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