In this file photo, members of the Sanford Mainers thank the fans for another year of support at the team’s season finale. The Mainers start a new season June 5, and the team still needs host families for six players. (File Photo)
The Sanford Mainers need help, and the nonprofit organization remains hopeful someone will step up to the plate.
As members of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, the players on the Mainers depend on host families for a place to live during their two-month season that runs from June through the first couple of weeks in August. Six players don’t have a summer home yet, which has become an unwelcome trend for team officials.
“(Host families) are declining every year,” said Mainers Chairperson Helen Hajny. “I really don’t know the reason … That’s why we’ve got to try and get the word out to potential new (hosts) to let them know that this is an awesome opportunity. We need you.”
All a host family has to provide a player is a room, said Hajny. The Mainers will supply a bed. Access to a shower and a little food is appreciated. Living within a 30-minute drive of Sanford is ideal, too.
Hajny had never heard of the Mainers the first time she was asked to host. That year, 2012, she took in one player. Two Mainers stayed over the second summer. Last year, Hajny shared her home with eight members of the team.
“It’s so rewarding,” she said. “They’re so appreciative of every little thing that you do, and their parents are so grateful that you’ve given their child a safe place to be while they’re pursuing their dream.”
Several Mainers who boarded with Hajny have gone on to sign with MLB teams. The NECBL, as a whole, boasts an impressive list of alumni with 151 of its former players making a major league debut, including current stars such as Boston outfielder J.D. Martinez and Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg. About 85 former Sanford Mainers have been drafted or played professional baseball since 2003. Seven have made MLB appearances. Joey Wendle, a second baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays, played for the Mainers in 2010 before the Cleveland Indians selected him in the sixth round of the 2012 draft. Nick Lovullo, the son of Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, played for Sanford in 2014. He is now a member of the Red Sox organization.
“We’ve been able to see some phenomenal talent come through here,” Mainers Host Family Coordinator Josh Ouellette told the Journal Tribune in April. “It’s all raw talent – you don’t have the million dollar contracts – it’s all guys in college. Something great for the community to have around.”
Host families will receive a free week of Mainers summer baseball camp, season tickets and a free YMCA membership, said Ouellette. Anyone who is considering becoming a host – this year or in the future – can contact the team’s office by phone at 207-324-0010, by email at Broose@metrocast.net or through the Sanford Mainers Facebook page. Ouellette can be reached by email at joshua.p.ouellette@gmail.com.
Hajny is optimistic that the “wonderful people in the community” will open their doors and help out the final six players. One of her favorite aspects of the hosting experience, she said, is how the Mainers can serve as positive role models for the kids. “They eat, sleep and dream baseball … We will do our best to find a place for them,” she said. “Ultimately, we’d love to have them with a family who can benefit from having a player stay with them.”
The Mainers open the NECBL season against the North Adams SteepleCats on June 5. The team’s home opener at Goodall Park in Sanford is scheduled for June 7 at 6:30 p.m. against the Valley Blue Sox. Teams in the NECBL play a 44-game regular season and a three-round playoff that ends around mid-August before the student-athletes return to college.
“You get to become a part of an extended family that’s just wonderful – the whole organization is fantastic,” Hajny said. “The sad part is that if we get to the point (in the future) where we can’t find a place for the players, then the Mainers will cease to exist. We can’t let that happen. The Mainers are really important to Sanford – this is the only NECBL team in Maine – it would be really sad to lose them.”
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