Bryan/College Station, TX – May 28, 2019 – The Bombers have landed in the Brazos Valley! Thirteen local families have opened their doors to Bombers players from across the country and the state of Texas for the duration of the 2019 summer season. This year’s host families and players mingled for the first time at the Bombers Host Family Outing this week.

After each player had been assigned to their respective family, some of the host families shared the reasons behind their decision to welcome the players into their lives.

“We like the experience of having the young men in our home, getting to know them, getting to know their families, getting to go to the Bombers games, becoming involved with the other host families and just the whole team in general,” says Valerie Martin, a second-year host for the Bombers.

Phil and Heather Lewis and their children, Abigail and Robert, are also participating in the Bombers host family program for the second time. For the Lewis family, hosting players provides an opportunity to support an important part of the Bryan/College Station community.

“We think it’s good for our kids to be exposed to the players,” says Phil. “We also think the Bombers is a really good program for the community, and it’s a way we can help them out because we think they help us out.”

For the children and grandchildren of the Bombers host families, hosting adds some additional excitement to their summers.

Robert Lewis says he appreciates having the players around because he also plays baseball and he likes to practice with them. Martin’s 12-year-old grandson enjoys having someone to swim and play basketball with for the summer.

“It’s kind of like having a big brother for him,” says Martin.

Brenna Michel, whose mom Margaret has been participating officially in the host program for four years, says the experience generates some buzz at school.

“None of my friends do it, so they’re like ‘hey, how did your player do this year,” says Michel. “It’s kind of fun at school. They’re like, ‘hey, that’s the Bombers kid.”

For the Bombers organization, local families are an invaluable part of operations for the summer. “Host families are the foundation of the home-away-from-home for the players and their experience with us over the summer,” says Assistant General Manager Samantha Nelson.