Olympic Medalists, All-Americans and Women’s College World Series Champions are Analysts for ESPN’s College Softball Coverage

• All Eight Teams are National Seeds; Six Rank in Top Eight

• 2 Michigan Looks to Return to Championship Series

• Jessica Mendoza Returns with Veterans Michele Smith, Beth Mowins, and Holly Rowe as Telecast Partners; Amanda Scarborough, Adam Amin and Laura Rutledge Call Their Second Consecutive WCWS

ESPN will televise every game of the Women’s College World Series from OGE Energy Field at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla., beginning Thursday, June 2, and concluding Tuesday, June 7, or Wednesday, June, 8. All eight teams are national seeds, including six in the top eight, led by No. 2 Michigan. Rounding out the field is No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Auburn, No. 6 Alabama, No. 8 Florida State, No. 10 LSU, No. 12 UCLA and No. 16 Georgia. The week-long event begins with the eight teams playing in a double-elimination tournament (June 2-5) resulting in two teams advancing to the best-of-three Women’s College World Series Championship Series (June 6-8). Last season, the Wolverines advanced to the Championship Series.

The Women’s College World Series begins with No. 16 Georgia vs. No. 8 Florida State (noon ET) and No.12 UCLA vs. No. 4 Auburn (2:30 p.m.) Thursday, June 2, on ESPN.  That same evening, No. 6 Alabama will take on No. 3 Oklahoma (7 p.m.) followed by No. 10 LSU vs. No. 2 Michigan (9:30 p.m.) on ESPN2.  Play continues on Friday, June 3 (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.), on ESPN2 and Saturday, June 4, with two games on ESPN (noon, 2:30 p.m.) and two on ESPN2 (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.). Sunday, June 5, will feature a minimum of two games, with one on ESPN (1 p.m.) and another on ESPN2 (3:30 p.m.) and two if necessary games (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.) which will be televised on ESPN2 if played.

The Women’s College World Series Championship Series Game 1 will be Monday June 6, at 8 p.m. on ESPN and Game 2 will be Tuesday, June 7, at 8 p.m. on ESPN. A decisive Game 3 will Wednesday, June 8, at 7 p.m. on ESPN (if necessary).

The Women’s College World Series is the conclusion of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship.  A complete bracket can be found here

ESPN’s Presentation:
ESPN will utilize two commentating teams throughout the double-elimination round of the tournament:

• Jessica Mendoza, who began her ESPN career as a softball analyst and now works as MLB analyst on Sunday Night Baseball, returns to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series and will be in the booth with longtime partners Michele Smith (analyst) and Beth Mowins (play-by-play) and Holly Rowe will be the reporter. The 2016 WCWS will be Mowins’ 22nd as a commentator, Smith’s 14th and Mendoza’s 10th as an analyst and Rowe’s 12th as a reporter. Mandy Cohen will be their producer with Mike Roig the director. The entire group will work the best-of-three Championship Series

  
  More on Mendoza and Smith:

• Jessica Mendoza
  • College: Stanford
  • Honors: Four-time All-American (1999, 2000, ’01, ’02), member of gold medal-winning team at the 2004 Athens Olympics and silver medal winning team  at 2008 Beijing Olympics.
• Michele Smith
  • College: Oklahoma State
  • Honors: Two time All-American, two time Olympic Gold Medalist (1996, ’00)  and eight time Japan Pro League MVP.
• Returning for their second consecutive year, Adam Amin (play-by-play), Amanda Scarborough (analyst) and Laura Rutledge (reporter) will call the early games during the first four days of the WCWS. Joe Taylor will produce and Anthony DeMarco will direct the telecasts.

  
  More on Scarborough:

• Amanda Scarborough
  • College:Texas A&M
  • Honors: Two-time All-American (2005, ’07). Only player in Big 12 history to receive Freshman of the Year and Player of Year in same season (2005), played in two WCWS (2007, ’08).
• Every Angle Covered: ESPN will surround OGE Energy Field at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium with 16 cameras, including two slow-motions systems.
• Umpire Perspective: The home plate umpire will be mic’d up for each game throughout the Women’s College World Series.
• K-Zone Live: Having been utilized for ESPN MLB telecasts previously, K-Zone Live will make its softball debut at the WCWS. The technology is an on-screen graphic which is calibrated for each batter to calculate the location of every ball that crosses the hitter’s strike zone in real time.
• Studio Coverage: Pam Ward will anchor the studio coverage throughout the tournament along with analyst Cheri Kempf, a national champion at Missouri Western State.
• ESPNU’s Women’s College World Series Pregame and Postgame: ESPNU will televise a 30-minute preview and post-game show before and after Game 2 of the Women’s College World Series Championship Series on Tuesday, June 7, at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., respectively. If a Game 3 is necessary, ESPNU will televise another 30-minute preview and post-game show on Wednesday, June 8, at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

• SEC Network: Should an SEC team advance to the best-of-three finals, SEC Now, the home for Southeastern Conference news and information on SEC Network,will have a set in Oklahoma City before and after each of the Championship games.  Amin and Scarborough will anchor the coverage which will air at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on June 6 and June 7 and then 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on June 8 if Game 3 is needed.
• Press Conferences: ESPNU will televise Women’s College World Series Press Conference featuring players and coaches’ press conferences on Wednesday, June 1 at 4 p.m. ET. The one-hour special will set the stage for the WCWS.

• espnW: Online coverage continues, led by espnw’s softball index. Additional elements from Oklahoma City include:
  • Rising to the Occasion: Examining one of softball’s influential elements – the rise ball.
  • Five Players to Watch: Who is about to become a household name?
  • Know Your Stuff: With so many great story lines, picking a team to back can be tough. This quiz will help.
  • Mendoza Chimes In: Jessica Mendoza shares three things she likes about WCWS contenders in a video series.
  • Recaps: Writer Graham Hays will provide daily recaps and analysis of the action in Oklahoma City.
  • The Buzz: On the ground at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium sharing the latest from teams and their fans.
  • Video: Highlights, interviews, analysis and more
  • Tourney Snapshots: Behind-the-scenes video and photos straight from the teams and their players.

• Social Media: @ESPNU, @espnW, and @NCAASoftball will provide news, game updates, photos and videos throughout the Women’s College World Series. Fans can join the conversation by tagging their tweet #WCWS.

