IDAHO GOES DOWN Players from California, Florida, Iceland, and Italy play for the Idaho Falls Chukars, and they don’t exactly earn enough money to buy what is essentially a vacation residence. Host families can help with that.
According to General Manager Chris Hall, about 15 local families let players use their bedrooms during the season. The Nash family, which includes Mike and Amanda, is one of those families.
Over the past four seasons, the Nashes have welcomed Chukars players and, most recently, a broadcaster inside their home, something Amanda referred to as an honor.
She remarked, “I’m glad we got into it when we did.” We were unaware of the chance that might present itself.
For more than 20 years, the Nashes have been frequent Chukars fans. Mike actually asked Amanda to marry him at Melaleuca Field.
Two bedrooms in their house were left empty after their adult children moved out, so Mike decided to apply after seeing a Facebook ad four years ago that was accepting applications for Chukars host families.
Players from all around the world have been welcomed by the Nashes in the ensuing seasons and years.
They are hosting radio color analyst Ben Pokorny, infielders Simon Baumgardt and Garret Ostrander, and bullpen pitcher Austyn Coleman this season.
Ostrander, who is from southern California, claimed that the Nashes are completely like a second family to him. He also mentioned that he talks to Mike and Amanda in the same way that he would with his biological parents back home.
Ostrander, who is batting.446 with four hits, including his first PBL homer on Tuesday night in Grand Junction, Colorado, declared, “My parents, my host parents are the best.” I adore that place. They add even more value to this encounter.
During a Chukars home game this season, Garret Ostrander bats. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoSports.com
The Nashes make every effort to create a cozy home environment. They shop for groceries, ensure that the house is equipped with all the typical goods as well as any specific requests made by the players, and assist the players in any manner they can to make their lives at home easier.
Amanda stated, “We want them to feel like this is their home and that baseball is the only thing they have to worry about.”
Ostrander said that the Nashes and their house were very cozy.
“You don’t think about a lot of things,” he stated. They simply remove all of that stress, allowing us to concentrate on what really matters: playing baseball and recovering.
Although some of the players opt to arrange their own housing, Hall claims that players spend $300 per month to remain with a host family. The team gives the host family the money, which is deducted straight from the player’s paycheck.
Three hundred dollars is hardly enough to cover groceries, laundry, and other expenses, let alone rent for even the tiniest flat. Families are more than happy to take the player in as one of their own, but apartments don’t come with them.
To put it frankly, if it weren’t for the Nashes, Pokorny wouldn’t have returned for his second season with the team. The broadcaster, like Ostrander, claimed that Mike and Amanda are like members of his own family.
According to Pokorny, who said that the Nashes had a daily influence on his life, “I’ve said this to (the Nashes), I’ve said this to my mom and dad back home, and my girlfriend, that if it weren’t for them being an option to live with this year, I would not be back.” Knowing that I have a bed and a place to call home changes everything. Being able to acquire it in small doses from (the Nashes) is crucial for me because it’s a lot to come out here and sacrifice family.
Pokorny, a native of Barrington, Illinois, stated that the Nashes were a major factor in his decision to go from the Midwest to Idaho for the 2025 PBL season, even though he received some offers from other baseball teams during the offseason.
After a long summer of traveling and calling games, he secured his own house last year and came home with barely enough money to cover his expenses.
He stated that you can only sustain yourself and make ends meet by breaking even for a limited amount of time. It’s incredible to have a host family that is not only willing to provide you with a place to stay at such a low rate, but also goes above and above like the Nashes do.
At a recent Chukars game, Ben Pokorny was on the call. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoSports.com
Earlier this season, the Nashes missed their first Chukars home game in years, but now they attend almost all of them. Additionally, they go to road games whenever they can, generally in Boise or Ogden, Utah.
Mike, a lifetime sports enthusiast, discussed the many advantages of being a host family.
He loves to sit around and chat ball with the players since he loves the game. “After games that the players just played and I just watched, I’ll join in as the guys break down the game,” he remarked.
You get a great deal of knowledge. “The amount of activity in baseball is simply astounding,” he remarked.
Amanda’s perspective on the encounter is a little more maternal.
She considers the players to be her sons, her extended family, with whom she shares this brief period of their baseball careers.
“We are proud of them, even though it sounds silly because we have nothing to do with them,” she remarked.
However, adopting the players as family does expose the Nashes to one significant drawback.
According to Amanda, “even though we know their journey is continuing, it’s hard when they leave.” We love it, no matter how little we contribute to their trip. Maintaining contact with them is the emphasis.
According to her, former players continue to send cards and texts on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and some still call them Mama and Papa Nash.
According to Amanda, they become a member of your family.
The players will depart at the end of the season. Some will come back and be in the Nash house, laughing with Amanda or having late-night conversations with Mike. Others won’t, hanging up their cleats or going on to other things.
The baseball players from the extended Nash family take with them memories of Mike and Amanda Nash as well as the Chukars and Pioneer Baseball League when they ultimately depart Idaho Falls for the last time.
And those memories will also remain with the Nashes.
When they welcomed their first Chukar into their house, Mike admitted that there were undoubtedly some nerves.
He said, “Now I can’t imagine ever not doing it.” There are just incredible benefits to getting to know these children and loving them as if they were our own.
