Trevor Wilt

Trevor Wilt talking with a Cannon Ballers player.

When attending a Kannapolis Cannon Ballers home game at Atrium Health Ballpark, as interesting as the battle may be on the field, the colorful contests and games that regularly occur between the innings can often be just as riveting.

During a recent weekend game, for instance, a baby race was held on the field where infants had to crawl a short distance from one parent to the other.

Though there was little movement and mostly tears from the young participants, it was nonetheless a well-received, super cute moment.

“It did not go well but the crowd loved it,” said the Cannon Ballers hype man/on-field emcee Trevor Wilt. He is tasked with keeping crowds entertained throughout the team’s 60 home games.

The race is just one example of the many ideas Wilt—known for his trademarked gold-sequined attire—has helped come up with during his tenure with the team.

The 28-year-old, who has become as well-known to fans as many of the players, goes by many names: Mayor of Kannapolis, Mayor of the 704, the Gold Jacket Dude, or simply the Gold Man.

“I always tell Kannapolis Mayor Darrell Hinnant that I’m coming for his job one day,” Wilt said with a chuckle.

For Wilt, it is important to engage with as many fans as possible throughout the game, whether it be through planned between-the-innings moments or off-the-cuff interactions in passing.

“I think being a light of encouragement to people is something I try and do every single day,” he said.

His bosses have certainly taken notice.

“He knows how to connect with our community more than anybody,” said Cannon Ballers general manager Matt Millward.

Trevor Wilt interviewing a Cannon Ballers player.

Growing up, Wilt always had a love for sports, especially baseball. It was this passion that influenced what he wanted to do with his life, which was to become a sports anchor on television.

After graduating from Jay M. Robinson, where he played on the baseball team, Wilt went to UNC Charlotte, where he majored in communications with a minor in journalism.

As a staff writer for the Niner Times, the campus newspaper, Wilt regularly covered sporting events, allowing him to meet with athletes and coaches and others working behind the scenes.

Eventually, Wilt secured a weekly five-minute spot on Radio Free Charlotte, the student-run radio station, where he talked about Major League Baseball.

“Dude did I stutter, I was terrible in the beginning,” Wilt recalled.

Over time, Wilt gained more on-air experience until he took over as co-host for one of the station’s shows. “I made it my own show and I just sort of took off from there,” he said.

In addition to his writing and radio work, Wilt began shooting and editing his own video content for the Niner Times, focused mainly on women’s sports, which typically receive less coverage and attention.

“Not as many people cared about women’s athletics, so I was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to care about them,’” Wilt said.

Trevor Wilt covered all kinds of sporting events at UNC Charlotte including football.

Together with his colleague Kathleen Carriere, Wilt worked nonstop, as he spoke with athletes and coaches, including hourlong interviews after games, produced daily videos and even hosted a podcast.

He and Carriere would often go back to the office after games, where they would spend hours editing videos before putting them online.

In addition to his behind the scenes work, Wilt also worked as a color analyst and play-by-play announcer.

“We were grinding,” he said. “No one at UNC Charlotte was doing what we were doing.”

Trevor Wilt gained experience covering ball games at UNC Charlotte.

Following his graduation in 2017, Wilt applied for sports positions at small television markets across the country, in states like North Dakota and Montana, but never heard back.

While becoming an anchor appeared unlikely, Wilt still wanted to to leverage his multimedia experience into some sort of sports career.

Wilt knew the radio play-by-play announcer for the Kannapolis Intimidators, Josh Feldman, so he phoned him, seeking advice.

Feldman told Wilt he had just parted ways with the team and encouraged him to contact the team about the job opening.

Wilt was excited about the opportunity, as he had been going to Intimidator baseball games his whole life.

He secured the job as the radio play-by-play announcer in early 2018. Wilt also helped handle the team’s social media.

“For me, it was a chilling experience,” Wilt said about the job. “It didn’t even feel real because this is a team I had grown up watching.”

Trevor Wilt got his start with the Kannapolis Intimidators as the team's radio play-by-play announcer.

Once the team moved to its current stadium in 2021 and adopted the Cannon Ballers as its new name, Wilt saw his responsibilities increase, including hosting a televised pregame show, in addition to his play-by-play role.

Stationed in a small booth, Wilt enjoyed calling the games, but still felt he could be doing more.

“I loved it but I felt like I was cooped up in a box and no one could hear my story,” Wilt said, noting he was not impacting people as effectively as he would like.

Once the team’s on-field emcee left her position in 2022, Millward, the general manager, approached Wilt to let him know of the opening.

“I was like, ‘Man, what if I did it?’” he recalls telling Millward.

At the time, Wilt concedes that he did not think the Cannon Ballers as an organization was giving the fans “the entertainment that they deserved.”

Knowing the number of people he could reach through radio was always going to be limited, he was ready for a new challenge.

As an “extrovert’s extrovert,” as he refers to himself, this was Wilt’s chance to better engage with the fans and to provide higher quality entertainment.

Millward also believed he was up to the task.

“He showed his talents behind the microphone and it was time, in my eyes, to show his talents in front of camera,” he said.