 

Women’s College World Series Television Schedule (June 2 – June 8)

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Thu, June 2	Noon	Women’s College World Series: No. 16 Georgia vs. No. 8 Florida State	ESPN
	2:30 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: No. 12 UCLA vs. No. 4 Auburn	ESPN
	7 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 3 Oklahoma	ESPN2
	9:30 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: No. 10 LSU vs. No. 2 Michigan	ESPN2
Fri, June 3	7 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 5	ESPN2
	9:30 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 6	ESPN2
Sat, June 4	Noon	Women’s College World Series: Game 7	ESPN
	2:30 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 8	ESPN
	7 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 9	ESPN2
	9:30 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 10	ESPN2
Sun, June 5	1 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 11	ESPN
	3:30 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 12	ESPN
	7 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 13*	ESPN2
	9:30 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 14*	ESPN2
Mon, June 6	8 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Championship Game No. 1	ESPN
Tues, June 7	8 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Championship Game No. 2	ESPN
Wed, June 8	7 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Championship Game No. 3*	ESPN

* If necessary
Networks and times are subject to change

-30-

Media contact: Derek Volner at 860-384-9986; Derek.Volner@ESPN.com and @DerekVolner

• Eight Best-of-Three Series From Campus Sites; Winners Advance to Women’s College World Series
• Top 8 Teams Remain, Host Super Regionals
• Jessica Mendoza Returns, Joins Michele Smith and Beth Mowins in Tuscaloosa; Amanda Scarborough and Adam Amin in Norman

ESPN’s coverage of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship continues with exclusive telecasts of the Super Regionals beginning Thursday, May 26, and continuing through Sunday, May 29, with up to 24 games from eight campus sites. The eight, best-of-three series will be televised across ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU with the victorious teams advancing to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The top eight seeds advanced from the Regional round to host a Super Regional, highlighted by the two-time defending National Champion and No. 1 seed Florida who will host No. 16 Georgia (Gainesville Super Regional). Overall, 14 seeded teams advanced, setting up five additional Super Regionals with seeded teams facing off: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Missouri (Ann Arbor), No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette (Norman), No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 UCLA (Eugene), No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 11 Washington (Tuscaloosa), and No. 7 James Madison vs. No. 10 LSU (Harrisonburg).  Rounding out the field, No. 4 Auburn will play Arizona (Auburn) and No. 8 Florida State hosts Utah (Tallahassee). A complete bracket is available here.

ESPN Commentators
ESPN’s Jessica Mendoza, now a MLB analyst working Sunday Night Baseball, returns to ESPN’s softball coverage for the Super Regionals. Mendoza, who began her career with ESPN as a college softball analyst and has called the WCWS for a number of years, will work with fellow college softball analyst Michele Smith and play-by-play commentator Beth Mowins in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Softball analyst Amanda Scarborough along with commentator Adam Amin will be in Norman, Okla. for the call of the Ragin Cajuns-Sooners series. Mendoza, Smith and Scarborough will be the analysts for the Women’s College World Series, while Mowins and Amin will call the play-by-play. Full details will be announced next week.

• Jessica Mendoza– Tuscaloosa Super Regional
• College: Stanford
• Honors: Four-time All-American (1999, 2000, ’01, ’02), member of gold medal-winning team at the 2004 Athens Olympics and silver medal winning team  at 2008 Beijing Olympics
• Michele Smith– Tuscaloosa Super Regional
• College: Oklahoma State
• Honors: Two-time All-American, two time Olympic Gold Medalist (1996, ’00)  and eight time Japan Pro League MVP
• Amanda Scarborough– Norman Super Regional
• College:Texas A&M
• Honors: Two-time All-American (2005, ’07). Only player in Big 12 history to receive Freshman of the Year and Player of Year in same season (2005), played in two WCWS (2007, ’08)

ESPN’s additional six commentator teams are: Trey Bender and Jennie Ritter (Gainesville), Jenn Hildreth and Carol Bruggeman (Harrisonburg), Cara Capuano and Leah Amico (Tallahassee), Pam Ward and Cheri Kempf (Ann Arbor), Tiffany Greene and Jenny Dalton-Hill (Auburn), and Mark Neely and Danielle Lawrie (Eugene).

• Leah Amico– Tallahassee Regional
• College:Arizona
• Honors: Won three national championships (1993, ’94,  ’97), member of goal medal-winning teams at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, 2000 Sydney Olympics and 2004 Athens Olympics

• Carol Bruggeman – Harrisonburg Super Regional

• College: Iowa
• Honors:  As a Division I coach at Michigan, Purdue, and Louisville, achieved more than 700 combined wins; All Big-Ten and All-Mideast Region as a player, inducted into the Iowa Softball Association Hall of Fame (1997)

• Jenny Dalton-Hill– Auburn Super Regional
• College: Arizona
• Honors: National Player of the Year (1996) and Women’s College World Series MVP (’96) Four-time National Champion, winning three as a player (1993, ’94, and ’96) and one as an assistant coach, also with Arizona (1997)
• Danielle Lawrie – Eugene Super Regional

• College: Washington
• Honors: National Champion (2009), All-American, and played for Canadian National Team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

• Cheri Kempf – Ann Arbor Super Regional

• College: Missouri Western State
• Honors: National Champion, National MVP and played on USA National Team that won the World Cup (1992)

• Jennie Ritter – Gainesville Regional

• College: Michigan
• Honors: National Championship (2005), played for USA National Team (2007) in the World Cup  and Pan American games

espnW’s Softball Index
espnW will have wide-ranging coverage of the entire 2016 NCAA Softball Championship hosted on its softball index. Current articles include:

• 16 teams and so many questions remain for the NCAA Softball Super Regionals
• Softball Player of the Year: Auburn’s Kasey Cooper
• Get Schooled: Jessica Mendoza’s softball trivia test

Women’s College World Series
ESPN’s will televise every game from the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla. (June 2 – June 9).  Coverage details for the WCWS will be announced next week; however, the television schedule is available here.

ESPN’s 2016 NCAA Division I Softball Television Schedule
Super Regionals (May 26 – 29)

Please Note: Networks are likely to change throughout the weekend. For the latest information, please check espnW’s schedule and results page. The higher seed in each Super Regional has home/away choice in a decisive, if necessary, Game 3.

