Over 9,000 Fans Pack Nashville’s First Horizon Park as Riley Green, Jordan Davis and More Lead Record-Breaking Rock ’N Jock Event
The event benefited Folds of Honor, supporting educational scholarships for the spouses and children of fallen or disabled military service members and first responders.
Folds of Honor Tennessee’s Rock ‘N Jock Celebrity Softball game at First Horizon Park on June 01, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee; Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Folds of Honor Tennessee Inc.
Riley Green, Zach Top, Priscilla Block, Jordan Davis, Zach John King, and more stepped up to the plate at Nashville’s First Horizon Park on Monday, June 1 for Folds of Honor Tennessee’s sixth annual Rock ’N Jock* Celebrity Softball game, sponsored by Black Rifle Coffee Company. More than 9,000 fans gathered at Nashville’s First Horizon Park for this year’s event, which generated an all-time high of $701,460 to support educational scholarships for the spouses and children of fallen or disabled military personnel and first responders.
Country artists joined forces with other celebrities, athletes, first responders and veterans for the friendly competition, which found Team Military facing off against Team First Responders all in support of Folds of Honor’s mission.
Team Military featured Team Captain Riley Green, Mat Best, Gavin Adcock, Ryan Ellis, Danae Hays, RaeLynn, Jordan Davis, McCoy Moore, Warren Zeiders, JC Latham, Jessie James Decker, Eric Decker, Cooper Alan, honorary military members Sergeant First Class Joseph C. Ervin and Army Officer Lauren Warner, and honorary base coach Special Forces Assistant Detachment Commander Dean Goble.
Team First Responders featured Team Captain Zach Top, Roger “The Rocket” Clemens, Jay Cutler, HARDY, Ashley Cooke, Priscilla Block, Zach John King, Parker McCollum, Chris Lane, Travis Pastrana, Waka Flocka Flame, Jermaine Johnson, Robert Rausch, honorary first responders Firefighter Travis Merryman and Officer Alicean Stottlemyer, and coach Ross Chastain.
Ashley Cooke, who has taken part in the event for several years now told us it’s her “favorite way” to kick off CMA Fest week.
“Every CMA Fest week is always chaos, but something about…playing a sport with people in country music. It’s fun. It’s very camaraderie based and also it’s just doing something to give back at the beginning of the week for CMA Fest. It’s a lot of shows and chaos and promotion and all this stuff, but it just feels like a cool way to give back and do something that feels good for the soul at the beginning of the week,” she shared prior to the game.
Priscilla Block echoed her sentiments, telling us, “This is my second year back doing this so I’m pumped that they invited me again. It’s awesome to come back here. I love that everything that they do to give back and being a part of tonight is awesome and we’re excited for CMA Fest.”
For Zach John King, the cause behind the game made it especially meaningful.
“I have a family full of military and first responders, so it’s super close to home for me. And any way, shape, or form I can help, in my opinion, the greatest Americans in the country, is what I’m going to do. So it happened to be that we get to play a little softball today, but I’m honored to do it. The organization is insane,” he shared.
Jordan Davis has participated in the game a handful of times and tells us he views it as a way to say “thank you” to those who give so much.
“I say it every year, but it’s like we get a chance to say thank you to the people and the families that are … I’m not brave enough to do what they do. And so this is my chance to come out and say thank you. Have fun and bring some lightness into what I know is a very, very heavy time for them.”
Team Military edged out Team First Responders in a nail-biting 9-8 victory, with Danae Hays crossing home plate for the game-winning run. Eric Decker earned Defensive Player of the Game honors, while Golden Tate was recognized as Offensive Player of the Game. Fans were treated to several long balls throughout the evening, with home runs coming from Gavin Adcock, Eric Decker, Golden Tate, and Jay Cutler.
Off the field, Riley Green and Black Rifle Coffee Company co-founder Mat Best each pledged $50,000 to Folds of Honor, contributing a combined $100,000 to support the organization’s mission.
The event also featured several patriotic moments, including a performance of the National Anthem by Captain Jackson Perkins and a ceremonial first pitch thrown by Marine Corps veteran Rocky Sickmann, who survived 444 days in captivity during the Iranian Hostage Crisis.
Through a partnership with Jockey International, Inc., 200 military and first responder families were able to attend the game free of charge, further cementing this year’s Rock ’N Jock as one of the event’s biggest and most meaningful editions to date.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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