ESPN's 35th Consecutive Year of College World Series Coverage Begins Saturday
Coverage includes ESPNU Studio Shows, K Zone, Two ESPN3 Surround Presentations & Omaha to the Bigs Vignettes
ESPN's second consecutive year of complete NCAA Division I Baseball Championship coverage - all possible 153 games scheduled across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 and WatchESPN - will culminate with the entire NCAA College World Series Presented by Capital One Saturday, June 14, to Wednesday, June 25. ESPN's 12th straight year of televising every College World Series game - and 35th consecutive season covering the event - will include up to 17 telecasts, including the best-of-three College World Series Finals on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. Every game will also be available on WatchESPN.
Former Stanford pitcher, and two-time College World Series participant, Kyle Peterson will rotate analyst responsibilities with Aaron Boone, who will work his first College World Series. Karl Ravech and Jon Sciambi will call play-by-play. Softball Olympic Gold (2004) and Silver (2008) Medalist Jessica Mendoza will report from the field along with Jaymee Sire.
NCAA College World Series Presented by Capital One
Seven of the eight teams in this year's College World Series are seeking their first championship (Louisville, Ole Miss, TCU, Texas Tech, UC Irvine, Vanderbilt and Virginia) while Texas is playing for its first since 2005 and seventh overall. Highlights of first-round matchups:
UC Irvine vs. Texas
· Texas will play in its 35th College World Series, the most of any school and nearly twice as many as the other seven teams in this year's event combined (18 times). The Longhorns' six championships are tied with LSU for the second most by any school behind USC's 12. It will be Texas' eighth College World Series event since 2000 and first since 2011.
· UC Irvine, which defeated overall top seed Oregon State in the Regionals, will make its second trip to Omaha and first since 2007.
Louisville vs. Vanderbilt
· Louisville, the only team in the field to have played in the 2013 College World Series, will make its third all-time appearance.
· Vanderbilt will play in its second College World Series with the first coming in 2011.
Texas Tech vs. TCU
· TCU, one of the two national eight seeds to reach the College World Series, will make its second trip to Omaha. The Horned Frogs also played in the 2010 event.
· Texas Tech will make its first College World Series appearance.
Ole Miss vs. Virginia
· Virginia, the other national eight seed to reach Omaha, will play in its third College World Series and first since 2011.
· Ole Miss will make its fifth overall appearance and first since 1972.
Date Time (ET) Game Matchups / Commentators Networks
Sat, June 14 3 p.m. 1 UC Irvine vs. Texas
Jon Sciambi, Aaron Boone & Jaymee Sire ESPN2
8 p.m. 2 Louisville vs. Vanderbilt
Karl Ravech, Kyle Peterson & Jessica Mendoza ESPN2
Sun, June 15 3 p.m. 3 Texas Tech vs. TCU
Jon Sciambi, Aaron Boone & Jaymee Sire ESPN2
8 p.m. 4 Ole Miss vs. Virginia
Karl Ravech, Kyle Peterson & Jessica Mendoza ESPN2
Mon, June 16 3 p.m. 5 Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Jon Sciambi, Aaron Boone & Jaymee Sire ESPN2
8 p.m. 6 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Karl Ravech, Kyle Peterson & Jessica Mendoza ESPN2
Tue, June 17 3 p.m. 7 Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
Jon Sciambi, Aaron Boone & Jaymee Sire ESPN2
8 p.m. 8 Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
Karl Ravech, Kyle Peterson & Jessica Mendoza ESPN
Wed, June 18 8 p.m. 9 Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6
Karl Ravech, Kyle Peterson & Jessica Mendoza ESPN
Thu, June 19 8 p.m. 10 Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8
Karl Ravech, Kyle Peterson & Jessica Mendoza ESPN
Fri, June 20 3 p.m. 11 Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 6
Jon Sciambi, Aaron Boone & Jaymee Sire ESPNU
8 p.m. 12 Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 8
Karl Ravech, Kyle Peterson & Jessica Mendoza ESPN
Sat, June 21 3 p.m. 13 If necessary
Jon Sciambi, Aaron Boone & Jaymee Sire ESPN2 **
8 p.m. 14 If necessary
Karl Ravech, Kyle Peterson & Jessica Mendoza ESPN **
Mon, June 23 8 p.m. 1 CWS Finals
Karl Ravech, Kyle Peterson, Aaron Boone, Jessica Mendoza & Jaymee Sire ESPN
Tue, June 24 8 p.m. 2 CWS Finals
Karl Ravech, Kyle Peterson, Aaron Boone, Jessica Mendoza & Jaymee Sire ESPN
Wed, June 25 8 p.m. 3 * CWS Finals
Karl Ravech, Kyle Peterson, Aaron Boone, Jessica Mendoza & Jaymee Sire ESPN
* If necessary
** If only one if necessary game, it will air at 8 p.m. on ESPN
ESPNU Coaches Press Conferences & Post-Game Shows
ESPNU's extensive studio coverage of the College World Series will be highlighted by multiple one-hour shows around the press conferences as well as 30-minute pre-and post-game programs.
