College Softball World Series ESPN Press Release
Most Extensive NCAA Division I Softball Championship Coverage Ever Begins May 15
ESPNU, ESPN, ESPN2 & ESPN360.com to Present Up to 48 Games, Including All Eight Super Regional Sites for First Time; John Kruk Among Returning Analysts
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.com will combine to provide the most extensive NCAA Division I Softball Championship coverage ever with up to 48 games May 15 to June 3. For the first time, the schedule will include every game from each of the eight Super Regional sites, an increase from six last year. For the second consecutive year, ESPN analyst John Kruk will provide game analysis during the Women’s College World Series.
Coverage will begin Friday, May 15 with a Regional doubleheader from Tempe, Ariz. on ESPNU: Cal State-Fullerton vs. LSU at 5:30 p.m. ET and San Diego State vs. Arizona State at 7:30 p.m. ESPNU and ESPNU HD – ESPNU’s high definition service — will televise every game from the Tempe Regional. Highlights:
• A record 48 scheduled games will be offered across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.com, including all possible 24 Super Regional and 17 Women’s College World Series contests.
• ESPNU and ESPNU HD will televise a complete best-of-seven Regional series May 15-17. Each Regional winner will advance to the Super Regionals.
• ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.com will combine to televise every game from the eight best-of-three Super Regional series May 21-24. On up to three occasions, ESPN will feature two games in one window and whip-around to the best action from both games for viewers in most of the nation (except in the home market of the competing teams where the game of local interest will be the primary telecast). It will mark the second time ESPN has offered whip-around coverage during its softball telecasts. Each Super Regional winner will advance to the Women’s College World Series.
• ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com will combine to televise every Women’s College World Series game, including in high definition on ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD, May 28 to June 3. It will mark ESPN’s 28th consecutive year covering the event and the eighth season the networks will combine to televise every game.
• ESPN360.com — ESPN’s signature live, sports broadband network – will simulcast every ESPN and ESPN2 telecast.
• ESPN International will provide coverage of the Women’s College World Series in 103 countries and territories on ESPN Pacific Rim, ESPN Africa, ESPN Middle East, ESPN Israel and ESPN Caribbean.
• The networks will utilize two announce teams on the Women’s College World Series, each featuring U.S. Olympic Gold Medal winners as analysts. Beth Mowins will call play-by-play with analysts Jessica Mendoza, a 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist and 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist, and John Kruk, who primarily serves as a Major League Baseball studio analyst. Pam Ward will call play-by-play with analyst Michele Smith, a two-time U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist (2000 and 1996). Holly Rowe will serve as the field reporter on every telecast.
• •Regional action will be called by Mowins with Mendoza and Smith while the Super Regional commentators include Mowins, Ward, Clay Matvick, Eric Collins, Cara Capuano, Justin Kutcher, Mike Gleason and Bob Wischusen working play-by-play and Mendoza, Smith, Cindy Bristow, Leah Amico, Cheri Kempf, Karen Johns, Jennie Ritter and Amanda Scarborough as analysts.
• NCAA Softball Regional Presented on ESPNU by Capital One
Date Time Network Matchup / Site Game Commentators
5/15 5:30 p.m. ESPNU Cal State-Fullerton vs. LSU (Tempe, Ariz.) 1 Mowins, Smith and Mendoza
7:30 p.m. ESPNU San Diego State vs. Arizona State (Tempe, Ariz.) 2 Mowins, Smith and Mendoza
5/16 6 p.m. ESPNU TBA (Tempe, Ariz.) 3 Mowins, Smith and Mendoza
8 p.m. ESPNU TBA (Tempe, Ariz.) 4 Mowins, Smith and Mendoza
10:30 p.m. ESPNU TBA (Tempe, Ariz.) 5 Mowins, Smith and Mendoza
5/17 5:30 p.m. ESPNU TBA (Tempe, Ariz.) 6 Mowins, Smith and Mendoza
7:30 p.m. ESPNU TBA (Tempe, Ariz.) 7* Mowins, Smith and Mendoza
* If necessary; Coin flip will determine home team
NCAA Softball Super Regional Presented on ESPNU by Capital One
Note: Commentator assignments TBD
Date Time Network Site Game
5/21 7 p.m. ESPN2 / ESPN360.com Site 1 1
9:30 p.m. ESPN2 / ESPN360.com Site 2 1
5/22 2 p.m. ESPN2 / ESPNU / ESPN360.com Site 3 1
4:30 p.m. ESPN2 / ESPN360.com Site 1 2
6:30 p.m. ESPN2 / ESPN360.com Site 1 3 * +
