Brandon Phillips Is Bringing Professional Softball to Great American Ball Park

Professional softball is headed to Great American Ball Park, the home of the Cincinnati Reds, for the first time.

Following the showdown between division rivals the Reds and the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 20, the Atlanta Smoke of the Professional Softball League (PSL) will take the field for an exhibition game.

The Smoke, co-owned by Reds Hall of Famer Brandon Phillips and WWE star Jade Cargill, has been a staple organization in the professional softball scene. The team just captured its fourth-straight championship, and its first as a member of the PSL.

The team, previously known as the Texas Smoke, dominated the now-fallen Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPS) league from 2023 to 2025.

For this specific exhibition in Cincinnati, Phillips and Cargill will draft current and former Smoke players to their respective teams and will also feature live interviews and dugout chatter throughout the game. All fans who attend the Reds vs. Cubs game can stay after to watch for free.

Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs- 1:40 p.m. EST
Atlanta Smoke exhibition game- the team will take the field for warm-ups 15 minutes after the conclusion of the Reds game, with play beginning as soon as both teams are ready.

Additionally, while in the city, the Smoke will host a softball clinic for the players featured in the Reds Nike RBI program at the P&G MLB Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy in Roselawn. The team will also be receiving their 2025 championship rings during a pregame ceremony on Sept. 19.

This isn’t the first time Phillips and Cargill have put professional softball on an MLB field either.

In November 2025, the Atlanta Braves hosted the Atlanta Showdown at Truist Park, where the Smoke faced off against the World of Women’s Pro Fastpitch. The event made history, becoming the first pro softball game played in an MLB stadium.

MAKING HISTORY. ATL CLASSIC 2025!! 💨🔥🖤

The first ever professional softball game in a Major League Stadium! 👏 #AllTheSmoke💨 pic.twitter.com/uDlm6S3cpz
— The Atlanta Smoke (@theatlantasmoke) November 9, 2025

Phillips has had one incredible year reuniting with the Reds nation. Before gearing up for the Smoke’s PSL debut in June, he signed a one-day contract with the Reds and officially retired on Saturday, April 25. He was also selected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

While handling these incredible honors, Phillips and Cargill have remained quite dedicated to their softball team.

"He was acting all cool at first, because we've been so invested in women's softball,” Cargill told Cincinnati Reds Talk. “We have a professional softball team, Atlanta Smoke. Everybody should come out and watch us. We're killing things right now, but we've been so invested in that. So when he got the call... I don't think it [really] hit him."

Current and former Smoke Players include NCAA stars like Janae Jefferson, Kiki Milloy, and Jala Wright.

Add us as a preferred source on Google