|
April 24, 2018 - As the Victoria Generals prepare to embark upon their tenth anniversary season in the Texas Collegiate League, the team is reaching out to the Victoria community for support. The team is still searching for a few more host families for the 2018 summer season.
The Generals have leaned on the community for help since they were established in 2009. The college players who come to town to play do not get paid, so the team finds families for them to stay with for the 11 week season.
Generals’ vice president and general manager Mike Yokum said the team’s need for host families has never been greater. Hurricane Harvey has played a significant part in the shortage in host families as several host families are housing displaced Harvey victims where players would typically stay. The Texas Collegiate League allows teams to carry as many as 30 players on the roster at a time.
“As we head into our tenth season, we have never started the year with as many players as we plan to this season,” stated Yokum. “We will start with a full roster of 30 players to ensure that we have enough guys to last us for the duration of our summer season.”
If you have an empty nest or even just a spare bedroom and wouldn’t mind a little extra activity in your house for a few months, hosting a player would be a great decision. Players are great role models and “big brothers” for younger children. Giving a player a place to sleep, eat, and shower is all that is asked of a host family.
The Generals do extensive background checks on their players to ensure that they are taking high character individuals who will not cause any problems. The players come to Victoria to play baseball, a game all of them hope to play at the professional level someday. The team has strict guidelines for its players and holds them to a high standard.
Half of the Generals 56 games this summer are on the road, and with late-night arrivals after road trips and early workouts at the park, the players stay pretty busy around the clock, but do enjoy spending down time with their host families.
“The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the bonds that are forged between a player and his host family,” commented Yokum. “Being a former host family for many years dating back to 2009, I can tell you your bond with your host player will continue for many years as our former players continue to keep in touch to this day.”
If you are interested in adding a Victoria Generals player to your house for the summer, call the team at 361-485-9522. As a bonus for being a host family, the Generals will give all host families season tickets to watch the team play.
|
