ESPN Softball 1st Round schedule announced- enter Longhorn Network & ESPNews

ESPN has increased their 1st round coverage of the NCAA Softball Tournament by scheduling 1 series on Longhorn Network. This isn't the first time ESPN has done this as they did the same thing for the baseball team last year and also aired 1 region of the Little League World Series (Southwest Region) on Longhorn Network. Here is the press release from ESPN.

ESPN Expands Coverage of NCAA Division I Softball Championship

Doubles Regional Site Coverage; Set to Air Every Super Regional and WCWS Game

ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Longhorn Network (LHN) and ESPN3 will combine as the coverage home to the NCAA Division I Softball Championship with up to 97 games Friday, May 17 to Wednesday, June 5. The lineup will include telecasts of every Women’s College World Series (WCWS) contest for the 13^th straight event, every game from all eight Super Regional sites for the sixth straight year and more coverage of the Regionals than ever before.

ESPN networks will air games from eight Regionals sites, doubling the previous year’s coverage and making it the most sites ever carried nationally. Up to 112 hours of games will be available over three days from: the Norman Regional (Marita Hynes Field), Austin Regional (Red and Charline McCombs Field), Tempe Regional (Alberta B. Farrington Stadium), Columbia Regional (University Field), Ann Arbor Regional (Wilpon Softball Complex), Lexington Regional (John Cropp Stadium), Mobile Regional (Jaguar Field) and College Station Regional (Olsen Field).

The 64-team field was revealed live during the NCAA Softball Selection Show presented by Capital One on ESPNU Sunday, May 12. Eight teams are making their first appearance in the tournament and the Southeastern Conference led all conferences with 11 teams selected. The Pac-12 placed eight, while the Big Ten, Atlantic Coast Conference and Conference USA each had four qualifiers.

Additional 2013 NCAA Softball Championship Highlights:

• Regionals, Super Regionals and WCWS games will include the expert opinion and experience from at least six U.S. Olympic Gold Medalists, one of which was a three-time NCAA Champion:

 o    ESPN Softball Analysts at Regionals: Leah O’Brien-Amico (Arizona), Garland Cooper (Northwestern), Amanda Freed (UCLA), Jessica Mendoza (Stanford), Charlotte Morgan (Alabama), Michele Smith (Oklahoma St.), Amanda Scarborough (Texas A&M) and Tracy Warren (Trenton State College)

o    ESPN Softball Analysts at Super Regionals: Leah O’Brien-Amico (Arizona), Garland Cooper (Northwestern), Jennie Finch (Arizona), Amanda Freed (UCLA), Cheri Kemp (Missouri Western), Jessica Mendoza (Stanford), Amanda Scarborough (Texas A&M) and Michele Smith (Oklahoma State)

o    ESPN Softball Analysts in Studio: Cheri Kemp (Missouri Western) and Jenny Dalton Hill (Arizona) for Regionals; Stacey Nuveman (UCLA) and Jenny Dalton Hill (Arizona) for Super Regionals

• For the second year, LHN will exclusively air every game involving No. 4 Texas from the Austin Regionals site. ESPN3 will carry all other Austin Regional site games.
•  espnW.com will serve as the online destination for complete coverage of the Division I NCAA Softball Tournament. Contributor Graham Hays and others will provide extensive preview coverage, bracket analysis, power rankings, photos, videos and more. In addition, several players will be guest blogging for the site in Blogs From the Road. espnW is also collecting the best social photos during the tournament; fans are encouraged to join the gallery by tweeting their photos and using hashtag #WCWS
•  ESPN International will provide the WCWS in: ESPN Australia, ESPN Africa, ESPN Caribbean, ESPN Europe, ESPN Israel, ESPN Latin America, ESPN Middle East, ESPN Pacific Rim and ESPN Brazil.

Regionals Softball Schedule (Schedule Subject to Change):

