When you visit Surprise Stadium for a baseball game, there is plenty to see before you even make it through the gates.
Located at the first and third base entrances are two larger-than-life public art pieces inspired by the game itself. “Bounce and Swing”, created by RSP Architects, combine baseball, art and a little bit of Surprise history to welcome visitors to the ballpark.
So, before finding your seat, grabbing a snack or settling in for the first pitch, take a closer look at the two art pieces.
Follow the bounce
Head to the first base entrance and you’ll find “Bounce,” a towering installation inspired by the path a baseball takes after being knocked out of the park.
At approximately 20 feet long and 18 feet high, the piece creates a memorable meeting point outside the stadium. Look overhead and you’ll also find a connection to Surprise’s past. A waterjet-cut cotton pattern incorporated into the panels pays tribute to the city’s agricultural roots, creating changing patterns of light and shadow throughout the day.
It’s a piece that brings together two parts of the Surprise story: the community’s history and its love of baseball.
Take a swing
Make your way to the third base entrance and you’ll discover “Swing,” an installation that captures the movement of a baseball bat.
The design was inspired by the stop-motion photography players use to study and improve their swings. As you walk around the artwork, its shape appears to change depending on where you are standing.
Look up and you will see more than 200 baseball bats that make up the canopy, arranged to mimic the stitching of a baseball. Reflective material on the tips of the bats creates another fun detail to discover when headlights or camera flashes catch the installation after dark.
Award-winning art at the ballpark
The two installations are not only turning heads at Surprise Stadium. They have also received recognition from the art communities.
“Bounce and Swing” received the Jill Brey Award for Art from the International Interior Design Association Southwest Chapter and an Award of Merit in the Landscape/Urban Development category from Engineering News-Record Southwest’s Best Projects Awards. “Bounce” was also selected for the 2026 CODAawards Top 100.
RSP Architects’ design connected both baseball and the community by turning familiar movements from the game into public art while also incorporating details inspired by Surprise’s history and identity.
From the cotton pattern in “Bounce” that nods to the city’s agricultural roots to the baseball bats and stitching-inspired design of “Swing,” RSP Architects’ design connected both baseball and community. “Bounce and Swing” feels at home at the ballpark while still telling a Surprise story.
Add a little art to your baseball day
Whether you’re at Surprise Stadium for Spring Training, a tournament or another baseball event, “Bounce and Swing” offer one more reason to explore before heading inside.
Stop at the first base entrance to see “Bounce,” then make your way around to the third base side to experience “Swing” from a few different angles. Snap a photo, check out the details and see how the artists turned two familiar parts of baseball into something completely different.
And the art doesn’t stop at the stadium. Surprise Arts has a growing collection of public art located throughout the city, giving visitors plenty of opportunities to discover something new while exploring Surprise.
Learn more about Surprise Arts and the City’s public art collection at surpriseaz.gov/Arts.