Introducing the Texas Smoke – a new professional fastpich softball team located in Austin, Texas.
Table of Contents
- What is the Texas Smoke?
- Meet the players and coaches of the Texas Smoke
- Texas Smoke announce innovative childcare partnership
A brand new professional fastpitch softball team has started up in Austin, Texas and is committed to providing a childcare partnership for its players and staff, according to a news release.
Meet the Texas Smoke, the second professional sports team to take up residence in Austin, Texas, according to a statement provided by the team. This new team is the fourth franchise in Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF) and it’s clearly set on innovation as it moves forward.
What is the Texas Smoke?
The Texas Smoke, owned by Brandon Phillips (a World Series champion and longtime MLB star) and Jade Cargill (a professional wrestler with AEW and an entrepreneur), is the fourth team to join WPF.
WPF is in and of itself a new development as well, though it appears to be the successor to the now defunct National Pro Fastpitch.
Texas Smoke pro softball team fast facts
- Franchise owners: Brandon Phillips and Jade Cargill
- Coach: Tori Tyson
- Location: Austin, Texas
- Venue: TBA
- Roster: Still in development, though some players have been signed to date
Meet the players and coaches of the Texas Smoke
The Smoke have already named their first head coach and Tori Tyson will be the first to receive the honor of leading the franchise. (Mississippi State fans will be familiar with Tyson as the Bulldogs’ softball team faced off against Tyson as she led Howard to the Tallahassee Regional in 2022).
But while the Smoke has its head coach, the roster appears to still be a bit of a work in progress. That said, several players have been announced so far.
Here are some names you need to know:
- Morgan Howe
- Samantha Show
- Shelbi Sunseri
- Ciara Bryan
- Alyssa Rivera
- Marta Gasparotto
- Jordan Dail
- AnaMarie Bruni
A spokesperson for the Smoke mentioned that more signings would be announced soon.
Texas Smoke announce innovative childcare partnership
It appears as if the team is focused on providing more than just a competitive playing experience, but also opportunities to make things easier on parents who are a part of this franchise.
To that end, a spokesperson for the Smoke announced that the team is partnering with the Nanny League to provide childcare for both players and staff. This move will enable parents to participate in the team without worrying about finding childcare.
However, that’s not the only thing players are receiving if they are a member of the Smoke.
The team also announced that it is committed to providing players with financial literacy training, marketing resources, meal deliveries, moving stipends and more in hopes that the athletes and their families will have every available resourced needed to thrive and grow.
“As a father, I know the struggle of balancing parenting duties and professional duties,” Brandon Phillips, owner of the Texas Smoke said in a press release. “I’ve seen time and time again that athletes stop playing when they have children. Players shouldn’t have to drop the ball to be a mom.”
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