PADUCAH, Ky. — It’s a sunny Spring day,in Paducah, and Frank Hideg, the Brooks Stadium Commission president, is walking around the perimeter of the field.

Soon, players with dreams of making it to the big leagues will showcase their talents on the diamond during their collegiate off-season.

“We want the outcome for them to be that they leave here a better baseball player and a better person. And that better person is compounded by the fans and the fact that a lot of us stay in other people’s homes,” Hideg said. 

Hideg is no stranger to the game. He coached baseball in Paducah for many years and helped revive the Chiefs. 

The team is part of the Ohio Valley League. Collegiate players join the Chiefs during summer to improve their skills. The team says usually about 6 to 8 players are from Paducah. 

And for the rest of the players, well, they need summer housing.

Adam Brian played for the Chiefs during the 2021 season and is still playing for Bradley University. 

“I never had a host family before so it was so cool to like go in and meet these random people and literally just like becoming part of their family,” Brian said. 

During the summer league, the players keep their amateur status — meaning they don’t get paid.

Hideg says host families may benefit from the agreement as much as the players.

“The players have made that person a better person because of how much enjoyment they put in their life as well as in the player’s life,” Hideg said.