Top-notch professional women's fastpitch softball will come to Northeast Alabama Community College (NACC) on Friday, June 19, 2026, at Nathaniel Ledbetter Stadium. 

Two members of the newly formed Women's Professional Softball League (PSL), the Atlanta Smoke and the Chattanooga Chill, will play a double-header exhibition beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 19. The teams will face off again at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 20, at Northeast.

"These teams represent some of the best softball players in the country," said NACC Head Softball Coach Joe Guthrie. "Many of them played at SEC schools. They are at the top of the game."

The event comes on the heels of a historic season for NACC Softball. The Mustangs won the NJCAA Division I National Championship in just the second year of the program's existence, taking the first step in advancing the great tradition of softball in Northeast Alabama.

Another step in establishing NACC and the Jackson-DeKalb County area as a center point for women's softball, both regionally and nationally, is hosting the Atlanta Smoke and Chattanooga Chill exhibition games.

"When we built our stadium at Northeast, we knew our area was already a hotspot for women's softball, and we wanted to build on that foundation," said NACC President Dr. David Campbell. "We wanted to build a state-of-the-art stadium that reflected that tradition, and with the funding assistance of Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter, we were able to do just that."

Campbell said that from the beginning, he and Speaker Ledbetter envisioned the facility as more than just a premier softball venue.

"We talked early on about how the field and stadium could be used not only as a first-rate softball facility, but also as a catalyst for tourism and economic development in our area if it were done right," Campbell said. "The games on June 19 and 20 are among the many steps we are taking in that direction."

Campbell particularly thanked NACC AD Jimmy Kolaitis and Head Coach Joe Guthrie for organizing and bringing the exhibition to Northeast. "They have the skill, where-with-all, knowledge, and network to do this," Campbell said.

The exhibition series marks the first professional women's softball games ever played in the Northeast Alabama region and provides local fans with an opportunity to see some of the sport's top athletes compete in person.

Admission is $10.