OKLAHOMA CITY Seven World Cup of Softball VI games, including the womens fast pitch Championship Game and the mens slow pitch Border Battle, will air across the United States this July on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.com, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America announced today. The World Cup is July 21-25 at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, which recently hosted the 2011 NCAA Womens College World Series.
The World Cup of Softball headlines the international softball season every year. And the world will not be disappointed by this event in 2011, ASA/USA Softball Executive Director Ron Radigonda said. Not only do we have a group fresh faces trying to uphold the tradition of the USA Softball Womens National Team, we also have richly talented womens fast teams from Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Great Britain and Japan, and slow pitch teams from Canada and the USA. Every game will be a great display of the best athletes our sport has to offer. We are pleased that the ESPN networks are bringing the highest level of our sport into Americas living rooms and into homes across the world. Their continued relationship with the ASA has been vital to continuing the growth of our sport during this critical time.
The only international event hosted by ASA/USA Softball, the World Cup is the only international softball event aired in the United States. Every televised game will be available in high definition on ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD. For the second consecutive year, all seven of the games, six womens fast pitch and the Border Battle III, will be covered on ESPN3.com. Selected games from ESPN's coverage will also be televised globally to more than 150 countries across ESPN's international networks including ESPN America, ESPN Pacific Rim, ESPN Australia HD, ESPN Brazil HD, ESPN Israel, ESPN Middle East, ESPN Africa, ESPN Caribbean and ESPN2 Caribbean.
All games not covered by the ESPN Networks will be webcast live from the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium by ASA/USA Softball. Information on the webcasts will be available at ASASoftball.com and USASoftball.com at a later date.
ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.coms coverage of the World Cup of Softball, coming just weeks after the NCAA Womens College World Series, demonstrates our commitment to televising womens sports across the country and the world. Softball is a key sport in our lineup, said Carol Stiff, vice president, ESPN programming and acquisitions. We are proud to work with ASA/USA Softball again in 2011 for the World Cup of Softball VI and the mens slow pitch Border Battle III. Our viewers have always enjoyed watching Team USA and the best athletes in international softball so we are happy to deliver it to them.
ESPN is the official network of the World Cup of Softball VI. In total, the network will provide over 14 hours of live coverage on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.com highlighted by multiple prime time windows including the Championship Game on July 25 at 8 p.m. CST. Games may be re-aired throughout the year.
The complete domestic ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.com live air schedule is below.
July 21 at 7 p.m.
USA vs. Czech Republic
ESPN/ESPN3.com
July 22 at 7 p.m.
USA vs. Australia
ESPN/ESPN3.com
July 23 at 1 p.m.
(Tape delayed broadcast of Noon game)
USA vs. Canada
ESPN/ESPN3.com
July 23 at 3 p.m.
USA vs. Canada
Mens slow pitch Border Battle III
ESPN/ESPN3.com
July 23 at 8 p.m.
USA vs. Japan
ESPN2/ESPN3.com
July 24 at 4 p.m.
USA vs. Great Britain
ESPN2/ESPN3.com
July 25 at 8 p.m.
Championship Game
ESPN2/ESPN3.com
All times are local to Oklahoma City (CST) and subject to change.
"Playing in the World Cup has been such a great experience for me, said two-time USA Softball Womens National Team member Kaitlin Cochran (Yorba Linda, Calif.) To play among the best and against the best in the world is always an honor and to be able to play in front the best fans in the world makes it that much more special to wear the uniform and represent the Red, White, and Blue.
The World Cup of Softball and the Border Battle are sanctioned by the International Softball Federation, the governing body of softball internationally as recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). This marks the third year of The Border Battle and is the only international event of its kind.
"When you put on the Team USA uniform, you know that you are among the best of the best. And I could not imagine a more exciting time to wear the Red, White and Blue than this years Border Battle against Canada," said three-time USA Softball Mens Slow Pitch National Team member Brian Wegman (Hamilton, Ohio). "The fans watching in Oklahoma City and those tuning in on ESPN are going to witness an incredible moment for the sport of slow pitch softball. Weve never played at a level higher than this. With Canada taking last years game, Im ready to get out there and take the Border Battle title back for all of our amazing supporters."
For more information on the World Cup, log on to www.usasoftball.com.