Ricky Benton's twin sons, Cody and Cole, play Division I college baseball at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Both are junior pitchers; Cole is a left-handed pitcher, while Cody is a righty.

All three Bentons worked at BTS during summers and time off, "but with the high demanding schedules of a college and professional athlete, it is a little more difficult to find the time," Ricky Benton said.

"As a Division 1 and pro athlete, you are working 10-12 hours most days between practices, training, workouts and games. Very good discipline and time management training."

Ricky and Angie Benton also have a fourth son, 12-year-old Chase, whom his dad said prefers computers and music to baseball, "after being dragged to games all his life."

The Lake County Captains are in the midst of a six-game road trip at Fort Wayne. They return home to Eastlake, Ohio, on June 14.