Yakima Pippins Need Host Families to House 2021 Baseball Players

The Yakima Valley Pippins Baseball club is planning to move forward full steam ahead while preparing for the upcoming 2021 West Coast League season despite the uncertainty and havoc that has been wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic. It, like tons of other seasons and events, entirely wiped out the 2020 campaign.

In a press release earlier today, the club announced that they now actively securing of host families for incoming players.

In the release, Pippins General Manager Jeff Garretson acknowledged that it will be exceptionally tougher than normal to find enough housing for the ballplayers: "Our hosts generally love having more than one player each summer, and we’re certainly hoping to do that again this year, but we also want to ensure our host family households and the players are as safe as possible as we continue to navigate changes necessitated by COVID.”

Garretson stated that the club has signed approximately 40 players.

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Host families are expected to provide free room and board and foster a family environment to help the transplanted players adjust to living away from home. Help with transportation to and from the ballpark may be necessary as well. Players are expected to descend upon Yakima around Memorial Day and will head back to their respective homes some time in mid-August.

My old neighbors, the Rosacrans family (Kory, Shauna, son Kaden, pictured above) have been a host family to dozens of players from all of the country, and the world for that matter, over the last 15 years or so and call the ballplayers "their boys" and describe the time spent with all of them "the most rewarding experience in the world." They remain in touch with virtually all of them even after their playing days are long over.

Host families are compensated with a season ticket for each member of their household, a full-season parking pass, 20 percent off team merchandise during the season, and some Pippins swag plus concession stand vouchers.

For more information about the program, email info@pippinsbaseball.com or call 509-575-4487.

The Pippins are scheduled to open their seventh (!) season in June. Single game tickets will go on sale in the spring.