This summer, Benedictine University will be the home field of the DuPage Drones baseball team. Last November, the Drones joined the Prospect League, a summer league consisting of 12 teams from Missouri to Pennsylvania.

Currently the Drones have 22 players, but that may change. According to Dudley Beyler, a member of the Drones’ front office, college coaches are very particular on where they send their players in the summer.

“A huge part of this is getting the right manager with his right network because we want the best players,” said Beyler.

Before settling on “Drones,” the team had over 100 submissions for team names. The eventual title “Drones” was submitted by a man in Downers Grove.

“We want to be new and cutting edge,” says General Manager Evan Gersonde.

Players must be NCAA eligible to play in this league, and they are not paid so that they can maintain their college eligibility. Since these players are not paid, the team counts on host families to take in the players.

The host family program is unique. The players stay with these families for the summer, acting as a big brother to the children and truly become apart of the family. Each family receives season tickets to all the games and throughout the season there is an appreciation event to honor all of these families.

“They are a big piece of what we do and a big benefit to the community,” said CEO Josh Shaub.

Gersonde also pointed out that children are their number one demographic. They want to provide affordable family fun entertainment through baseball.

“It’s hard to go wrong with baseball,” said Beyler.

The team is sponsored by the popular food chain Culver’s. All season, the restaurant will give attendees a free scoop of ice cream if the Drones score five or more runs. Tickets are $7.50 for general admission and $10 for Drone Zone tickets. Opening day is May 28 at Benedectine University.

“[We are] Looking forward to wins, smiling faces from kids, and happy Drones fans,” said Shaub.