ESPN to Present Most Comprehensive NCAA Division Softball Schedule in 2016

Coming off last season's Women's College WORLD SERIES record ratings, ESPN will offer its most comprehensive NCAA Division I Softball schedule in 2016 with more than 600 games carried across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, Longhorn Network, ESPN3, and SEC Network +. The regular season concludes with championship games from the ACC, American, Atlantic Sun, Big South, Horizon League, Mid-American Conference, Missouri Valley, SEC, Southern and SOUTHLAND conferences, leading into the NCAA Division I Softball Championship.

ESPNU/ESPN2
ESPNU and ESPN2 will begin their slate featuring the back-to-back National Champion Florida Gators hosting No. 20 Tennessee (March 18) and traveling to No. 6 LSU (March 26). Overall, the schedule will feature 17 ranked teams including 16 appearances from top 10 teams; approximately 90% of the total games feature a ranked team. Additional highlights:

Best vs. Best: 19 games will feature a ranked team vs. another ranked team including:
2 Alabama at No. 1 Florida (April 2)
13 Oklahoma at No. 20 Tennessee (April 23)
15 UCLA at No. 18 Arizona (April 24)
18 Arizona at No. 8 Oregon (May 1)
9 Texas A&M at No. 4 Auburn (May 7)
11 Georgia at No. 2 Alabama (May 7)

Championship Games: ACC, American and SEC Championship games will all air on ESPN. ESPNU will air televise the SEC Tournament semifinals and the SWAC Championship game.
Home of the Post Season: ESPN will cover the Regionals, Super Regionals and every game of the Women's College World Series. The selection show will air on May 15 at 10 p.m. on ESPNU. Details to be announced later in the season.
SEC Network and SEC Network +

SEC Network begins the television coverage when No. 4 Auburn hosts Georgia State (March 6) and Alabama hosts Stamford (March 8). SEC Network will televise a quadrupleheader March 12 and a tripleheader on March 13 featuring No. 16 Kentucky at South Carolina, No. 2 Alabama at No. 6 LSU and No. 1 Florida at No. 4 Auburn both days and Arkansas at No. 20 Tennessee on March 13 as conference play ramps up. Throughout the season SEC Network will air more than 50 games, concluding with the second round of the SEC Tournament on May 13.
SEC Network +, the digital home of the SEC Network, will stream more than 250 games this season featuring all 13 teams in the conference, including more than 20 appearances by No. 1 Florida.
SEC Network's full schedule can be found here and SEC Network's + schedule is continuously updated at SECNetwork.com

ESPN3
ESPN3, which began its 250+ game slate in February, will stream contests from 12 difference conferences - ACC, Atlantic Sun, Big East, Big South, Big West, Horizon League, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Missouri Valley, Southland, Sun Belt, and Western Athletic. Highlights:

ACC Softball: More than 50 ACC games including the quarterfinals and semifinals of the conference tournament.
12 Florida State, whose series with No. 3 Michigan was streamed in February, will be seen more than 10 times this season, including vs. No. 1 Florida (May 4) and vs. conference opponents No. 25 Notre Dame (April 2-3) and Louisville (May 7-8)
25 Notre Dame will also be streamed more than 10 times this season, including the aforementioned series vs. No. 12 Florida State and home series vs. Louisville (April 30 - May 1)
Sun Belt's Ragin' Cajuns: 5 Louisiana-Lafayette will be carried eight times this season

Image courtesy of ESPN Press

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