7 p.m. ESPNU Site 4 1
8 p.m. % ESPN / ESPN360.com Site 5 1
8:30 p.m. % Site 2 2
11 p.m. ESPN2 / ESPN360.com Site 2 3 *
5/23 noon % ESPN / ESPN360.com Site 3 2
Site 6 1
2 p.m. % ESPN / ESPN360.com Site 3 3 *
2:30 p.m. % Site 5 2
4:30 p.m. ESPN / ESPN360.com Site 5 3 * ~
4:30 p.m. ESPNU Site 4 2
6:30 p.m. ESPNU Site 4 3 *
8 p.m. ESPN / ESPN360.com Site 8 1
9:30 p.m. ESPNU Site 7 1
5/24 1 p.m. ESPN / ESPN360.com Site 6 2
3 p.m. ESPN / ESPN360.com Site 6 3 * #
3:30 p.m. ESPNU Site 7 2
5:30 p.m. ESPNU Site 7 3 * ^
6 p.m. ESPN2 / ESPN360.com Site 8 2
8 p.m. ESPN2 / ESPN360.com Site 8 3 *
* If necessary; Coin flip will determine home team
+ If no Game 3 from Site 1, ESPN2 will simulcast ESPNU’s Game 1 coverage from Site 4
~ If no Game 3 from Site 5, ESPN will simulcast ESPNU’s Game 2 coverage from Site 4
# If no Game 3 from Site 6, ESPN will simulcast ESPNU’s Game 2 coverage from Site 7
^ If no Game 3 from Site 7, ESPNU will simulcast ESPN2’s Game 2 coverage from Site 8
% ESPN will showcase two games within one window and “whip-around” to the best action from those games in most of the nation. Viewers in the home markets of the competing teams will receive their local game in its entirety with constant updates from the other game.
Also here is the press release in a .pdf file, and here is a link to the WCWS schedules.
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May 30th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Hi Michelle,
Please address the left handed slap hitters
OUT OF THE BOX. This is abuse of the rules.
Both feet must be in the box at contact.
The opening batter in todays Alabama-Arizona game
HAD HER BACK FOOT IN FRONT OF THE PLATE at
contact. I played top level mens fast pitch for 25 years, this rule was called by the 3b umpire.
Jim
May 30th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Send John Kruk back to baseball, he doesn’t know Softball!
May 30th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
I don’t like listening to John Kruk. He doesn’t seem to understand the difference between softball and baseball including the emotions of the players. I agree with Sue, send him back.
June 1st, 2009 at 8:24 am
Thank you, all the other commentators (except Mr. Kruk) are wonderful,- entertaining and insightful. Kudos also to ESPN for the great coverage and for it’s roll in helping to grow the sport. It’s a great game!
June 1st, 2009 at 10:15 pm
We mute the TV when John Kruk speaks. If they want a male anouncer, pick a male softball coach. Softball players are team players, not whining spoiled overpaid selfish pro baseball players who are in it for self glory.
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:51 pm
What is up with the home plate umpire in the finals? Is he Canadian?? I was pulling for the Huskies the whole time, but I hate to see key moments in games decided by calls. Especially when the other team didn’t have the same strike zone. He also sat on the inside ot the plate, couldn’t see the outside of the plate good enough to see they were balls, and what’s strange he didn’t even call the inside acurrately. Let the girls decide it. You only get a few chances to score runs and he ruined Florida’s chances late in the game. Congratulations to Washington, but a game 3 would have been nice and maybe appropriate.
June 6th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
OK, John Kurk might not have been the answer but I have to say these women anouncers are terrible. Why do they think they have to explain everything? They talk like noboby watching has a clue what about the game. We end up muting the sound most of the time because they are pretty much idiots. They need to call the game and end the explainations of every pitch.
One other thing I need to mention, I am not a Washington but the umpires were terrible in that game and they have been in most of these games.
May 29th, 2011 at 12:11 am
May 28, 2011
I watched both the Baylor vs Georgia and Washington vs Missouri games on ESPN. The left handed slap hitters on all 4 teams stepped completely out of the box with their left foot when making contact with the ball. This is a violation of NCAA softball rule 11.2.5 which states: the batter may not contact the pitch when an entire foot is touching the ground completely outside the lines of the batters box. Effect – the batter shall be declred out immediately!!!!! This is a call that should be made by the third base umpire if the plate umpire doesn’t see it. Have been a fastpitch coach for years and this is just a travisty of the rules. What are rules for -abide by them.