Trinidad Triggers to unveil glove sculpture at Central Park opener

A new baseball glove sculpture will be dedicated at Central Park during the Trinidad Triggers’ June 1 home opener, turning the first night of the season into a wider civic event built around Trinidad’s baseball identity. The dedication is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will fall between a Trinidad Little League game and the Trinidad Triggers professional game.

That placement matters in Trinidad because Central Park is more than a ballfield. The City of Trinidad says the 14.93-acre park is split into upper and lower sections, with the upper section housing the baseball field and the lower section containing a soccer field, playground, lake and walking trails. The city describes Central Park as its largest park, and the upper baseball field is home to Trinidad High School baseball, Trinidad State Junior College baseball and the Triggers’ Pecos League team.

The glove sculpture itself is part of the city’s broader renovation of the park. A city request for proposals described the project as the construction and installation of a baseball-related sculpture for the entrance of the newly renovated Central Park field. The renovation bid also included a concrete ADA ramp, new sidewalks, curb and gutter, asphalt parking and striping, making the sculpture one more piece of a larger public investment at the site.

City records show the idea has been in motion for some time. At a June 18, 2024 council meeting, Councilmember Ogletree reported that the Arts and Culture Advisory Commission would have a large baseball glove sculpture placed at Central Park. By the time of the June 1 dedication, the project will have moved from council discussion and planning documents into a visible landmark at the park entrance.

The setting gives the unveiling a built-in audience beyond the Triggers’ regular crowd. Trinidad’s parks and recreation program says the city offers summer baseball programs and camps for children, and the home opener will put those youth activities, the high school and college teams, and the professional club in the same place on the same night. The city has also promoted a separate July 4 Trinidad Triggers celebration at Central Park that will end with fireworks, another sign the renovated park is being used as an event venue as well as an athletic facility.

For families heading to Central Park, the evening will not be just about first pitch. It will start with Little League, pause for the glove dedication at 6 p.m., and then move into the Triggers’ home opener, all at a park that is becoming one of Trinidad’s most visible symbols of baseball pride.