Gainesville Super Regional 

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Thu, May 26	7 p.m.	No. 16 Georgia at No. 1 Florida Trey Bender, Jennie Ritter	ESPN2
Fri, May 27	5 p.m.	No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Georgia	ESPN2
Fri, May 27	8 p.m.	Game 3: If Necessary	ESPNU

Norman Super Regional 

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Thu, May 26	9 p.m.	No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette at No. 3 Oklahoma  Adam Amin, Amanda Scarborough	ESPN2
Fri, May 27	7 p.m.	No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette	ESPN2
Fri, May 27	10 p.m.	Game 3: If Necessary	ESPNU

Harrisonburg Super Regional 

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Fri, May 27	3 p.m.	No. 10 LSU at No. 7 James Madison Jenn Hildreth, Carol Bruggeman	ESPNU
Sat, May 28	Noon	No. 7James Madison vs. No. 10 LSU	ESPN
Sat, May 28	3 p.m.	Game 3: If Necessary	ESPNU

Tuscaloosa Super Regional 

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Fri, May 27	9 p.m.	No. 11 Washington at No. 6 Alabama Beth Mowins, Michele Smith, Jessica Mendoza	ESPN2
Sat, May 28	5:30 p.m.	No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 11 Washington	ESPN
Sat, May 28	8:30 p.m.	Game 3: If Necessary	ESPN2

Tallahassee Super Regional 

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Fri, May 27	5 p.m.	Utah at No. 8 Florida State Cara Capuano, Leah Amico	ESPNU
Sat, May 28	4:30 p.m.	No. 8 Florida State vs. Utah	ESPN2
Sat, May 28	7:30 p.m.	Game 3: If Necessary	ESPN

Ann Arbor Super Regional 

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Sat, May 28	3 p.m.	No. 15 Missouri at No. 2 Michigan Pam Ward, Cheri Kempf	ESPN
Sun, May 29	Noon	No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Missouri	ESPN
Sun, May 29	3 p.m.	Game 3: If Necessary	ESPNU

Auburn Super Regional 

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Sat, May 28	6:30 p.m.	Arizona at No. 4 Auburn Tiffany Greene, Jenny Dalton-Hill	ESPN2
Sun, May 29	2 p.m.	No. 4 Auburn vs. Arizona	ESPN
Sun, May 29	5 p.m.	Game 3: If Necessary	ESPNU

Eugene Super Regional 

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Sat, May 28	9:30 p.m.	No. 12 UCLA at No. 5 Oregon Mark Neely, Danielle Lawrie	ESPN
Sun, May 29	7 p.m.	No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 UCLA	ESPNU
Sun, May 29	10 p.m.	Game 3: If Necessary	ESPNU

Networks and schedule are subject to change

-30-

Media contact: Derek Volner at 860-384-9986; Derek.Volner@ESPN.com and @DerekVolner

ESPN Front Row: Despite cancer battle, Rowe contributes to ESPN’s Softball #MAYhem coverage

• Up to 84 Games from 12 Campus Sites in Regional Round; Bases Loaded Returns
• All Eight Super Regionals, Entire Women’s College World Series Televised
• Two-Time Defending National Champion and No. 1 Seed Florida Gators Host Regional

ESPN is the home of the 2016 NCAA Division I Softball Championship presented by Capital One beginning with the Regional round (May 19-22), continuing with exclusive coverage of the Super Regionals (May 26-29) and the Women’s College World Series (June 2 – June 8) in Oklahoma City, Okla. The 2016 NCAA Softball Championship marks the 16th consecutive year ESPN has televised the entire Women’s College World Series and the 10th consecutive year it has televised every game of the Super Regionals.

Industry-Leading Regional Round Coverage
For the second consecutive year, ESPN’s NCAA Softball Championship Regional round coverage will total as many as 84 games from 12 campus sites across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, Longhorn Network, ESPN3 and SEC Network +, the most sites and games ESPN has ever covered in the tournament’s first weekend.

The Florida Gators are the No. 1 seed coming off their back-to-back National Championships and will host the Gainesville Regional. Overall, ESPN’s regional round coverage will feature eight of the top 10 seeds including No. 3 Oklahoma (Norman Regional), No. 4 Auburn (Auburn Regional), No. 5 Oregon (Eugene Regional), No. 6 Alabama (Tuscaloosa Regional), No. 8 Florida State (Tallahassee Regional), No. 9 Kentucky (Lexington Regional) and No. 10 LSU (Baton Rouge Regional). Additionally, No. 13 Tennessee (Knoxville Regional), No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette (Lafayette Regional), No. 15 Missouri (Columbia Regional), and No. 16 Georgia (Athens Regional) will also be covered. All Regionals begin on Friday, May 20, except Columbia which begins Thursday, May 19.

Format: ESPN will carry every game (maximum of seven games) from the 12 regionals. Each regional is a four-team, double-elimination tournament, concluding with one team advancing to the Super Regionals.  A full schedule is provided below.

Additional Regional Round Highlights

Bases Loaded Returns
For the second consecutive year, ESPN’s NCAA Softball Championship Regional Round coverage is supplemented with a Bases Loaded viewing option, providing look-ins to multiple live games throughout the day while also recapping the entire tournament up to that moment. Matt Schick and Brendan Fitzgerald will host and Garland Cooper will provide the analysis. Bases Loaded will be seen on the channel previously designated as ESPN Goal Line, with ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU also airing it throughout the weekend.

The Bases Loaded concept had first been used for the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship before being utilized for the Softball Championship last season. This year, the concept was also used on SEC Network during ESPN’s record-setting regular season softball coverage, to showcase every team in the Southeastern Conference the closing weekend of conference play.

Bases Loaded Programming Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Network
Fri, May 20	1 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.	Bases Loaded***
	4 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.	ESPNU
	6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.	ESPN2 and ESPNU
Sat, May 21	Noon – 10 p.m.	ESPN Goal Line***
	2 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.	ESPN and ESPN2
	4:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.	ESPN and ESPN2
	7 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.	ESPN2
	9:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.	ESPN2
Sun, May 22	Noon – 9:30 p.m.	Bases Loaded***
	2 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.	ESPN
	6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.	ESPNU
	9 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.	ESPN2

***previously designated as ESPN Goal Line

Networks and times are subject to change

espnW.com
espnW will have wide-ranging coverage of the entire 2016 NCAA Softball Championship hosted on its softball index.  Highlights include:

• Comprehensive Recaps:Graham Hays will provide daily recaps and analysis from the Regionals, Super Regionals and the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
• Contender Previews: Jessica Mendoza reveals her favorite things about several Women’s College World Series contenders in a new video series.
• The espnW Player of the Year: This week, espnW will reveal its 2016 Player of the Year.
• Schedules and Results: All the scores and information to be found here.

Social Media

• @ESPNU, @espnW, and @NCAASoftball will provide news, game updates, photos and videos throughout the championship. Fans can join the conversation by tagging their tweets with #d1softball in the Regionals and Super Regionals and then #WCWS during the Women’s College World Series.

