NCAA Division I Softball Championship: ESPN Televises All Eight Super Regionals

Derek Volner May 24, 2016

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:

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

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Media contact: Derek Volner at 860-384-9986; [email protected] and @DerekVolner