They say there’s no place like home.
For the Benjamin family, that means just a little more.
Starting in 2013, parents Andy and Millicent Benjamin entrusted RBI Austin with their four kids’ baseball and softball experience. Since then, the family has further involved themselves in the league. Andy joined the organization’s staff in 2017, and Millicent serves as the commissioner of 12U softball and a member of the Jr. RBI League Board.
It all began with their son, Rhema Benjamin, who brought home a flyer for RBI Austin, a flyer Andy initially laughed at. During that time, the Benjamins lived in what seemed to be a cycle of hardship. Financial insecurity and sharing a small house with family as a tribe of six loomed over their heads. In a desperate search for an outlet for the kids, Andy and Millicent took a chance on the organization, not knowing that simply finding an avenue for their three sons and daughter would lead to something much bigger.
“When our family joined RBI, we were going through a lot,” Millicent said. “We have always been a family of faith, but it was shaken. Joining RBI gave us commonality as a family and bonded us back together.”
Andy and Millicent had no idea what to expect when their children stepped in between the lines. Because of their experience, Andy believes that the more trust one puts into the organization’s process, the more they can get out of it.
“It’s a place where the unknown is embraced,” Andy said. “We did not know our kids were going to fall in love with baseball. For this organization to inspire that, that says a lot for the organization itself.”
“It’s a place where the unknown is embraced. We did not know our kids were going to fall in love with baseball. For this organization to inspire that, that says a lot for the organization itself.”
Andy Benjamin
In the beginning, RBI Austin offered the family’s oldest son, Sion Benjamin, an opportunity to grow his love for baseball and play it with those closest to him.
“With RBI, it gives me a chance to develop my skills and play more with the friends that I grew up with,” Sion said. “It allows me to play against more competition and get exposed to what it is like to play at a higher level. RBI is where it all started.”
Little did he know that he would also get the chance to compete at a higher echelon through the organization’s connections. RBI Austin maintains a great relationship with the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, the Round Rock Express, and the winter camp the team puts on to give back to the youth. Attending the camp as an RBI Austin athlete, Sion met Huston-Tillotson head coach Chase Almendarez, someone he credits for exposing him to a more elevated level of play.
Almendarez later joined RBI Austin as head coach of the 18U Regional Baseball team, getting to train players like Sion more frequently. Towards the end of Sion’s senior year, Almendarez offered to continue to train him, this time as a member of the HT baseball team.
For the Benjamins, HT isn’t just tied to RBI Austin; it’s tied to them. Millicent comes from a long line of HT alumni, and she recently became an HT graduate herself. She feels this ‘full circle moment’ is a testament to how RBI Austin has paved a better path for her and her family.
“To know that this university is now connected to the organization that made him is amazing for us,” Millicent said.
RBI Austin gave the Benjamins baseball, opportunities and connection. On top of that, the organization provided them with something much greater- a better understanding of Christ and discipleship. The family had always been heavily involved in the church, but they felt a disconnect between their relationship with Christ within the church walls compared to that in the community. They wanted to share the love of Christ with those around them, but they didn’t know how. It wasn’t until RBI Austin came into the picture that the long-unanswered question had found a solution.
“We weren’t in a very good place when I first started playing baseball, but RBI really showed me how to trust in God, trust in people that He puts in your life and believe that He will show you a way,” Sion said.
“We weren’t in a very good place when I first started playing baseball, but RBI really showed me how to trust in God, trust in people that He puts in your life and believe that He will show you a way.”
Sion Benjamin
Since the Benjamins joined the organization, RBI Austin’s numbers have grown from supporting 561 young athletes to 1,483 in 2023. More and more inner-city kids get to experience everything sports has to offer every year. More and more inner-city kids get to see God firsthand for who He truly is, a provider who wants His children to love and prosper. And for a clan like the Benjamins who invest in the organization’s mission, more kids have built a brighter future and more parents have cultivated a better community.
Thanks to RBI Austin, it’s the field that feels most like home for the whole family.
“I think the most important thing that keeps me coming back to RBI Austin is the support, the sense of family and the sense of community,” Millicent said. “You don’t go through anything by yourself. We want to celebrate with you, we want to cry with you, we want to do it all. We are your family, and we want people to feel like that.”