ESPN Analysts
ESPN’s softball analysts include accomplished former college, Olympic and professional softball players:

• Carol Bruggeman – Norman Regional

• College: Iowa
• Honors:  As a Division I coach at Michigan, Purdue, and Louisville, achieved more than 700 combined wins; All Big-Ten and All-Mideast Region as a player, inducted into the Iowa Softball Association Hall of Fame (1997)

• Jenny Dalton-Hill– Auburn Regional
• College: Arizona
• Honors: National Player of the Year (1996) and Women’s College World Series MVP (’96) Four-time National Champion, winning three as a player (1993, ’94, and ’96) and one as an assistant coach, also with Arizona (1997)
• Danielle Lawrie – Eugene Regional

• College: Washington
• Honors: National Champion (2009), All-American, and played for Canadian National Team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

• Cheri Kempf – Columbia Regional

• College: Missouri Western State
• Honors: National Champion, National MVP and played on USA National Team that won the World Cup (1992)

• Leah O’Brien-Amico– Tuscaloosa Regional
• College: Arizona
• Honors: Won three national championships (1993, ’94,  ’97), member of goal medal-winning teams at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, 2000 Sydney Olympics and 2004 Athens Olympics
• Jennie Ritter – Gainesville Regional

• College: Michigan
• Honors: National Championship (2005), played for USA National Team (2007) in the World Cup  and Pan American games

• Leigh Ross – Tallahassee Regional
• College: Toledo
• Honors: Led the Rockets to the WCWS; holds the MAC record for batting average and hits. Former head coach at Bowling Green and Syracuse

• Amanda Scarborough– Lafayette Regional
• College:Texas A&M
• Honors: Two-time All-American (2005, ’07). Only player in Big 12 history to receive Freshman of the Year and Player of Year in same season (2005), played in two WCWS (2007, ’08)
• Michele Smith– Knoxville Regional
• College: Oklahoma State
• Honors: Two-time All-American, two time Olympic Gold Medalist (1996, ’00)  and eight time Japan Pro League MVP

Texas Teamcast: NCAA Softball Regionals on Longhorn Network

Longhorn Network will present an alternate presentation – Texas Teamcast: NCAA Softball Regionals – for Texas’ first game vs. Texas A&M in the Lafayette Regional on Friday, May 20, at 4:30 p.m. ET. Tyler Denning will call the play-by-play along with analyst Megan Willis, a 2007 Texas graduate and former Longhorn catcher.

Additionally, if Texas plays at noon ET on Saturday, May 21, or advances to Sunday, May 22, Texas Teamcast: NCAA Softball Regionals programming will continue as an alternate viewing option on LHN.

A full schedule of the Lafayette Regional is below.

2016 NCAA Division I Softball Championship Field
The 2016 NCAA Division I Softball Championship field was unveiled during ESPNU’s NCAA Softball Championship Selection Show presented by Capital One on Sunday, May 15. The SEC received the most bids (11), for the second consecutive year, followed by the Pac-12 (8). Five teams are making their first appearance in the tournament: Alabama State, Butler, California State, Bakersfield, Mississippi and Samford. Interestingly, only 12 schools have been crowned the NCAA Division I softball champion since the tournament started in 1982, and all 12 will compete in this year’s bracket. The complete 64-team bracket can be seen here.

ESPN’s 2016 NCAA Division I Softball Television Schedule
Regional Round (May 19 – May 22)

Please Note: All games from the 12 regionals below will be shown on either ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ESPN3, SEC Network + or Longhorn Network. If network is designated as TBD, please check espnW’s schedule and results page for updated schedule listings.

Columbia Regional

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Thur, May 19	5:30 p.m.	Louisville vs. Nebraska Pam Ward, Cheri Kempf	ESPN2
	8 p.m.	BYU vs. No. 15 Missouri Pam Ward, Cheri Kempf	ESPN2
Fri, May 20	2 p.m.	Game 3	ESPNU
	4:30 p.m.	Game 4	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Game 5	ESPN
Sat, May 21	2:30 p.m.	Game 6	TBD
	5 p.m.	Game 7*	TBD

Gainesville Regional

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Fri, May 20	Noon	Florida Atlantic vs. UCF Trey Bender, Jennie Ritter	ESPNU
	2:30 p.m.	Alabama State vs. No. 1 Florida Trey Bender, Jennie Ritter	SEC Network and ESPN3
Sat, May 21	Noon	Game 3	TBD
	2:30 p.m.	Game 4	TBD
	5 p.m.	Game 5	TBD
Sun, May 22	Noon	Game 6	TBD
	2:30 p.m.	Game 7*	TBD

Tallahassee Regional

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Fri, May 20	Noon	South Carolina vs. South Florida Melissa Lee, Leah Ross	SEC Network and ESPN3
	2:30 p.m.	Florida A&M vs. No. 8 Florida State Melissa Lee, Leah Ross	ESPN3
Sat, May 21	Noon	Game 3	TBD
	2:30 p.m.	Game 4	TBD
	5 p.m.	Game 5	TBD
Sun, May 22	Noon	Game 6	TBD
	2:30 p.m.	Game 7*	TBD

Tuscaloosa Regional

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Fri, May 20	2:30 p.m.	Texas State vs. California Cara Capuano, Leah Amico	ESPN3
	5 p.m.	Samford vs. No. 6 Alabama Cara Capuano, Leah Amico	SEC Network and ESPN3
Sat, May 21	2:30 p.m.	Game 3	TBD
	5 p.m.	Game 4	TBD
	7:30 p.m.	Game 5	TBD
Sun, May 22	2:30 p.m.	Game 6	TBD
	5 p.m.	Game 7*	TBD

Knoxville Regional

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Fri, May 20	4:30 p.m.	Ohio State vs. Arizona Beth Mowins, Michele Smith	ESPNU
	7 p.m.	Marist vs. No. 13 Tennessee  Beth Mowins, Michele Smith	ESPN2
Sat, May 21	Noon	Game 3	TBD
	2:30 p.m.	Game 4	TBD
	5 p.m.	Game 5	TBD
Sun, May 22	Noon	Game 6	TBD

Auburn Regional

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Fri, May 20	4:30 p.m.	USC Upstate vs. Oregon State Tiffany Greene, Jenny Dalton-Hill	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Jacksonville State vs. No. 4 Auburn Tiffany Greene, Jenny Dalton-Hill	ESPN3
Sat, May 21	2:30 p.m.	Game 3	TBD
	5 p.m.	Game 4	TBD
	7:30 p.m.	Game 5	TBD
Sun, May 22	2:30 p.m.	Game 6	TBD
	5 p.m.	Game 7*	TBD

