ESPN Family of Networks Ramps Up Its College Baseball and Softball Coverage

We have a bunch of college baseball and softball games on the ESPN platforms, ESPN2, ESPNU and the soon-to-be renamed ESPN3.com. This means a combined 53 regular season baseball and softball games. Most of them will be seen on ESPNU and a whole slew of contests will involve the SEC. Take a look at the press release.

ESPNU, ESPN, ESPN2 & ESPN360.com Offer Most-Ever College Softball & Baseball Schedule Beginning with Regular-Season Action
ESPNU, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com will televise 53 regular-season college softball and baseball games leading into the networks’ extensive postseason action of up to 110 contests. It is ESPN’s most coverage overall of the two sports and the most games scheduled of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship – up to 55 — with the addition of a Regional round.
Regular-season softball action will begin with two games from the No. 13 Florida at No. 5 Alabama series Saturday, March 27, at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2 HD and Sunday, March 28, at 2:30 p.m. on ESPNU HD. Baseball coverage will start the following weekend with three telecasts, all featuring at least one ranked team: Georgia at No. 4 LSU (Friday, April 2, at 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU HD), No. 8 Texas at No. 12 Oklahoma (Saturday, April 3, at 3 p.m. on ESPNU HD) and Mississippi State at No. 23 South Carolina (Sunday, April 4, at 2 p.m. on ESPNU).
Regular-season schedule details:
  • ESPNU will televise the majority of the action, with 41 of the 53 games. ESPN360.com will simulcast the 12 ESPN and ESPN2 telecasts.
  • Thirty-one of the telecasts will be in high definition.
  • The schedule includes 30 softball and 23 baseball games.
  • The networks will combine to televise six conference title games, comprising:
  • The entire SEC Softball Tournament.
  • The SEC Baseball Tournament championship game.
  • The SWAC softball and baseball championships.
  • The baseball championships from the BIG EAST and MEAC.
ESPNU, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com will offer up to 55 games each from the NCAA Division I Softball Championship and NCAA Division I Baseball Championship for a potential of 110 total telecasts (the entire schedules for both will be released at a later date). Coverage for both events will include two Regional series, all eight of the Super Regionals and the entire Championships.
A minimum of 62 games will be offered in high definition, including every game from both of the softball and baseball Regional series and the entire Women’s College World Series and College World Series.
Softball and baseball commentators
ESPN’s telecasts will feature former top players and coaches providing analysis. The softball lineup will include:
  • Three U.S. Olympic Medalists working softball games: two-time gold medalist Michele Smith (2000 and 1996), Jessica Mendoza, who won gold in 2004 and silver in 2008, and Amanda Freed, who won gold in 2004.
  • Former Northwestern standout Garland Cooper, a three-time Big Ten Player of the Year and all-time Big Ten home runs leader.
  • National Pro Fastpitch commissioner Cheri Kempf.
  • Cindy Bristow, former head softball coach at Arizona State, New Mexico State and Wichita State.
The baseball telecasts will include:
  • Kyle Peterson, a former Stanford All-American, participant in the College World Series and first-round MLB Draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers, entering his seventh season of college baseball analysis with ESPN.
  • Morgan Ensberg who won the College World Series with USC in 1998 and played eight years in Major League Baseball (Houston Astros, San Diego Padres and New York Yankees).
  • Former LSU All-American and Gold Spikes Award winner Ben McDonald, who also played eight years in Major League Baseball (Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers).
  • Leland Maddox, a former Major League Baseball Director of Scouting for the Cincinnati Reds and Oakland A’s.
The schedule is after the jump.

