Softball: ESPN to Televise Five Conference Championship Games; Entire SEC Tournament
ESPN3 to Carry up to 21 Additional Conference Tournament Games
ESPN will televise five conference championship games and the entire SEC tournament between Wednesday, May 7, and Sunday, May 11, while ESPN3 will carry up to an additional 21 conference tournament games – including six conference championship games – between Thursday, May 8, and Saturday, May 10. The NCAA Softball Championship Selection Show Presented by Capital One will be televised on Sunday, May 11, at 10 p.m. on ESPNU, when the NCAA Division I Softball Championship bracket is unveiled. All programming is available on WatchESPN.
The ACC Championship (2 p.m.), American Athletic Conference Championship (4 p.m.), and SEC Championship (8 p.m.) will be televised on Saturday, May 10, on ESPN2. The SWAC Championship will be available live on ESPN3 at 3 p.m. and televised at 10 p.m. on ESPNU on Saturday, May 10. The Big South Conference Championship will be televised on Sunday, May 11, at noon on ESPNU.
ESPNU will televise the SEC tournament’s first, quarterfinal, and semifinal rounds between Wednesday, May 7 and Friday, May 9. Eight out of the ten teams in the SEC tournament are ranked in the top 25. The tournament begins from Columbia, S.C. with back-to-back first round games on Wednesday at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The quarterfinals will be played on Thursday at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. and the semifinals on Friday at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
ESPN3’s lineup on Saturday, May 10, includes championship games from the Atlantic Sun, Mid-American, Missouri Valley, Southland, and Sun Belt conferences, in addition to the SWAC Championship. Preliminary rounds of the ACC tournament will be carried on Thursday and Friday. A full schedule is provided below.
ESPN’s NCAA Division I Softball Championship coverage begins Friday, May 16, with Regional round coverage. Every game from the Super Regionals and the Women’s College World Series will be televised once again this season. Complete programming details will be released next week.
NCAA Softball Championship Selection Show Presented by Capital One
Host Beth Mowins and analysts Michele Smith and Jessica Mendoza will unveil the 64-team NCAA Division I Softball Championship bracket throughout the NCAA Softball Championship Selection Show on Sunday, May 11, at 10 p.m. Head coaches from teams named to the field are expected to join the show. Smith and Mendoza will analyze the field, preview each region and determine teams likely to advance throughout the one-hour special.
ESPN Softball Television Schedule (May 7 – May 11)
| Date | Time (ET) | Conference and Game | Commentators | Network |
| Wed, May 7 | 4:00 p.m. | SEC Tournament: First Round Mississippi State vs. No. 15 Kentucky |
Pam Ward, Michele Smith | ESPNU |
| 6:30 p.m. | SEC Tournament: First Round No. 21 Auburn vs. South Carolina |
Pam Ward, Michele Smith | ESPNU | |
| Thur, May 8 | 11 a.m. | SEC Tournament: Quarterfinals No. 13 Missouri vs. No. 23 LSU |
Pam Ward, Michele Smith Holly Rowe | ESPNU |
| 1:30 p.m. | SEC Tournament: Quarterfinals Kentucky/Mississippi State vs. No. 7 Tennessee | Pam Ward, Michele Smith, Holly Rowe | ESPNU | |
| 4 p.m. | SEC Tournament: Quarterfinals No. 16 Georgia vs. No. 6 Florida |
Beth Mowins, Jessica Mendoza, Holly Rowe | ESPNU | |
| 6:30 p.m. | SEC Tournament: Quarterfinals South Carolina/No. 21 Auburn vs. No. 5 Alabama |
Beth Mowins, Jessica Mendoza, Holly Rowe | ESPNU | |
| Fri, May 9 | 3 p.m. | SEC Tournament: Semifinals | Beth Mowins, Jessica Mendoza, Michele Smith, Holly Rowe | ESPNU |
| 5:30 p.m. | SEC Tournament: Semifinals | Beth Mowins, Jessica Mendoza, Michele Smith, Holly Rowe | ESPNU | |
| Sat, May 10 | 2 p.m. | ACC Tournament: Championship Game | Pam Ward, Cheri Kempf | ESPN2 |
| 4 p.m. | American Athletic Conference Tournament: Championship Game | Joe Davis, Jenny Dalton-Hill | ESPN2 | |
| 8 p.m. | SEC Tournament: Championship Game | Beth Mowins, Jessica Mendoza, Michele Smith, Holly Rowe | ESPN2 | |
| 10 p.m. | SWAC Tournament: Championship Game* | Melissa Lee, Kayla Braud | ESPNU | |
| Sun, May 11 | Noon | Big South Tournament: Championship Game | Mark Neely, Amanda Scarborough | ESPNU |
*Live on ESPN3 on Saturday, May 10, at 3 p.m.
Rankings are from the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25
ESPN3 Softball Schedule (May 8-10)
| Date | Time (ET) | Conference and Game |
| Thurs, May 8 | 11 a.m. | ACC Tournament: Quarterfinals: Georgia Tech vs. No.4 Florida State |
| 1:30 p.m. | ACC Tournament: Quarterfinals: North Carolina vs. NC State | |
| 5 p.m. | ACC Tournament: Quarterfinals: Boston College vs. No. 20 Notre Dame | |
| 7:30 p.m. | ACC Tournament: Quarterfinals: Syracuse vs. Virginia Tech | |
| Fri, May 9 | 1 p.m. | ACC Tournament: Semifinal: No. 1 |
| 3:p.m. | Sun Belt Tournament: Game No. 8 | |
| 3:30 p.m. | ACC Tournament: Semifinal: No. 2 | |
| 6 p.m. | Sun Belt Tournament: Game No. 9 | |
| Sat, May 10 | Noon | Big South Tournament: Game No. 12 |
| 1 p.m. | Atlantic Sun: Championship | |
| 1:30 p.m. | Mid-American Tournament: Championship | |
| 2:30 p.m. | Big South Tournament: Game No. 13 | |
| 3 p.m. | SWAC Tournament: Championship | |
| 3 p.m. | Southland Tournament: Championship | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Atlantic Sun: Championship (if nec.) | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Missouri Valley Tournament: Championship | |
| 4 p.m. | Mid-American Tournament: Championship (if nec.) | |
| 4 p.m. | Sun Belt Tournament: Championship | |
| 5 p.m. | Big South Tournament: Game 14 (if nec.) | |
| 5:30 p.m. | Southland Tournament: Championship (if nec.) | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Big South Tournament: Game 15 (if nec.) |
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Media contact: Derek Volner at 860-384-9986; [email protected] and @DerekVolner
