Host Families
Interested in becoming a CornBelters Host Family? Complete the short form below to connect with our staff and learn more!
The Corn Crib Host Family Program presented by BloNo Pizza Co and Westside Smoke
The Westside BloNo is the official presenting sponsor of the Corn Crib Host Family Program. Check out Westside BloNo’s huge food and drink selection, private event spaces, Toptracer golf range, and duckpin bowling today. Visit thewestsideblono.com to make a reservation or book your next event.
How Do We House the CornBelters?
The CornBelters are made up of players from all over the country, including many out-of-state athletes who choose Normal, IL as their summer baseball destination. The 2025 roster alone included players from Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Arizona, Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Canada. Assembling the CornBelters roster is only possible when each member of the team can have a safe home during the season, which is why the Corn Crib depends on the generosity of Host Families to house each of its athletes.
The Corn Crib Host Family Program, presented by Westside BloNo, is made up of local members of the Bloomington-Normal community who each summer open their homes to CornBelters athletes. They provide an opportunity for our Normal CornBelters to have a safe home during the summer baseball season, by housing them, feeding them, and making them a part of their own families.
This past season, 16 CornBelters players were housed by our Host Families. In addition to receiving season tickets to the CornBelters and KCL, along with several game-related perks, Host Families have found their experience perhaps most worthwhile around the home and with children. “Being a host family has been a great experience for my family” says Town of Normal resident and host Larry Helferich. “We have been doing this for 6 years and love being able to help these young men fulfill their dreams of playing baseball. My kids are excited each year to come watch the player we host play and cheer them on. Host families are an important part of the Prospect League. It allows the players to play in the league.”
The CornBelters are a proud member of the Prospect League, which holds a strong tradition as one of the original and most recognizable summer baseball leagues in the United States. The League’s rich history includes Hall of Famers and NCAA Champions, nearly 200 alumni in Major League Baseball, and more than 800 professional players. The league in 2024 paid special recognition to its first Hall of Fame class, which includes baseball icons such as Mike Schmidt, Kirby Puckett, and Ben Zobrist. The past two MLB drafts have seen 46 Prospect League alumni selected, headlined by St. Louis Cardinals’ 2024 7th overall selection J.J. Wetherholt.
What Makes a Host Family?
Host families come from as near as down the street from the Corn Crib Stadium and as far away as Hudson, IL. While there is great value in housing a student-athlete to be a positive influence on children in the home, it can also be a great summertime home dynamic for an empty-nest couple. “We have had the opportunity and privilege of hosting one or two young men each year from the Cornbelters baseball team for more than a decade” says longtime host family couple Traci and Bob Freitag. “We initially thought that our empty nest might be able to help a young player. What we quickly learned is that we also gain so much by sharing our home. These young men over the years have become very important to us. They become part of our family. It is so fun to watch them grow and mature through the summer.
“We feel that our job is to provide each player with a bedroom and keep the kitchen stocked. The players quickly acclimate to their new home and their team schedules. We rarely get to share meals with them because they are so very busy, but sometimes on a day off we enjoy when they hang out and even bring teammates over to the house. It is fun to have the new energy in our home.”
What is Living with a Baseball Player Like?
Among the most common questions asked about the host family experience is what the player’s daily routine would be like. The athlete’s schedules are very comparable to that of a minor league or unaffiliated professional player in that the game schedule makes for demanding travel and few “off days.” The team will play an average of 6 games per week during the summer, with 28 at home and 28 on the road this season.
In the words of local host Ben Wilson, “every year we have great experiences with the 2-3 CornBelters student athletes. Mornings typically consist of them heading to workout, returning for a late lunch and hanging out in their room. They then head to the stadium after noon and come home late evening with the occasional midnight return on longer road games. They are always cautious of their volume as they enter the house and shower before bed. The athletes are very respectful of their room, bathroom and household common areas. We look forward every spring to welcoming in this year’s young athletes and providing them a home away from home.”
In addition to this schedule on home game dates, the players will frequently take day trips to road games, with approximately 4-6 overnight stays on the road each season. Last June saw the team visit Indiana and Tennessee for their longest road trip of the season. Players are responsible for providing their own transportation or arranging carpools with teammates in order to travel between their host home and the stadium, the gym, or anywhere else that they visit during their stay.
The players are fed at the stadium during each home and road game, but are on their own for all other meals. Many host families will offer to include the athletes in their meal plans when applicable, which is recommended for all Host Families. Players always enjoy eating out and spending time with teammates when they get a break from game action and will frequently pick up meals to and from their travels outside the home. Players are also responsible for their own laundry, and held to a higher standard by coaches and management to be a contributor towards household chores and responsibilities.
How Can I Learn More?
To ensure that the Normal CornBelters can continue to be an attractive destination for high-level collegiate baseball players, the team is seeking additional host families that would be willing to house one or more athletes. If you and your household would be interested in learning more about the program, please contact our General Manager Jarrett Rodgers at jrodgers@cornbeltersbaseball.com or give us a call at (309) 454-2255! We are eager to share more about what it means to be a Host Family and further share the testimonials of these or other families from across our community.