ESPNU, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com Regular-Season Schedule
Note: Softball and baseball championship schedules will be released at a later date
Date Time (ET) Game Commentators (through April 18) Sport Network
Sat, Mar 27 2 p.m. No. 13 Florida at No. 5 Alabama  Justin Kutcher & Jessica Mendoza Softball ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com
Sun, Mar 28 2:30 p.m. No. 13 Florida at No. 5 Alabama  Justin Kutcher & Jessica Mendoza  Softball ESPNU HD
Fri, Apr 2 8:30 p.m. Georgia at No. 4 LSU  Eric Collins & Kyle Peterson Baseball ESPNU HD
Sat, Apr 3 3 p.m. No. 8 Texas at No. 12 Oklahoma Dan McLaughlin & Morgan Ensberg Baseball ESPNU HD
Sun, Apr 4 2 p.m. Mississippi State at No. 23 South Carolina  Justin Kutcher & Kyle Peterson Baseball ESPNU
Fri, Apr 9 8 p.m. No. 18 Ole Miss at Georgia Dan McLaughlin & Kyle Peterson  Baseball ESPNU
Sun, Apr 11 2 p.m. South Carolina at Kentucky  Beth Mowins & Michele Smith Softball ESPNU HD
5 p.m. Cal State Fullerton at No. 22 UC Irvine  Troy Bender & Morgan Ensberg Baseball ESPNU
Fri, Apr 16 7 p.m. Georgia at No. 17 Arkansas  Clay Matvick & Kyle Peterson Baseball ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com
Sun, Apr 18 Noon Kentucky at No. 13 Florida  Cara Capuano & Michele Smith Softball ESPNU HD / ESPN360.com
2 p.m. Auburn at No. 20 Vanderbilt Clay Matvick & Morgan Ensberg  Baseball ESPNU
3 p.m. No. 15 Texas at No. 9 Oklahoma  Beth Mowins & Jessica Mendoza Softball ESPN HD / ESPN360.com
Wed, Apr 21 1 p.m. Syracuse at No. 24 Louisville  TBA Softball ESPNU
3:30 p.m. Syracuse at No. 24 Louisville  TBA Softball ESPNU
Fri, Apr 23 4:30 p.m. Radford at Winthrop  TBA Baseball ESPNU
8 p.m. No. 4 LSU at No. 18 Ole Miss  TBA Baseball ESPNU HD
Sat, Apr 24 5 p.m. Auburn at Ole Miss  TBA Softball ESPNU HD
Sun, Apr 25 2 p.m. Radford at Winthrop  TBA Softball ESPNU
3 p.m. No. 4 Missouri at No. 17 Texas A&M  TBA Softball ESPN HD / ESPN360.com
Thu, Apr 29 8 p.m. No. 7 Georgia at No 12 LSU  TBA Softball ESPN HD / ESPN360.com
Fri, Apr 30 2:30 p.m. Bethune-Cookman at Florida A&M  TBA Softball ESPNU
5 p.m. No. 24 Kentucky at Tennessee  TBA Baseball ESPNU
9 p.m. No. 7 Georgia at No. 12 LSU  TBA Softball ESPNU HD
Sat, May 1 2 p.m. No. 4 LSU at No. 9 Florida  TBA Baseball ESPNU HD
7:30 p.m. No. 21 Tennessee at No. 5 Alabama  TBA Softball ESPN HD / ESPN360.com
9 p.m. Baylor at No. 8 Texas  TBA Baseball ESPNU
Sun, May 2 1 p.m. No. 4 LSU at No. 9 Florida  TBA Baseball ESPN HD / ESPN360.com
2 p.m. SWAC Championship  TBA Softball ESPNU
4 p.m. No. 21 Tennessee at No. 5 Alabama  TBA Softball ESPNU HD
Fri, May 7 8 p.m. No. 17 Arkansas at No. 18 Ole Miss  TBA Baseball ESPNU
11 p.m. Louisiana Tech at Fresno State  TBA Softball ESPNU
Sat, May 8 Noon No. 12 LSU at No. 21 Tennessee  TBA Softball ESPN HD / ESPN360.com
2:30 p.m. Long Beach State at Cal State Fullerton  TBA Softball ESPNU
5 p.m. Long Beach State at Cal State Fullerton  TBA Softball ESPNU
8 p.m. No. 17 Arkansas at No. 18 Ole Miss  TBA Baseball ESPNU
Sun, May 9 1 p.m. No. 7 Georgia at No. 15 Texas  TBA Softball ESPN HD / ESPN360.com
2 p.m. No. 12 LSU at No. 21 Tennessee  TBA Softball ESPNU HD
5 p.m. No. 22 UC Irvine at Cal Poly  TBA Baseball ESPNU
Mon, May 10 7 p.m. No. 7 Georgia at No. 15 Texas  TBA Softball ESPNU HD
Thu, May 13 Noon SEC Quarterfinals  TBA Softball ESPNU HD
2:30 p.m. SEC Quarterfinals  TBA Softball ESPNU HD
5 p.m. SEC Quarterfinals  TBA Softball ESPNU HD
7:30 p.m. SEC Quarterfinals  TBA Softball ESPNU HD
Fri, May 14 3 p.m. SEC Semifinal  TBA Softball ESPNU HD
5:30 p.m. SEC Semifinal  TBA Softball ESPNU HD
8 p.m. Georgia at No. 9 Florida  TBA Baseball ESPNU HD
Sat, May 15 4 p.m. No. 18 Ole Miss at No. 16 Alabama  TBA Baseball ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com
7:30 p.m. SEC Championship  TBA Softball ESPN HD / ESPN360.com
Thu, May 20 6 p.m. No. 11 Louisville at Notre Dame  TBA Baseball ESPNU
Mon, May 24 5 p.m. MEAC Championship *  TBA Baseball ESPNU
Sun, May 30 Noon BIG EAST Championship  TBA Baseball ESPNU
2 p.m. SEC Championship  TBA Baseball ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com
Mon, May 31 6 p.m. SWAC Championship *  TBA Baseball ESPNU

* Tape Delay
All baseball rankings are from ESPN/ USA Today Coaches Top 25
All softball rankings are from ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Women’s Top 25
Schedule subject to change; All times Eastern
Additional commentator assignments will be released as the season progresses

That does it. And yes, I now have jump capabilities so the posts won’t be so long. It’ll save you aggravation.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013. He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television. Fang celebrates the three Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

Quantcast