Every game from the 2017 Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City will be televised by ESPN, the company’s 18th year airing every pitch of the culmination of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship. College softball’s week-long, up to 17-game season finale from OGE Energy Field at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium begins Thursday, June 1, with a four-day, eight-team round-robin, concluding with two teams advancing to the WCWS Finals. The best-of-three WCWS Finals begins Monday, June 5, and concludes either Tuesday, June 6, or Wednesday, June 7, with the crowning of this season’s national champion.
The 2017 WCWS completes the first ever NCAA Division I Softball Championship entirely produced by ESPN, with the network producing at least 135 games over the course of the regionals, Super Regionals and WCWS.
Top-Ranked Florida, Defending Champion Oklahoma Sooners Headline Eight-Team Field
All eight teams that advanced to Oklahoma City are nationally seeded, led by No. 1 Florida who were the top-ranked team heading into the Championship for the third consecutive year. The defending national champion Oklahoma Sooners return to the WCWS, this year seeded 10th in the tournament. Joining Florida and Oklahoma is No. 3 Oregon, No. 5 UCLA, No. 6 Washington, No. 9 Texas A&M, No. 13 LSU, and No. 15 Baylor.
The Gators will open the tournament, taking on No. 9 Texas A&M (noon ET), followed by No. 13 LSU vs. No. 5 UCLA (2:30 p.m.) with both games airing on ESPN. In the evening, No. 6 Washington takes on No. 3 Oregon (7 p.m.) and No. 15 Baylor plays No. 10 Oklahoma (9:30 p.m.) with both games airing on ESPN2. Play continues on Friday, June 2, (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.) and Saturday, June 3, (noon, 2:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.) with all games scheduled to air on ESPN. Sunday, June 4, will feature a minimum of two games, both airing on ESPN (1 p.m. and 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 beMonday June 5, (7 p.m.) and Game 2 will be Tuesday, June 6, (8 p.m.). If necessary, a decisive Game 3 will air Wednesday, June 7, at 8 p.m. All three games are scheduled to air on ESPN.
A complete WCWS bracket can be found here.
ESPN’s Presentation of the Women’s College World Series
ESPN will utilize two commentating teams during the round-robin portion of the tournament, with WCWS veterans Jessica Mendoza (analyst), Michele Smith (analyst), Beth Mowins (play-by-play) and Holly Rowe (reporter) calling the majority of the prime-time games. The 2017 WCWS will be Mowins’ 23nd as a commentator, Smith’s 15th and Mendoza’s 12th as an analyst and Rowe’s 13th as a reporter. The entire group will work the best-of-three Championship Series.
Returning for their third consecutive year, Adam Amin (play-by-play), Amanda Scarborough (analyst) and Laura Rutledge (reporter) will call the first games scheduled during the four day round-robin.
Pam Ward will anchor the studio coverage throughout the tournament along with analyst Cheri Kempf, a national champion at Missouri Western State.
— Courtesy of ESPN