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BETHESDA BIG TRAIN
Summer Collegiate Baseball
Big Train celebrates Community Heroes, Puts on Opening Night Show
Photo by Matthew Lewyn
BETHESDA, Md. -- The Bethesda Big Train kicked off the 2026 season by honoring several Community Heroes. The Community Hero program is spearheaded by sponsor Carol Trawick and Big Train President and Founder Bruce Adams, and aims to honor local nonprofits by raising the visibility of their leadership.
The ideal Community Hero is someone who “looks out for others,” Trawick said. However, according to Trawick, there are “Community Heroes all over Montgomery County, doing good.”
The Big Train honored Eileen McGuckian, the founder of Peerless Rockville, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and education of the history of Rockville, as the first Community Hero of the season.
Adams also presented her with a Big Train #21 jersey, to pay respect to the legendary Roberto Clemente. The team retired the #21 jersey in 2009 during the First Annual Tribute to Latin Baseball, and continue to honor him through the Roberto Clemente Service Day the morning of July 18. That evening, the Big Train will celebrate the Tribute to Latin Baseball night against the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts.
Trawick feels that McGuckian is someone who “is doing work all the time, and not looking for the spotlight. That’s Eileen [McGuckian], she does the good work, and she’s been doing it a long time.”
Being a Community Hero “means a lot in terms of people recognizing what I do, but what I do comes very naturally to me,” McGuckian said. “All around where we are [there are] places that people need to care about, know about, visit and experience. They’re a very important part of Montgomery County’s history.”
McGuckian also has a mutual interest in the Big Train with Adams. “Bruce [Adams] is interested in the African American baseball fields and teams, and I’ve been interested in that for many years, I’ve done a lot of research on it. Many of the people I’ve interviewed fit in with the work he’s doing as well.”
Once again this season, the annual Clarence “Pint” Israel Juneteenth Classic will take place on June 19 in the game against the Gaithersburg Giants. During that game, the Big Train will wear jerseys commemorating the Scotland Eagles of Montgomery’s Black Sandlots. Additionally, the Big Train will pay a Tribute to the Underground Railroad during their game against the Giants on July 19.
Opening night, the Big Train also honored Nourishing Bethesda, a nonprofit organization that works to combat food insecurity in our community. The Big Train joined Nourishing Bethesda to raise funds to support our neighbors in need. If you would like to get involved, you can eat hot dogs and pledge or donate to our annual Hot Dog Challenge Fundraiser, partnered with Catalyst Hot Dogs.
Thanks to sponsors Kiplinger Family Foundation, Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation, Sandy Spring Builders and the Banner Montgomery, each fan received the “There’s No Place Like Home” commemorative t-shirt before the contest.
To usher in the new season, the ArtStream Players welcomed the crowd to Shirley Povich Field with their rendition of the National Anthem, while American Legion Post 86 provided the Honor Guard.
Finally, the Big Train dedicated a bench in honor of Connie Povich, who died last November. Connie was a great fan of the Big Train and a generous supporter of the David Povich Improvement Fund for Shirley Povich Field, and the Big Train is honored to be able to host her family on Opening Night.
Photo by Matthew Lewyn
Coming off the back of a championship-winning 2025 season, a packed crowd of dedicated Big Train fans came out to Shirley Povich Field to watch the season opener between Big Train and the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts.
The game did not disappoint, as both teams ran up the scoreboard, ending in a walk-off 12-11 comeback win for the Big Train, marking an emphatic start of Bethesda’s championship defense.
Catch the Big Train’s next matchup, tomorrow, June 3 away against the Olney Cropdusters.
Tickets for the Big Train return to Shirley Povich Field on Friday, June 5 to take on the Southern Maryland Senators are available on the Big Train website. The game will start at 7 p.m.