Photo furnished
The Benning family posed in 2016 after winning a regional championship. Left to right: Keeley (class of 2015), Bella (class of 2019), and Camille (class of 2012).

•August 28, 2019•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports Editor

After losing a close 2-1 game to Nokomis in the Bethany Regional on May 13, Dave Benning stepped down as Okaw Valley softball coach.
“When I took the softball job, I had a goal in mind that I wanted to stick with it for all three of my daughters’ high school careers,” Benning said. “I achieved that. I got to coach all three girls, and I enjoyed every minute of it.”
In his nine years (2010-19), Benning finished his softball-coaching career at OV with an overall record of 138-134.
His teams won two regional titles (2015, 2016) and won the 2015 Little Okaw Valley Northwest Conference title.
When considering his some of his favorite coaching moments at OV, Benning thought back to the two regional championships.
He also recalled a couple games in his second year of coaching, in the regional quarterfinals.
“We were the home team, and we ended up scoring seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to win,” he said. “We had a walk-off grand slam to win that game. At the time, it was one of the most exciting games I’ve been involved in whether it was softball or baseball.”
Benning also noted last year’s game-two of a doubleheader at Arcola.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.