Date Time (ET) Show
Fri, June 13 Noon College World Series Press Conferences
3 p.m. College World Series Press Conferences
Sun, June 15 11 p.m. College World Series Post-Game Show
Mon, June 16 11 p.m. College World Series Post-Game Show
Tue, June 17 11 p.m. College World Series Post-Game Show
Wed, June 18 11 p.m. College World Series Post-Game Show
Thu, June 19 11 p.m. College World Series Post-Game Show
Sat, June 21 11 p.m. College World Series Post-Game Show *
Sun, June 22 Noon College World Series Finals Press Conferences
Mon, June 23 7:30 p.m. College World Series Finals Pre-Game Show
11 p.m. College World Series Finals Post-Game Show
Tue, June 24 7:30 p.m. College World Series Finals Pre-Game Show
11 p.m. College World Series Finals Post-Game Show
Wed, June 25 7:30 p.m. College World Series Finals Pre-Game Show *
11 p.m. College World Series Finals Post-Game Show *
* If games are necessary
K Zone and "ESPN3 Surround"
For a fourth straight year, ESPN will use the Sports Emmy Award-winning K Zone technology. K Zone identifies the speed and location of a pitch in replays as well as tracks the path of the ball from the pitcher's hand through the strike zone and numerically sequences pitches thrown.
Coverage of the best-of-three College World Series Finals will include two "ESPN3 Surround" presentations, providing viewers with an alternative viewing experience to the traditional telecast through different camera angles and audio. One of the ESPN3 Surround applications will use cameras positioned in each dugout - and exclusive to the ESPN3 production - to showcase player and coach reactions throughout the game while the other will focus on the K Zone technology. Both presentations will incorporate traditional television camera angles into the coverage.
"Omaha to the Bigs"
The coverage will include the return of the "Omaha to Bigs" vignettes that showcase Major League Baseball players who competed in the College World Series. This year's lineup includes Jackie Bradley, Jr. (South Carolina to Boston Red Sox), Gerrit Cole (UCLA to Pittsburgh Pirates), Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt to Oakland Athletics), Michael Wacha (Texas A&M to St. Louis Cardinals) and Mike Zunino (Florida to Seattle Mariners).
ESPN.com
ESPN.com reporter Mitch Sherman will provide daily previews, features and video interviews from Omaha. The site will also provide live scoring updates, photos, videos and more from Omaha.
In addition, ESPN.com's #CWS25 countdown of the 25 most impactful players in College World Series history, which was voted on by an expert panel, will conclude on June 14. The list will continue to live on ESPN.com and fans will have an opportunity to rank their own.
Digital and Social Media
In addition to traditional coverage, ESPN.com and other digital platforms will provide unique, original content. For the sixth consecutive year, ESPN will use social networking sites Facebook (ESPNU) and Twitter (@ESPNU) to provide fans with updates and behind-the-scenes insight into the tournament.
|