HomeBase BY NATALIE HARWOOD
left. With this being a requirement, the players are freshmen to juniors in college. NCAA rules do not allow the players to be paid for playing summer league baseball, so the team arranges free housing for them instead. The SwampDogs have a large network of families in the area that host the players during the season.
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The job of hosting a player is both entertaining and rewarding. Host families give players a safe place to stay and, most importantly, peace of mind. The player doesn't have to worry about where he will sleep after the game is over. This peace of mind provides the player the opportunity to focus on his playing. These players have considerable pressure to perform for their team, not to mention worrying about the scouts who come to the game looking for the next Hank Aaron.
Gail Childers has been hosting players for 15 years. She said she finds the experience to be very re- warding because not only is she giving a player somewhere to stay, she is supporting him and his career, even after he leaves her home. She said that hosting a player means helping a young man follow his dreams.
Hosting college players can be a transition for some families, though. Many families haven't had college boys living in their homes before, Childers said, noting that it's important to remember that these aren't high schoolers. They are college students and must be treated as adults. Players are independent and should be given
Families provide the comforts of home for SwampDogs' players
he Fayetteville SwampDogs have been playing Collegiate Summer League baseball at the J.P. Riddle Stadium since 2001. During the past 11 years, there have been a number of different collegiate baseball players who have played for the Fayetteville SwampDogs. One of the require- ments to play for the team is that the player must have at least one season of college baseball
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