Lafayette Regional

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Fri, May 20	4:30 p.m.	Texas vs. Texas A&M Adam Amin, Amanda Scarborough	ESPN2 and Longhorn Network**
	7 p.m.	Boston University vs.  No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette Adam Amin, Amanda Scarborough	ESPNU
Sat, May 21	noon	Game 3	TBD
	2:30 p.m.	Game 4	TBD
	5 p.m.	Game 5	TBD
Sun, May 22	4:30 p.m.	Game 6	TBD
	7 p.m.	Game 7*	TBD

**Longhorn Network’s alternate presentation: Texas Teamcast.

Norman Regional

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Fri, May 20	6:30 p.m.	Tulsa vs. Ole Miss Jenn Hildreth, Carol Bruggeman	ESPN3
	9 p.m.	Wichita Stare vs. No. 3 Oklahoma Jenn Hildreth, Carol Bruggeman	ESPN
Sat, May 21	2:30 p.m.	Game 3	TBD
	5 p.m.	Game 4	TBD
	7:30 p.m.	Game 5	TBD
Sun, May 22	4:30 p.m.	Game 6	TBD
	7 p.m.	Game 7*	TBD

 

Eugene Regional

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Fri, May 20	9 p.m.	Long Beach State vs. Baylor Mark Neely, Danielle Lawrie	ESPN2
	11:30 p.m.	Fordham vs. No. 5 Oregon Mark Neely, Danielle Lawrie	ESPN2
Sat, May 21	5 p.m.	Game 3	TBD
	7:30 p.m.	Game 4	TBD
	10 p.m.	Game 5	ESPN2
Sun, May 22	7 p.m.	Game 6	TBD
	9:30 p.m.	Game 7*	ESPN2

Athens Regional

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Fri, May 20	1 p.m.	Northwestern vs. Oklahoma State	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	Maine vs. No. 16 Georgia	SEC Network +
Sat, May 21	1 p.m.	Game 3	ESPN3 or SEC Network +
	3:30 p.m.	Game 4	ESPN3 or SEC Network +
	6:00 p.m.	Game 5	ESPN3 or SEC Network +
Sun, May 22	1 p.m.	Game 6	ESPN3 or SEC Network +
	3:30 p.m.	Game 7*	ESPN3 or SEC Network +

 

Baton Rouge Regional

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Fri, May 20	4 p.m.	McNeese State vs. Arizona State	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	LIU Brooklyn vs. No. 10 LSU	ESPN3
Sat, May 21	1 p.m.	Game 3	ESPN3
	4 p.m.	Game 4	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Game 5	ESPN3
Sun, May 22	2 p.m.	Game 6	ESPN3
	5 p.m.	Game 7*	ESPN3

 

Lexington Regional

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Fri, May 20	3:30 p.m.	Illinois vs. Utah	ESPN3
	6 p.m.	Butler vs. No. 9 Kentucky	SEC Network +
Sat, May 21	1 p.m.	Game 3	ESPN3 or SEC Network +
	3:30 p.m.	Game 4	ESPN3 or SEC Network +
	6 p.m.	Game 5	ESPN3 or SEC Network +
Sun, May 22	1 p.m.	Game 6	ESPN3 or SEC Network +
	3:30 p.m.	Game 7*	ESPN3 or SEC Network +

Super Regionals (May 26 – 29)
ESPN will televise every game from all eight Super Regionals with complete details announced following the Regional Round. 

Women’s College World Series (June 2 – June 8)

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Thu, June 2	Noon	Women’s College World Series: Game 1	ESPN
	2:30 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 2	ESPN
	7 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 3	ESPN2
	9:30 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 4	ESPN2
Fri, June 3	7 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 5	ESPN2
	9:30 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 6	ESPN2
Sat, June 4	Noon	Women’s College World Series: Game 7	ESPN
	2:30 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 8	ESPN
	7 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 9	ESPN2
	9:30 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 10	ESPN2
Sun, June 5	1 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 11	ESPN
	3:30 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 12	ESPN
	7 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 13*	ESPN2
	9:30 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Game 14*	ESPN2
Mon, June 6	8 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Championship Game No. 1	ESPN
Tues, June 7	8 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Championship Game No. 2	ESPN
Wed, June 8	7 p.m.	Women’s College World Series: Championship Game No. 3*	ESPN

* If necessary
Networks and times are subject to change

-30-

Media contact: Derek Volner at 860-384-9986; Derek.Volner@ESPN.com and @DerekVolner

• More than 600 Games on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, Longhorn Network, ESPN3 and SEC Network +
• Back-to-Back National Champion and No. 1 Florida Gators Featured More than 35 Times
• ACC, American, Atlantic Sun, Big South, Horizon League, Missouri Valley,  SEC, Southern and Southland Conference Championship Games
• Former College, Olympic and Professionals Among Analysts

Coming off last season’s Women’s College World Series record ratings, ESPN will offer its most comprehensive NCAA Division I Softball schedule in 2016 with more than 600 games carried across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, Longhorn Network, ESPN3, and SEC Network +. The regular season concludes with championship games from the ACC, American, Atlantic Sun, Big South, Horizon League, Mid-American Conference, Missouri Valley, SEC, Southern and Southland conferences, leading into the NCAA Division I Softball Championship.

ESPNU/ESPN2
ESPNU and ESPN2 will begin their slate featuring the back-to-back National Champion Florida Gators hosting No. 20 Tennessee (March 18) and traveling to No. 6 LSU (March 26). Overall, the schedule will feature 17 ranked teams including 16 appearances from top 10 teams; approximately 90% of the total games feature a ranked team. Additional highlights:

• Best vs. Best: 19 games will feature a ranked team vs. another ranked team including:
  • 2 Alabama at No. 1 Florida (April 2)
  • 13 Oklahoma at No. 20 Tennessee (April 23)
  • 15 UCLA at No. 18 Arizona (April 24)
  • 18 Arizona at No. 8 Oregon (May 1)
  • 9 Texas A&M at No. 4 Auburn (May 7)
  • 11 Georgia at No. 2 Alabama (May 7)
• Championship Games: ACC, American and SEC Championship games will all air on ESPN. ESPNU will air televise the SEC Tournament semifinals and the SWAC Championship game.
• Home of the Post Season: ESPN will cover the Regionals, Super Regionals and every game of the Women’s College World Series. The selection show will air on May 15 at 10 p.m. on ESPNU. Details to be announced later in the season.

