- 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:
- 16 teams and so many questions remain for the NCAA Softball Super Regionals
- Softball Player of the Year: Auburn’s Kasey Cooper
- Get Schooled: Jessica Mendoza’s softball trivia test
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; Derek.Volner@ESPN.com and @DerekVolner
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