Press release
Batavia, NY- The Batavia Muckdogs are proud to announce the newest additions to the
organization, Assistant General Manager Tyler Benenati and Head Groundskeeper Larry Hale!
Benenati will assist Marc Witt, General Manager of CAN-USA, in the Muckdog’s first season as
a part of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). A native of New Paltz, New York,
Tyler attended SUNY Cortland, where he studied Sports Management. In his senior year at Cortland,
Tyler met Marc Witt for the first time as Marc was a guest speaker in his Sports Management class. They continued to stay in touch, and before Benenati graduated from Cortland in May of last year, he was offered an internship with CAN-USA down in Elmira.
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Tyler didn’t have a “normal” summer with the Pioneers due to
a canceled season in the PGCBL, but he still gained valuable experience. CAN-USA made it a priority
to be involved in the Elmira community as much as possible, so they hosted youth camps at Dunn Field
and allowed high school and travel teams to play games at the facility. During those days, Tyler was
involved in every aspect of game-day operations. He did it all from public address announcing, running
the concession stand, and compiling data/research to help future sales.
“I’m excited to continue to work with CAN-USA while revitalizing baseball here in Batavia. I
appreciate the opportunity to work alongside Robbie [Nichols] and Marc [Witt] for another season.
Can’t wait for the season to start and to see all the Muckdog fans at Dwyer Stadium throughout the
season,” Benenati said.
Larry Hale will be joining as the Muckdogs head groundskeeper. Larry is very well-known in the
Batavia community, but he is most notable for his prominent role with Batavia Minor League Youth
Baseball. In 2000, he starting volunteering as a tee ball coach for his oldest son Zach and that is where
he found his passion for coaching. Since then, Larry has coached teams simultaneously at nearly every
level for his five sons; Zach, Tyler, Jake, Alex, and Dillon. He has been fundamental to the success of
dozens of players that would go on top play in high school and college.
Larry has served as Treasurer for the Batavia Minor League Board along with President and Vice
President on the Batavia Little League Board. He and his wife Diane have taken an active role in the
Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation since its inception in 2007, being one of the head coordinators
in the memorial weekend baseball tournament for many years. Larry was also awarded as an honoree for
the Paulo Busti Foundation of Italian Americans back in 2018.
Larry’s experience maintaining fields for two decades at nearby MacArthur Park ensure that Dwyer Stadium is in good hands for the upcoming season.The Muckdogs are coming home to Dwyer Stadium on June 4th for their home opener after opening the season on the road in Elmira on June 3rd, which you can catch on Youtube Live on the
Muckdogs Youtube page!
Make sure to call 607-734-7825 and get your season tickets now before the 2021 season kicks off on June 4th. Be sure to like our Facebook page and subscribe to our Youtube channel, “Batavia Muckdogs Baseball.”
Congrats Tyler and Larry, Go Dogs!