SEC Network and SEC Network +

• SEC Network begins the television coverage when No. 4 Auburn hosts Georgia State (March 6) and Alabama hosts Stamford (March 8). SEC Network will televise a quadrupleheader March 12 and a tripleheader on March 13 featuring No. 16 Kentucky at South Carolina, No. 2 Alabama at No. 6 LSU and No. 1 Florida at No. 4 Auburn both days and Arkansas at No. 20 Tennessee on March 13 as conference play ramps up. Throughout the season SEC Network will air more than 50 games, concluding with the second round of the SEC Tournament on May 13.
• SEC Network +, the digital home of the SEC Network, will stream more than 250 games this season featuring all 13 teams in the conference, including more than 20 appearances by No. 1 Florida.

SEC Network’s full schedule can be found here and SEC Network’s + schedule is continuously updated at SECNetwork.com

ESPN3
ESPN3, which began its 250+ game slate in February, will stream contests from 12 difference conferences — ACC, Atlantic Sun, Big East, Big South, Big West, Horizon League, Ivy, Metro Atlantic,  Missouri Valley, Southland, Sun Belt, and Western Athletic.  Highlights:

• ACC Softball: More than 50 ACC games including the quarterfinals and semifinals of the conference tournament.
  • 12 Florida State, whose series with No. 3 Michigan was streamed in February, will be seen more than 10 times this season, including vs. No. 1 Florida (May 4) and vs. conference opponents No. 25 Notre Dame (April 2-3) and Louisville (May 7-8)
  • 25 Notre Dame will also be streamed more than 10 times this season, including the aforementioned series vs. No. 12 Florida State and home series vs. Louisville (April 30 – May 1)
• Sun Belt’s Ragin’ Cajuns: 5 Louisiana-Lafayette will be carried eight times this season
• Conference Highlights:
  • Atlantic Sun: More than 25 games from Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Stetson, USC Upstate
  • Big East: More than 10 games from St. John’s
  • Big South: More than 25 games, most originating from Liberty
  • Horizon League: More than 50 games
  • Metro Atlantic: Select Monmouth home games
  • Southland: No. 6 LSU at Southern Louisiana (April 13) and the conference championship game

• Conference Championships: The Atlantic Sun, Big South, Horizon League, Missouri Valley, Southern, Southland and Sun Belt Conference Championship games will all be carried on ESPN3. The network will also have early round coverage of the Big South, Horizon League, and the aforementioned ACC, tournaments.

Please note: Not all ESPN3 games are exclusive. Schedules are continuously updated at ESPN3.com

Longhorn Network
Longhorn Network is the home of No. 24 Texas softball, airing 33 Texas home games this season. Non-conference play vs. in-state rivals (UTSA, North Texas, and Texas State) will be televised in March before Longhorn Network airs 10 games vs. Big 12 opponents (t-No. 22 Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech) in April and May. The complete Longhorn Network schedule and additional highlights can be found here.

Television Commentators
ESPN/SEC Network softball analysts are accomplished former college, Olympic and professional softball players:

• Amanda Scarborough
  • College: Texas A&M
  • Honors: Two-time All-American (2005, ’07). Only player in Big 12 history to receive Freshman of the Year and Player of Year in same season (2005), played in two WCWS (2007, ’08)

• Michele Smith
  • College: Oklahoma State
  • Honors: Two time All-American, two time Olympic Gold Medalist (1996, ’00)  and eight time Japan Pro League MVP

• Leah Amico
  • College: Arizona
  • Honors: Won three national championships (1993, ’94,  ’97), member of goal medal-winning teams at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, 2000 Sydney Olympics and 2004 Athens Olympics

• Kayla Braud 
  • College: Alabama
  • Honors: Three-time All-American and WCWS Champion with the Crimson Tide

• Carol Bruggeman
  • College: Iowa
  • Honors:  As a Division I coach at Michigan, Purdue, and Louisville, achieved more than 700 combined wins; All Big-Ten and All-Mideast Region as a player, inducted into the Iowa Softball Association Hall of Fame (1997
• Jenny Dalton-Hill
  • College: Arizona
  • Honors: National Player of the Year (1996) and Women’s College World Series MVP (’96) Four-time National Champion, winning three as a player (1993, ’94, and ’96) and one as an assistant coach, also with Arizona (1997)
• Danielle Lawrie
  • College: Washington
  • Honors: National Champion (2009), All-American, and played for Canadian National Team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
• Cheri Kempf
  • College: Missouri Western State
  • Honors: National Champion , National MVP and played on USA National Team that won the World Cup (1992)
• Leigh Ross
  • College: Toledo
  • Honors: Led the Rockets to the WCWS; holds the MAC record for batting average and hits. Former head coach at Bowling Green and Syracuse

Adam Amin, Trey Bender, Cara Capuano, Tiffany Greene, Jenn Hildreth, Melissa Lee, Beth Mowins, Mark Neely and Pam Ward will call play-by-play throughout the season. Laura Rutledge will be a reporter on a number of telecasts.

ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU Softball Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
March 18	7 p.m.	No. 20 Tennessee at No. 1 Florida	ESPNU
March 24	5 p.m.	Mississippi Valley State at Texas Southern	ESPNU
March 26	Noon	No. 1 Florida at No. 6 LSU	ESPN2
	9 p.m.	No. 24 Texas at t-No. 22 Baylor	ESPN2
April 2	Noon	No. 2 Alabama at No. 1 Florida	ESPNU
	10:30 p.m.	No. 15 UCLA at No. 8 Oregon	ESPNU
April 3	7 p.m.	Ole Miss at Mississippi State	ESPNU
April 8	7 p.m.	Coastal Carolina at Winthrop	ESPNU
April 9	Noon	No. 9 Texas A&M at No. 20 Tennessee	ESPNU
	5:30 p.m.	NC State at No. 12 Florida State	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	No. 16 Kentucky at No. 6 LSU	ESPN2
	7:30 p.m.	No. 11 Georgia at No. 14 Missouri	ESPNU
April 10	3 p.m.	No. 13 Oklahoma at t-No. 22 Baylor	ESPN2
	4 p.m.	NC State at No. 12 Florida State	ESPNU
April 16	1 p.m.	No. 20 Tennessee at No. 11 Georgia	ESPN2
	3 p.m.	No. 24 Texas at No. 13 Oklahoma	ESPN2
April 23	2 p.m.	No. 11 Georgia at No. 4 Auburn	ESPNU
	4:30 p.m.	No. 13 Oklahoma at No. 20 Tennessee	ESPNU
	5 p.m.	No. 15 UCLA at No. 18 Arizona	ESPN2
April 24	3:30 p.m.	No. 25 Notre Dame at North Carolina	ESPNU
	5 p.m.	No. 15 UCLA at No. 18 Arizona	ESPN2
April 25	7 p.m.	No. 25 Notre Dame at North Carolina	ESPNU
April 27	6 p.m.	Long Beach State at Cal State Fullerton	ESPNU
	10:30 p.m.	Long Beach State at Cal State Fullerton	ESPNU*
April 28	4 p.m.	Bethune-Cookman at Florida A&M	ESPNU
April 30	7 p.m.	No. 6 LSU at Arkansas	ESPNU
	8 p.m.	No. 4 Auburn at No. 20 Tennessee	ESPN2
May 1	3 p.m.	No. 18 Arizona at No. 8 Oregon	ESPN2
	5 p.m.	UCF at USF	ESPNU
	7 p.m.	No. 4 Auburn at No. 20 Tennessee	ESPNU
May 7	Noon	No. 11 Georgia at No. 2 Alabama	ESPN
	1 p.m.	No. 9 Texas A&M at No. 4 Auburn	ESPNU
	3 p.m.	South Carolina at No. 14 Missouri	ESPNU
May 13	3 p.m.	SEC Tournament	ESPNU
	5:30 p.m.	SEC Tournament	ESPNU
May 14	Noon	American Championship	ESPN
	2 p.m.	ACC Championship	ESPN
	5 p.m.	SEC Championship	ESPN
May 15	10 a.m.	SWAC Softball Championship	ESPNU**

*Live on ESPN3 at 8:30 p.m.
**Live on ESPN3 on May 14 at 3 p.m.

All rankings are per USA Softball (March 1)

-30-

Media contact: Derek Volner at 860-384-9986; Derek.Volner@ESPN.com and @DerekVolner

Longhorn Network to Televise All Texas Home Softball Games in 2016

• More than 35 Games from Red and Charline McCombs Field
• Big 12 Play Features No. 16 Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech
• Former Longhorn Megan Willis Returns as Analyst

Longhorn Network will televise more than 35 college softball games from Red and Charline McCombs Field during the 2016 season, including all of Texas’ 29 home games.

Texas begins its season on the Longhorn Network when it hosts Arkansas (Feb 11 at 6 p.m. CT), the first of more than 10 Texas games in the month of February. Non-conference play vs. in-state rivals (UTSA, North Texas, and Texas State) will be televised in March before Longhorn Network airs 10 games vs. Big 12 opponents (No. 16 Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech) in April and May.

Texas will also be seen twice on ESPN2, when it travels to Baylor (March 26) and Oklahoma (April 16).

As part of the Texas Classic (Feb 11-14) and Texas Invitational (Feb 25-28), Longhorn Network will also air seven games which do not include the Longhorns.

Megan Willis, a 2007 Texas graduate and former Longhorn catcher, will again be the analyst on the telecasts. Willis was a two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (2007 and 2006) at the school and continues to play the National Pro Fastpitch League, currently with the USSSA Pride.  Alex Loeb and Tyler Denning will rotate calling play-by-play throughout the season.

Longhorn Network Softball Television Schedule

Date	Time (CT)	Game
Feb 11	6 p.m.	Arkansas at Texas*
Feb 12	Noon	Arkansas vs. North Dakota State*
	3 p.m.	UNC vs. North Dakota State*
	6 p.m.	UNC at Texas*
Feb 13	10 a.m.	North Dakota State vs. Arkansas*
	1 p.m.	UNC at Texas*
	3:30 p.m.	Arkansas at Texas*
	6 p.m.	UNC vs. North Dakota State*
Feb 14	9 a.m.	Arkansas vs UNC*
	Noon	North Dakota State at Texas*
Feb 26	9 a.m.	Weber vs. Tulsa**
	Noon	Abilene Christian at Texas**
	2:30 p.m.	Tulsa at Texas**
Feb 27	10 a.m.	Tulsa at Texas**
	12:30 p.m.	Illinois at Texas**
Feb 28	10 a.m.	Weber State at Texas**
	3:30 p.m.	Tulsa vs. Illinois**^
March 8	4:30 p.m.	UTSA at Texas
March 9	6 p.m.	North Texas at Texas
March 26	8 p.m.	Texas at Baylor***
March 30	6 p.m.	Texas State at Texas
April 1	5 p.m.	BYU at Texas
April 2	6 p.m.	BYU at Texas
	8:30 p.m.	BYU at Texas
April 5	4:30 p.m.	UTEP at Texas
	midnight	UTEP at Texas^
April 8	6 p.m.	Texas Tech at Texas
April 9	1 p.m.	Texas Tech at Texas
April 10	Noon	Texas Tech at Texas
April 16	2 p.m.	Texas at Oklahoma***
April 22	6 p.m.	Oklahoma State at Texas
April 23	1 p.m.	Oklahoma State at Texas
April 24	Noon	Oklahoma State at Texas
April 27	6 p.m.	Texas Southern at Texas
April 29	4:30 p.m.	Kansas at Texas
April 30	1 p.m.	Kansas at Texas
May 1	11 a.m.	Kansas at Texas
May 14	8 p.m.	No. 16 Baylor at Texas

*Texas Classic Event
**Texas Invitational
***on ESPN2
^Taped Delay

About Longhorn Network

ESPN has a 20-year agreement to own and operate a year-round, 24-hour network dedicated to Texas athletics in partnership with UT and IMG College.  Longhorn Network (LHN) offers a variety of content, highlighted by more than 175 exclusive events annually from 20 sports, original series and studio shows, historical programming and academic and cultural happenings. The network is also available to subscribers via WatchESPN on smartphones, tablets, computers, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

-30-

Video:  No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 1 Florida for National Championship Tonight on ESPN

Previous Announcement: Record Viewership at the 2015 Women’s College World Series

• Defending National Champion/No. 1 Florida vs. No. 3 Michigan is Most-Watched WCWS Championship Finals Game 1 Ever
• 2015 WCWS Finals Game 2: College Softball’s Highest Overnight in Eight Years

• Only Fourth Ever Decisive WCWS Championship Finals Game 3 Tonight on ESPN (8 p.m. ET)

