July 22, 2008- Former Lindenwood pitcher Mike Benacka signed with the Oakland Athletics today and will report to the Stockton Ports, a class A advanced minor league team.

Benacka pitched for the Lions during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. As a senior, he was one of the top pitchers in the NAIA after going 9-4 and having a 3.95 ERA. He threw three shutouts, struck out 84 batters in less than 71 innings and opponents batted just .205 off of him. He ranked 10th in the nation in strikeouts, 16th in opponent batting average and hits allowed and 24th in wins.

Benacka was most recently pitching for the River City Rascals in O’Fallon, Mo. He leaves there as the all-time saves leader with 33, including a single-season franchise record of 20 in 2007.

This year, he was 3-0 with 13 saves and a 0.35 ERA. In 26 innings, he allowed 10 hits, one run, and 17 walks. Opponents were batting just .127 against him and he struck out 51 batters, exactly 50 percent of the batters he faced. Benacka represented the Rascals at the Frontier League All-Star Game and struck out four batters in 1 2/3 innings.