TOPEKA – Great Bend Titans summer collegiate baseball team will call Great Bend home for the 2017 season, President and General Manager Shawn Smith announced Thursday.

“This is a brand new team,” Smith said. 

Great Bend will host 33 summer collegiate baseball players that will travel from all over the United States for the summer. Smith said they would like to emphasize recruiting local and area college players for the squad.

“We are excited to get things rolling in Great Bend,” Smith said. “We know there is a professional team there and we would work around with there schedule to so both teams can call Great Bend home.” 

He said other communities have more than one team. “I think it will work out really well,” he said, adding he is willing to sit down with representatives from the professional Great Bend Boom to work on arrangements.

The Titans will apply to summer leagues after this season is completed. They are looking at the Mid-Plains League, the MINK (Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas) League and the Kansas Collegiate Summer League.

Smith said they will have settled on a league by September or October. A schedule will be set by December when season tickets go on sale.

The Titans will be looking for host families to host these young men. “This would be something we would have to hit head on,” he said about finding places for the players to live. 

Anyone interested can email the office at greatbendtitans@yahoo.com.

He is also looking for staff for sales, ticket sales and media relations.  

Season Tickets will sell for $100. Ticket holders can get into all Titan home games.

The venue will be announced at a later date.