The first two games of the 2015 Women’s College World Series Championship Finals between the defending national champion/No. 1 Florida and No. 3 Michigan (best-of-three game series) have resulted in the most-watched WCWS Championship Finals Game 1 ever (Monday, June 1) and college softball’s highest overnight rating in eight years (Game 2 on Tuesday, June 2). Additionally, with Florida’s 3-2 victory in Game 1 and  Michigan’s 1-0 win in Game 2,  the Gators and Wolverines will play just the fourth decisive WCWS Championship Finals Game 3 (Wednesday, June 3, 8 p.m. ET on ESPN) in history.  The 2015 WCWS Championship Finals are coming off an ESPN record-setting 2015 Women’s College World Series bracket round (May 28 – May 31)

The 2015 WCWS Championship Finals Game 1 was watched by 1,542,000 average viewers (off a 1.0 rating), topping the 2009 WCWS Championship Finals Game 1 (Washington vs. Florida) for the most-watched WCWS Championship Finals Game 1 ever (1,412,000 viewers). Tuesday night’s Game 2 garnered a 1.2 overnight rating, resulting in college softball’s highest overnight rating since the 2007 WCWS Championship Finals Game 2 (Tennessee and Arizona)  which earned  a 1.4 overnight.  Combined, the 2015 WCWS Championship Finals Games 1 and 2 has averaged a 1.1 overnight, tying it for the second most-watched WCWS Championship Finals Game 1 and Game 2 on record (since 2007).

Additionally, 2015 WCWS Championship Finals Game 1 audience and Game 2 overnight are up 37% (1,126,000 viewers) and 33% (0.9 overnight rating), respectively, compared to the 2014 WCWS Championship Finals Game 1 and Game 2 which featured Alabama vs. Florida.

Please note: Only overnight rating (and not audience numbers) were available for Game 2 when this release was issued

Top Markets (Combined Games 1 and Games 2)

Detroit is the highest-rated local market with a 3.7 rating, followed by Birmingham (3.2), Knoxville (2.9), Jacksonville & Oklahoma City (2.6), Orlando (2.5), Tampa (2.1), Nashville (2.0) and Dayton (1.9).

WatchESPN

The 2015 WCWS Championship Finals Game 1 and Game 2 (combined) has experienced a 120% growth in average minute audience and a 84% spike in total unique viewers on WatchESPN compared to the 2014 WCWS Finals Game 1 and 2.

2015 Women’s College World Series Championship Finals Game 3 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)

With only the fourth decisive Game 3 to be played tonight, both Florida and Michigan are looking to make history. The Gators would be just the third team to win back-to-back national championships joining UCLA and Arizona – who have each done it multiple times.

Michigan, also going for its second national championship, is trying to duplicate what it did in 2005 – rebound to win both Game 2 and Game 3 after dropping Game 1. In fact, in the other two years (2007, 2012) which  a Game 3 was needed, both times the winner of Game 2 went on to win Game 3 (Arizona and Alabama).

-30-

Media contact: Derek Volner at 860-384-9986; Derek.Volner@ESPN.com and @DerekVolner

 

• Defending National Champion/No. 1 Florida and No. 3 Michigan Both Seeking Second National Championship
• Schilling to be a Field Analyst, Joining Commentators Beth Mowins, Jessica Mendoza, Michele Smith and Holly Rowe
• Baseball Tonight, ESPNU and SEC Network with Coverage from Oklahoma City
• espnW is the Home for WCWS Digital Content

ESPN MLB analyst Curt Schilling has been added to the Women’s College World Series Championship Finals telecasts featuring No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 1 Florida in a best-of-three series which begins Monday, June 1, on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET from OGE Energy Field at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla. Schilling, a three-time MLB World Series Champion and current Sunday Night Baseball analyst, will be a field analyst for each game of the Championship Finals, joining ESPN veteran softball commentators Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Jessica Mendoza (analyst), Michele Smith (analyst), and Holly Rowe (reporter).  The Championship Finals will continue with Game 2 on Tuesday, June 2, and a decisive Game 3 on Wednesday, June 3, if necessary, both on ESPN starting at 8 p.m.

The Women’s College World Series began on Thursday, May 28, with eight teams competing in double-elimination bracket play, where Michigan and Florida both went 3-0 to advance into the Championship Finals. The Wolverines and Gators both seek their second NCAA Division I Softball National Championship in school history, with Michigan winning its first in 2005 and Florida last season. If Florida were to win, the Gators would be the first back-to-back national champions since Arizona in 2006 and 2007.

The Women’s College World Series is the conclusion of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship.  A complete bracket can be found here.

• Mendoza and Smith: Decorated former softball players Jessica Mendoza and Michele Smith will be the booth analysts for the Championship Finals. Mendoza is a four-time All-American at Stanford and a member of gold medal-winning team at the 2004 Athens Olympics and silver medal-winning team at 2008 Beijing Olympics. Smith is a two time All-American at Oklahoma State and a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist (Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000) and eight-time Japan Pro League MVP.
• Baseball Tonight: ESPN’s Baseball Tonight will provide coverage of the WCWS with live reports from Oklahoma City featuring Schilling and ESPN’s commentating team.
• ESPNU’s Women’s College World Series Pregame and Postgame:ESPNU will televise a 30-minute preview and postgame show before and after Game 2 of the Women’s College World Series Championship Finals on Tuesday, June 2, at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., respectively. If a Game 3 is necessary, ESPNU will televise another 30-minute preview and postgame show on Wednesday, June 3, at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
• SEC Network: Adam Amin and Amanda Scarborough will be on-site covering Florida for SEC Now. The news and information show will have pre and post-game coverage and feature interviews with both Florida head coach Tim Walton and players.
• espnW: Online coverage continues, led by espnW’s softball index  with comprehensive recaps and analysis.
  

• Social Media: @ESPNU, @espnW, and @NCAASoftball will provide news, game updates, photos and videos throughout the Women’s College World Series Championship Finals. Fans can join the conversation by tagging their tweet #WCWS.

Women’s College World Series Championship Finals

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Mon, June 1	8 p.m.	Women’s College World Series Championship Finals: Game No. 1 No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 1 Florida	ESPN2
Tues, June 2	8 p.m.	Women’s College World Series Championship Finals: Game No. 2 No. 1 Florida vs. No. 3 Michigan	ESPN
Wed, June 3	8 p.m.	Women’s College World Series Championship Finals: Game No. 3*	ESPN

*If necessary
Networks are subject to change

-30-

Media contact: Derek Volner at 860-384-9986; Derek.Volner@ESPN.com and @DerekVolner