Community Corner

Host Families Needed for Big Train Players

Support youth sports and a Bethesda summer tradition.

Bethesda Big Train baseball season is around the corner, but players are still in need of a place to call home for the summer.

Each summer, fans come out to the Shirley Povich field in to root on the Big Train, a team of college baseball players from around the country. The tradition dates back to the team’s first season in 1999. Community group the Bethesda Community Base Ball Club spearheaded the building of the field, and envisioned the team as a way to support youth sports and raise funds to improve youth baseball fields in Montgomery County and the District of Columbia.

Last season, Big Train took home their second consecutive Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League championship.

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The players are gearing up for this year’s season, but families are needed to host them. 29 players from states including California, Mississippi, Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Alabama, and Ohio are in need of host families, and most of the players are also counselors for Big Train’s summer baseball camp.

Host families will receive a free family season pass  -- valued at $125 -- to Shirley Povich Field.  For families with children involved with baseball, hosting is a great opportunity for kids to get a first-hand glimpse of life as a collegiate baseball player, according to the group. Plus, children of host families will receive first priority to be Big Train bat kids.

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Pre-season scrimmages start on Saturday, May 28, and opening night is Friday, June 3. The last regular day of the season is Sunday, July 24, and playoffs run through Saturday, July 30.

If you’re interested in hosting, contact host family coordinator Jami Deise at 301-379-9145 or email Jami@bigtrain.org.

More information about Big Train is available at their website.


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