Mariners Hometown Nine is Accepting Applications: Go and Apply now!

Do you know a seventh grade (eighth grade, Fall 2023) student in King, Pierce, or Snohomish counties who plays team baseball or softball and could use support to continue playing his or her sport? The Mariners have opened up their Hometown Nine Program once again, and are looking for potential candidates.

The student must show financial need and be a person of character as well as be fully enrolled in seventh grade at a school in one of the three counties mentioned. The Mariners prioritize applicants who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). The program requires attendance to various events and offers optional opportunities.

Mariners Hometown Nine Applications Due Friday, June 2, 2023.

The Hometown Nine, one element of the Mariners On BASE (Baseball and Softball Everywhere) program, has three goals.

1. Increase diversity and inclusion for teens who play baseball or softball.
2. Make sure that all nine students graduate high school and help students apply for college scholarships.
3. Educate the teens about sports-related careers.

The Mariners recognize that playing sports can benefit young people in multiple ways. Many youth face obstacles to playing on teams such as the expense or feeling like they do not fit on on particular teams. Young people of color, those who have lower income, teens with disabilities, and female and immigrant players find this to be true, according to research.

The Hometown Nine is one way that the Mariners address these obstacles. Youth who participate in the Hometown Nine receive financial, academic, social, and professional support over five years until they finish high school. Mariners Care pays fees for elite training in these sports.

The program assigns a member of the Mariners Front Office staff to each young person as a mentor.

At full capacity, the Hometown Nine groups will include 45 young people, nine for each of the five years. Full capacity will come in the 2024-2025 school year when the program will have students in eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades.

This program will make such a difference for some lucky teens! Make sure to let anyone you know who would be elligible to get their application in before the due date of June 2nd!