Madison, Toyota Field ready to host Rocket City Softball Showcase

MADISON – The Huntsville Sports Tourism team is coming off a record setting year where it hosted 68 events for over a $51-million economic impact. The splendid efforts continue in 2025 with the six-day PNC Bank Rocket City Softball Showcase Feb. 19-24 at Toyota Field.

The event will feature 13 NCAA women’s programs and 12 local high school teams. Among the collegiate teams are four from the Southeastern Conference: Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. In the high school lineup are James Clemens, Bob Jones and Sparkman.

The Crimson Tide, fresh off a Women’s College World Series appearance in 2024, help lead off the festivities Feb.19 with a primetime matchup against Jacksonville State.

Bradley Kimbrough, in his fourth season as head coach of James Clemens, said his team is looking forward to the unique softball setup at what is a truly baseball facility. “I am really excited that they are showcasing college and high school softball at such a cool venue like Toyota Field. It’s going to be a great opportunity for our kids, parents and community. Not only to watch elite softball in their hometown, but to play in such a great venue,” said Kimbrough, as his Lady Jets come into their newest season after a 10-22 record a year ago. Kimbrough will have only one returning starter in the lineup.

Same goes for Braeden Netherton in her first season as head coach of the Bob Jones Lady Patriots. She headed into her inaugural season with a team which was 29-16-1 last season. She said of their upcoming game versus Athens in the Showcase, “Allowing our players such a grandstanding opportunity in front of their friends, family and members of the Madison community will be a highlight of our season,” said Netherton. “Toyota Field is one of the paramount locations in Madison, and we are grateful to the Trash Pandas organization and Toyota Field affiliates for providing our athletes with this experience.”

Rounding out the Showcase lineup for local schools among the college ranks are UAH, North Alabama and Alabama A&M. Plus former Women’s College World Series partici- pant James Madison, Conference USA power Louisiana Tech, rising Southern Conference program ETSU, regular NCAA contender Miami-Ohio and Div. II program North Georgia.

In addition to college matchups, the Showcase will also feature six local high school games on Monday, Feb. 24. James Clemens and Huntsville will open the day at 9:00 a.m., Grissolm faces Hartselle at 11 a.m., Jemison matches up with Columbia at 1:00 p.m., Hazel Green takes on New Hope at 3:00 p.m., Buckhorn battles Sparkman, with second-year head coach Macie Morris, at 5:00 p.m. and Bob Jones versus Athens will be the final contest.

General admission tickets are $10 for the day and are currently available at RocketCitySoftball.com.

“A project like this only happens with everyone pulling together and we can’t wait to see Toyota Field take on a new look for this event with the support of PNC Bank,” said Garret Fahrmann, general manager of the Rocket City Trash Pandas. “Our team is known for providing a fun and festive environment for Trash Pandas games and we will bring that same mindset to a great week of softball here at Toyota Field.”

Fahrmann will also lead the effort of transforming Toyota Field into a softball field.

“This is more in-depth than changing our baseball field into a football field,” said Fahrmann. “Home plate will be moved back toward the crowd by 15 feet, we’ll shave off pitcher’s mound, remove existing grass, but most importantly, will have to build up the area and have it leveled off by laser markings. When the Softball Showcase is complete, we will have to transform back to hosting baseball as we have Auburn’s baseball team coming in here on March 11 to face off against the UT-Martin Skyhawks.”

A complete look at the playing field transformation is available elsewhere in the Madison Record.

The day prior to the Softball Showcase and in conjunction with the women’s sports extravaganza will be the inaugural Women In Sports Luncheon from 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. The event will celebrate the achievements of women in sports while highlighting future opportunities in the region. Also sponsored by PNC Bank, tickets for the banquet are available at www.trashpandasbaseball. com.

The event will showcase prominent leaders from both state and local areas and will be moderated by Dr. Annie Saylor, President and CEO of SimTech and Vice Chair of the Women’s Business Council. Featured speakers include Lindsey Knupp, Executive Vice President of the Rocket City Trash Pandas, and keynote speaker Dr. Karin Lee, Deputy Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator at the University of Alabama.

Tickets for Softball Showcase start at $20 per day and are now available at RocketCitySoftball.com. All matchups will be streamed live through FloSports via Flo College.com. Trash Pandas’ broadcasters Josh Carey and Chris Harris will handle the broadcasts.

“Bob Jones softball is elated that members of the City of Madison and those from surrounding areas will experience the joy of watching high school athletics come together to play the game they love on such a large stage,” added Netherton.