Texarkana, USA – April 13, 2018 – When players join the Twins, most are not from the Texarkana area and instead spend the summer living with a host family. These families house, feed, and make the players feel like they are at home while they play baseball during the summer.

DeAnna O’Malley and her family were hosts for the Twins last season and will be doing so again this year after their enjoyable experience last year. Two players, Brett Marshall and Alex Rodriguez, stayed with their family during the summer last season. “These young men come into our home and literally changed our world. What we expected was to provide a roof over their heads, include them in family conversations, and support them as they played ball in our home town. What we didn’t expect was for them to take a piece of our hearts as they left us to return to college. They truly have become part of our lives,” O’Malley said, “My children had no idea that as teenagers and young adults, they would be adding two additional brothers to their family tree.” The opportunity to become a host family is something many in our local community have enjoyed as they have been able to help players feel welcome and watch them grow as ball players and as men long after their time as Twins is over.

The relationship between players and their host families has transcended just the summer. The O’Malley family have gone on to visit their players at college and on the road. The family will also be attending the college graduation of one of their players this Spring. DeAnna O’Malley has advice for those who are on the fence about becoming a host family, “If you have ever questioned being a host family, then you have what it takes to be one. The bond between the players is great but the host family friends’ [bonds] are just as great.” The Twins currently have only a few available spots left for local families to serve as host families and those who are interested in becoming a host family can fill out an application at http://www.texarkanatwins.com/community/host-families/.

Summers Just Got Fun in Texarkana! Follow the Twins on social media: facebook.com/TexarkanaTwins | Twitter: @TexarkanaTwins | Instagram: texarkanatwins.

# # #