For Chinooks host families, the relationships last longer than a summer

Art and Jean Liebau were on vacation when they got a text from Royce Ando.

A college baseball player at Michigan State and a houseguest who was staying with them while playing summer baseball for the Lakeshore Chinooks of the Northwoods League, Ando said he was lonely by himself in their house. So the Liebaus arranged to have their family dog dropped off at home to give Ando some company.

The family had only met Ando when the summer began. They found him intelligent and hardworking, saying that he cooked his own meals. When he was on his off hours from playing for the Chinooks, Ando could be seen taking the dog for long walks that included games of Pokémon Go. 

The Liebaus got to know Ando’s family as well during his summer with them. That relationship has lasted in the years that have followed that summer season.

This relationship was enabled by the host-family program run by Lakeshore Chinooks. In exchange for hosting players while they play in the collegiate summer league, families receive free tickets, bobbleheads, discounts on gameday merchandise and a free subscription to the Northwoods League’s webcasts, so they can watch their players on the road.

The biggest benefit of the program, said participants in it, is the chance to build relationships with players and their families that go on after the players leave. 

The Yanke family lives in Belgium, Wisconsin, and has been participating in the program for four years. 

They decided to be a host family because they love baseball and thought it would be a good influence on their three children to have a college-aged kid in the house. 

The Yankes got into the program when they saw another family hosting a player. Going into the host-family program, they Yankes felt it would be a fun experience and they just love baseball. It ended up blossoming into more though. 

“It becomes a family thing, where you are cooking meals for these kids, having them around the house when they aren’t playing baseball. These kids become family,” Kellie Yanke said. 

Their first summer the Yankes hosted Kody Matthews, who was a part-time player and just there for three weeks. Not every player will stay the whole summer with a family. The following summer they hosted Byron Hood, who played his college ball at Nebraska. 

“You get to provide a place to stay for these kids, that are very focused and driven and get to be a part of them trying to achieve their dreams,” Scott Yanke said.  

Bradley, their youngest son, said it’s like having a new brother in the house, which was nice as he got older. The house started to become more boring and emptier as his siblings got older and left for college. 

A common ground for Bradley and some of the players is hunting and fishing. One night after a game, Kody got home late and immediately left to go fish with Bradley. 

Their most recent player that stayed with the Yankes was Trenton Wallace for the summer of 2019. Wallace is projected to be selected in this summer’s MLB Draft.

“We still talk with him and his family two to three times a week.”, said Scott Yanke. “We follow all our kids’ careers after they leave, we are friends on Facebook, and we have been invited to weddings.”

For families that are participating this year, there are Covid protocols in place if a player tests positive or shows symptoms. If families agree the player can quarantine at the house, but if a family is uncomfortable that the team will provide a hotel room.  

This year has been harder to find families to host, so the Chinooks have had to ramp up marketing on social media. 

The Chinooks have got about six to seven new families to participate. Some of these new families are participating this year to just help out the community and to help pay it forward with the pandemic going on. 

Besides providing a place to stay for the players over the summer, families also have to provide meals and snacks at times for the players on off days. The Chinooks will provide meals on game days. 

Steve Bazelon, Lakeshore Chinook’s host-family coordinator, is in charge of going and meeting the families that apply to be a host family, checking out their living situation is adequate for player or players if the family is hosting multiple players.  

Bazelon then assigns the players to the families and tries to give the families that have been part of the program for a while, players that are everyday players. Everyday players are basically players that are not pitchers and play in the field every game.  

One consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic has been that host families are more spread out than in the past, reaching as far as Menomonee Falls and West Bend, instead of being closer to Concordia or Mequon like the families usually are. 

Mary Pagnac was introduced to the Chinooks host-family program by her neighbors, Art and Jean Liebau. Pagnac hosted her first player in 2018.

She decided to do the host program because she loves baseball, and she gets someone in the house as well. She has become known as host mom among the players and the families. She never misses any home games and streams every single away game online with the NWL pass. 

Pagnac loves the relationships that develop with the families of the players, and the relationship and bond she develops with her players. The players’ families will come and visit during the season as well.

She said her house rules for the players for fairly basic, make sure to be respectful and communicate with her if you are getting home late from a game or if you are staying at a friend’s house instead. 

One summer, she had a player that forgot to tell her that he was staying at another friend’s house, he got home late from a game and forgot to reach out. It worried Pagnac, but the player ended up hearing more about it from his teammates for giving her a scare. 

Her most recent player that stayed with her was Mitch DeCovich, he stayed in the summer of 2019. Mary and he got close, and she even went to visit him in Arizona for his 21st birthday. 

DeCovich, who plays at Central Arizona, stayed with Mary Pagnac and played for the Lakeshore Chinooks in 2019. 

For DeCovich leaving home and living with someone he didn’t know was strange at first, but his host mom Mary made him feel right at home. 

“She welcomed me with open arms. It was almost like having a second mom, she is so sweet and caring,” DeCovich said. “Anybody out there looking for a good summer ball team to play with I recommend playing with the Lakeshore Chinooks. It’s a great time, in a great place, with even greater people.”. 

Art and Jean Liebau will host again this year. They have some added connection as their son, Arthur, will be pitching for the team in the second half of the season this year. 

This relationship is built around the baseball schedule. Families see the players they host in the morning before games and on off days. The Liebau’s try to let these kids be kids with their busy season.

They live right on the Milwaukee River in Mequon and have a boat they take the kids out on the river with, they have kayak’s the kids can use, there’s a basketball court in the backyard to shoot hoops and play pick-up games. 

Art and his son Arthur went to a Madison Mallards game one summer. One of their past players, they hosted Jack Dunn, was playing for the Mallards that summer. 

Jack saw Art and Arthur from the field while he was warming up, Dunn had a football with him, since the players liked to toss the football around with each other too and decided to throw the football with Arthur.

The connections last longer than a summer season.