{{Short description|Baseball stadium in Laredo, Texas, US}} {{Infobox venue | name = Uni-Trade Stadium | image = [[Image:Uni-Trade Stadium logo.png|100px]]<br />[[File:Uni-Trade Stadium.JPG|300px]] | location = 6320 Sinatra Parkway<br />[[Laredo, Texas|Laredo, TX]] 78045 | broke_ground = June 11, 2011<ref name="parkinfo">{{cite news |title=The Ballpark at Laredo Breaks Ground Baseball Stadium Should Be Completed by 2012|url=http://www.laredosun.us/notas.asp?id=16699|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110621040452/http://laredosun.us/notas.asp?id=16699|url-status=usurped|archive-date=June 21, 2011|newspaper=Laredo Sun|date=June 11, 2011|access-date=February 9, 2012}}</ref> | built = | opened = May 17, 2012 | renovated = | closed = | demolished = | owner = [[Laredo, Texas|City of Laredo]] | operator = | surface = TifSport Bermudagrass | construction_cost = $18 million<ref>http://www.ballparkdigest.com/features/index.html?article_id=2599, {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> | architect = [[HKS, Inc.|HKS]]<br />Humphries & Sanchez<ref name="parkinfo"/> | structural_engineer = Puig Engineering LLC<ref name="parkinfo"/> | general_contractor = Leyendecker Construction<ref name="parkinfo"/> | former_names = Laredo Ballpark (planning/construction) | tenants = [[Laredo Lemurs]] ([[American Association of Independent Professional Baseball|AAIPB]]) (2012&ndash;2016)<br />Laredo Roses<br />[[Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos]] ([[Mexican Baseball League|LMB]]) (2018–present) | seating_capacity = 6,000 (Baseball)<br />16,000 (Concerts) | dimensions = Left Field: 335 feet<br />Left Center Field: 385 feet<br />Center Field: 405 feet<br />Right Center Field: 385 feet<br />Right Field: 335 feet }} [[File:Laredo Ballpark.png|thumb|2011 promotional image of the planned Laredo Ballpark now named Uni-Trade Stadium]] The '''Uni-Trade Stadium''' is a [[baseball]] stadium in [[Laredo, Texas]]. The stadium is the United States home to The [[Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos]], a bi-national [[Mexican Baseball League|Mexican League]] professional baseball team, and the Laredo Roses, a women's full-contact [[American football]] team in the Sugar N Spice Football League.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pro8news.com/news/local/Council-Response-to-Baseball-Stadium-Vote-100406984.html|title = Local}}</ref> The stadium is also used for youth soccer leagues, youth and prep baseball games, and concerts.<ref>[http://laredobroncos.com/news/?id=12085 Laredo Morning Times; Vote Goes Strongly In Favor of Stadium]</ref> It was the home of the [[Laredo Lemurs]], a baseball team in the [[American Association of Independent Professional Baseball|American Association]], from 2012 to 2016.

==History== The Laredo Ballpark project was first approved by the city council and was voted in favor of (with 61.32% of the votes in favor and 38.68% against) constructing it with money collected by a .25% sales tax increase for the LEC since 2004 of which there is a surplus of about $18 million.<ref>[http://www.lmtonline.com/articles/2008/11/05/front/news/doc4910db428601a924663642.txt Laredo Morning Times; Webb County Vote Totals]</ref> The project consisted of building a new multiuse [[Baseball]] field near the [[Laredo Energy Arena]] (now Sames Auto Arena). On December 9, 2011, it was announced that the stadium would be named Uni-Trade Stadium,<ref>{{cite web|title=Laredo Lemurs' Baseball Stadium Named|date=December 9, 2011|publisher=[[Laredo Sun]] (Laredo, Texas)|url=http://www.laredosun.us/notas.asp?id=19311|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107052651/http://www.laredosun.us/notas.asp?id=19311|url-status=usurped|archive-date=January 7, 2012|access-date=2011-12-09}}</ref> after Uni-Trade Forwarding LLC, a local [[freight forwarder]]. The park opened on May 17, 2012, with the Lemurs defeating the defending American Association champion [[Grand Prairie AirHogs]] 5–1 in front of a crowd of 5,923.

Despite posting winning records in each of their five seasons, including the 2015 American Association championship, Lemurs attendance plummeted from 187,845 in 2012 (fourth in a 14-team league) to just 41,955 in 2016, lowest in the league.<ref>{{cite web |title=Laredo Lemurs Franchise History |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/t-ll12476 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=18 May 2021}}</ref> Less than three weeks prior to the 2017 season, the Lemurs left the American Association and folded as result of a lawsuit between owner Arianna Torres and other members of Laredo Baseball Holdings, the Lemurs' ownership group. Torres allegedly accumulated over $500,000 of debts as well.<ref>{{cite web |title=Laredo Lemurs Finished - Salina Stockade Replace Lemurs on the American Association Schedule |url=https://indyballisland.com/2017/05/03/laredo-lemurs-finished-salina-stockade-replace-lemurs-on-the-american-association-schedule/ |website=Indy Ball Island |date=3 May 2017 |publisher=Kayla Thompson}}</ref>

After the stadium sat empty for the 2017 season, the [[Rojos del Águila de Veracruz]] of the Triple-A [[Mexican Baseball League|Mexican League]] relocated to the region and took the name of the [[Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos]], a franchise that previously played on both sides of the US-Mexico border (Laredo and [[Nuevo Laredo]]) from 1985 to 2004. The team splits their home games between Uni-Trade Stadium and [[Parque la Junta]] on the Mexican side.

==Field== The baseball field playing surface was designed and built by sports field contractor Texas Multi-Chem of [[Kerrville, Texas]]. The baseball field's natural grass surface is TifSport hybrid Bermuda and the root zone consists of an 8" layer of USGA sand and Dakota peat. The field also contains an internal drainage system to help avoid rain-outs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Avoid Rainouts With Internal Drainage Systems|date=June 1, 2012|publisher=(Texas Multi-Chem - Kerrville, TX)|url=http://www.texasmultichem.com/blog/avoid-rainouts-with-internal-drainage-systems.html}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://unitradestadium.wordpress.com/ Uni-Trade Stadium] * [http://www.texasmultichem.com/ Texas Multi-Chem | Sports Field Contractor]

{{Laredo, Texas}} {{Mexican League ballparks}}

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[[Category:Minor league baseball venues]] [[Category:Sports venues in Laredo, Texas]] [[Category:Baseball venues in Texas]] [[Category:2012 establishments in Texas]] [[Category:Sports venues completed in 2012]] [[Category:American football venues in Texas]] [[Category:Mexican Baseball League ballparks]]