Manatee County slugger Benny Banta gets free trip to the World Series

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WWSB) - An 8-year-old Manatee County baseball player named Benjamin Banta placed second in his age division in a pitch, hit and run competition in Milwaukee during the World Series, according to his father.Benny won the opportunity to travel to Milwaukee for the competition. His father sent photos from the trip and said Benny competed against hundreds of children his age, including some from Canada.World Series brings travelers, hotel business to areaBenny’s coach spoke last week about the player and his organization’s pride in him.“Benny’s great. So we started these teams in January. He started on the 8U. He’s actually 8 playing up with the 9U. So he’s one of our better players. And his passion for the game is just, you know, bar none,” the coach said.“And he loves to hit baseballs. That’s his thing. That’s his passion,” the coach said.