HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – As the start of the Hoptown Hoppers Baseball season approaches, the organization is still seeking host families that will welcome player into their homes through August. This experience allows local households to host young adults from various colleges and universities across the country that will represent Hopkinsville between Memorial Day and early August.

Housing coordinator with the Hoppers, Lea Martin, has a hosted several players throughout the years. During past summers, her family formed bonds with incoming players and have since kept up with how their athletic careers are unfolding.

“These players become your son in a short period of time, which was really unexpected for us,” Martin told Christian County Now. When her family first began hosting, they saw it as an opportunity to give their young kids a mentor and big brother for the summer, making lifelong memories cheering them on at the games and having family meals together.

Requirements of a host family for Hoptown Hoppers

Martin said the only base requirements of host families are to provide a room and a bed for a player, along with access to wash their clothes and prepare food for themselves. Any further involvement an integration into the household outside of attending the games with provided season passes is up to the family’s discretion.

“These are college kids, they are used to living on their own, it’s just another location for them to live,” she said, “These players play a lot of baseball, there will be times I might not see my player for four or five days.”

Families of all ages and sizes are welcome to become hosts, with past participants ranging from having young kids to empty nesters with a spare room. They are also open to different arrangements, with some situations arising where people offer an entire house for team members.

With just over 30 players on the roster, the Hoppers currently have secured hosts for around half of them who are not living locally already. Anyone interested in being a host family can reach out to Lea Martin at 270-498-9019, or email housinghoppers@gmail.com.

More about the Hoptown Hoppers

According to the Hoppers website, the team borrowed their name from a minor league team that played decades ago in the now-disbanded “Kitty” League. They are currently part of the Ohio Valley League, which is a summer collegiate wood bat baseball league.

Over the past few seasons, the Ohio Valley League has continued to restore their team numbers after multiple nearby franchises folded in Bowling Green, Clarksville, Louisville, Muhlenberg County and Owensboro.

According to a news release from the Hoppers, this left five old OVL rivals, the Hoppers, Fulton Railroaders, Madisonville Minors, Paducah Chiefs, and Henderson Flash, battling it out in the historic Ohio Valley League. Since then, the OVL is now back to 6 teams in the league and are still working on getting more teams to join the 2026 season.

The Hoppers will kick off their season in Hopkinsville on May 29 against Madisonville with all local games held at the Hopkinsville High School baseball field. Chris Benne, Head Baseball Coach at Northwest High School in Clarksville, Tennessee was named the head baseball coach for the season.

Find their full schedule of home and away games on the Hoptown Hoppers website.

| SUBMIT YOUR NEWS: Email news releases to news@christiancountynow.com