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Fri, May 17	3:30 p.m.	College Station Regional: Arizona vs. Baylor Pam Ward & Michele Smith	ESPN2
	3:30 p.m.	Tempe Regional: San Diego State vs. Georgia Beth Mowins & Jessica Mendoza	ESPNU
	4:30 p.m.	Ann Arbor Regional: Central Michigan vs. California Sam Gore & Garland Cooper	ESPN3
	4:30 p.m.	Mobile Regional: Mississippi State vs. Florida State Melissa Lee & Charlotte Morgan	ESPN3
	5 p.m.	Lexington Regional: Virginia Tech vs. Notre Dame Cara Capuano & Leah O’Brien-Amico	ESPN3
	5 p.m.	Columbia Regional: Oregon State vs. Hofstra Mark Neely & Amanda Freed	ESPN3
	4 p.m.	Austin Regional: South Carolina vs. Houston Carter Blackburn & Amanda Scarborough	ESPN3
	6 p.m.	College Station Regional: Pennsylvania vs. No. 16 Texas A&M Pam Ward & Michele Smith	ESPN2
	6 p.m.	Tempe Regional: San Jose State vs.  No. 5 Arizona State Beth Mowins & Jessica Mendoza	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	Norman Regional: Fordham vs. Arkansas Jeanne Zelasko & Tracy Warren	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Ann Arbor Regional: Valparaiso vs. No. 8 Michigan Sam Gore & Garland Cooper	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Mobile Regional: Mississippi Valley State vs. No. 13 South Alabama Melissa Lee & Charlotte Morgan	ESPN3
	7:30 p.m.	Lexington Regional: Marshall vs. No. 12 Kentucky Cara Capuano & Leah O’Brien-Amico	ESPN3
	7:30 p.m.	Columbia Regional: Stony Brook vs. No. 6 Missouri Mark Neely & Amanda Freed	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Austin Regional: Army vs. No. 4 Texas Carter Blackburn & Amanda Scarborough	LHN
	8:30 p.m.	Norman Regional: Marist vs. No. 1 Oklahoma Jeanne Zelasko & Tracy Warren	ESPN3
Sat, May 18	noon	Ann Arbor Regional: TBD Sam Gore & Garland Cooper	ESPN3
	noon	Austin Regional: TBD Carter Blackburn & Amanda Scarborough	LHN or ESPN3
	1 p.m.	Lexington Regional: TBD Cara Capuano & Leah O’Brien-Amico	ESPN3
	1 p.m.	Columbia Regional: TBD Mark Neely & Amanda Freed	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	Norman Regional: TBD Jeanne Zelasko & Tracy Warren	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	Mobile Regional: TBD Melissa Lee & Charlotte Morgan	ESPN3
	2:30 p.m.	Ann Arbor Regional: TBD Sam Gore & Garland Cooper	ESPN3
	3 p.m.	College Station Regional: TBD Pam Ward & Michele Smith	ESPN
	3 p.m.	Austin Regional: TBD Carter Blackburn & Amanda Scarborough	LHN or ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	Lexington Regional: TBD Cara Capuano & Leah O’Brien-Amico	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	Columbia Regional: TBD Mark Neely & Amanda Freed	ESPN3
	4:30 p.m.	Norman Regional: TBD Jeanne Zelasko & Tracy Warren	ESPN3
	4:30 p.m.	Mobile Regional: TBD Melissa Lee & Charlotte Morgan	ESPN3
	5 p.m.	Ann Arbor Regional: TBD Sam Gore & Garland Cooper	ESPN3
	5:30 p.m.	College Station Regional: TBD Pam Ward & Michele Smith	ESPN
	6 p.m.	Tempe Regional: TBD Beth Mowins & Jessica Mendoza	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	Lexington Regional: TBD Cara Capuano & Leah O’Brien-Amico	ESPN3
	6 p.m.	Columbia Regional: TBD Mark Neely & Amanda Freed	ESPN3
	6 p.m.	Austin Regional: TBD Carter Blackburn & Amanda Freed	LHN or ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Norman Regional: TBD Jeanne Zelasko & Tracy Warren	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Mobile Regional: TBD Melissa Lee & Charlotte Morgan	ESPN3
	8 p.m.	College Station Regional: TBD Pam Ward & Michele Smith	ESPNEWS
	8:30 p.m.	Tempe Regional: TBD Beth Mowins & Jessica Mendoza	ESPNU
	11 p.m.	Tempe Regional: TBD Beth Mowins & Jessica Mendoza	ESPNU
Sun, May 19	1 p.m.	Lexington Regional: TBD Cara Capuano & Leah O’Brien-Amico	ESPN3
	1p.m.	Ann Arbor Regional: TBD Sam Gore & Garland Cooper	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	Austin Regional: TBD Carter Blackburn & Amanda Freed	LHN or ESPN3
	2 p.m.	Norman Regional: TBD Jeanne Zelasko & Tracy Warren	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	Columbia Regional: TBD Mark Neely & Amanda Freed	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	College Station Regional: TBD Pam Ward & Michele Smith	ESPN2
	3:30 p.m.	Lexington Regional: TBD Cara Capuano & Leah O’Brien-Amico	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	Ann Arbor Regional: TBD Sam Gore & Garland Cooper	ESPN3
	5 p.m.	Austin Regional: TBD Carter Blackburn & Amanda Freed	LHN or ESPN3
	4:30 p.m.	Norman Regional: TBD Jeanne Zelasko & Tracy Warren	ESPN3
	4:30 p.m.	Mobile Regional: TBD Melissa Lee & Charlotte Morgan	ESPN3
	4:30 p.m.	Columbia Regional: TBD Mark Neely & Amanda Freed	ESPN3
	6 p.m.	College Station Regional: TBD Pam Ward & Michele Smith	ESPN2
	6 p.m.	Tempe Regional: TBD Beth Mowins & Jessica Mendoza	ESPNU
	7 p.m.	Mobile Regional: TBD Melissa Lee & Charlotte Morgan	ESPN3
	8:30 p.m.	Tempe Regional: TBD Beth Mowins & Jessica Mendoza	ESPNU