Since taking on the MC role last year at the beginning of the 2022 season, Wilt has never looked back.

Similar to how athletes feel before games, Wilt often gets nervous before interacting with the nightly crowds, which can often swell to around 5,000.

“That’s why I still love it, because before every game, I still get those pre-game jitters, like I’m about to suit up on the baseball field,” Wilt said.

With the understanding he is the public face of the team, Wilt said it took him some time to embrace the role and his outgoing personality.

It took him little time, though, to begin developing the character he wanted to portray. During the first week of the season, Wilt wore a gold jacket that he borrowed from a friend. His quirky sartorial style quickly helped bolster his confidence—and became one of his mainstays.

“It gave me some juice, it gave me some energy and it gave the crowd more energy,” he said about the outfit.

Similar to wrestlers cultivating new identifies through their colorful costumes, by donning that gold jacket, Wilt embraced his new persona, which allowed him to better connect with fans.

“People are going to remember the Gold Jacket Dude, they don’t know who Trevor Wilt is,” he said. “Kids often come up to me and say, ‘You’re Gold Jacket Dude.’”

Trevor Wilt is known for his gold vest and gold shoes, which he wears during almost every home game.

Though his outfit, he now wears a gold-sequined vest along with gold shoes and long pants, has become iconic for many fans, it took some convincing for him to make it part of his everyday routine.

Wilt was inspired by the hype man of the Savannah Bananas, an exhibition team the Cannon Ballers played earlier this summer, to accept being uncomfortable as part of entertaining the masses.

“He said, ‘Embrace the sweat,’” Wilt recalled the man told him. “Your sweating your butt off no matter what. Might as well wear pants and wear gold shoes. People will remember that more than they they’re going to remember you wearing Nikes.”

Those words resonated with Wilt to not just go the extra mile with his look but also in how he interacts with and entertains the fans.

He takes great pride in working with his colleagues to find various ways to energize the crowd, since that can often be the spark the team needs to be successful.

“The more hyped I get the crowds, the better the team plays,” he said, noting he brings the same passion regardless if there are 500 people in attendance or 5,000.

As he gained more confidence in the job, he has been given the freedom to experiment with unique--some might say weird—ways to stimulate the crowd.

Many have been well-received, like the baby race and a bit called Baller Ballet, featuring two fans dancing like ballerinas for 45 seconds on top of the dugouts.

“Trevor is incredibly creative,” Millward said, noting he gives Wilt free rein to try whatever he thinks will resonate with people.

Another successful idea he implemented occurred last Sunday, when two young kids, as part of Construction Day, took part in a competition where they placed their hands on a small excavator to see who could last the longest.

“People were checking in on them and they were getting free ice cream from fans,” Wilt said, noting the children lasted about 90 minutes.

But even the best ideas in theory sometimes don’t always pan out.

Wilt organized a drink off contest last year, which involved a few people, who signed waivers, competing to chug beers as quickly as possible at the outfield bar. Things quickly got chaotic—the winner took his shirt off—and the idea was quickly nixed.

“We fail a lot but you just learn from your failures,” Wilt said.

During the National Anthem, Wilt takes a moment to pray, reflect and recognize that he serves a bigger purpose than simply entertaining fans.

He wants to make people feel good when they come to the stadium and, at least for a few hours, forget about whatever struggles they might be dealing with.

“You just never know what people are going through,” he said. “So whenever they come there, I just want them to be like, ‘You know what, I can let everything go… and just relax,’” Wilt said.

Though Trevor Wilt is known for his golden attire, he donned an American flag suit to a game earlier this summer.

He makes sure to visit every part of the stadium during games, to make sure fans feel included and engaged and not overlooked.

“I hate whenever people feel left out,” he said.

He also enjoys when fans, especially young children, recognize him outside of the stadium. This includes at the Chick-fil-A location across from the Carolina Mall, where Wilt has been working to save up money for his upcoming wedding.

“I had a lady yesterday at the restaurant that said, ‘Are you the Gold Jacket Dude?’” he said. “I said yes. She goes, ‘My son told me and I didn’t believe him.’”

The circumstances have also occasionally been reversed, with some people recognizing him at the stadium as the guy who works at Chick-fil-A.

Ultimately, Wilt is just glad he can make people happy.

Although he still has the hope to eventually become a sports anchor—he serves as the color analyst for Charlotte 49ers men's basketball games during the offseason—for now, Wilt is enjoying his role with the Cannon Ballers.

“I would love to stay in Kannapolis,” Wilt said. “I love it there.”

Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.

How many bridges do you cross each day? Most of us don’t give it much thought unless we happen to be in an area where one is closed. Our frien…

CONCORD — After leading the Concord Police Department for over eight years, Chief Gary Gacek is stepping away from his distinguished 33-year l…

There was a good deal of pressure on Howard Irvin as he prepared to take the bar exam. If he were to fail, he would get drafted into the U.S. …

CONCORD — A suspect was shot and killed during an attempt to take the suspect into custody, according to a news release from Cabarrus County S…

A GoFundMe created for the family of the three young children who died last week in an early morning house fire has already raised nearly $16,…