Media: College Softball Back in a Big Way on ESPN Starting Today (Kind of)… & Don’t Forget the “Black Athletes Through the Decades in Softball” Webinar Also!

After what seems like a decade without college softball due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the on-field action tonight was scheduled to begin in a big way with a match-up of two Top 10 teams, Arizona vs. Texas, but that game will have to wait a bit as it was postponed due to inclement weather in in Texas. There is still another Top 10 team in action as of now: LSU (see schedule below).

However, if you can’t watch that game on the SEC Network, there is another great softball-related alternative for free: the Black Athletes Through the Decades in Softball webinar that begins tonight at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT (to register CLICK HERE)

Mother Nature permitting, it’s still an exciting weekend and not just because of Valentine’s Day: ESPN and it’s multiple channels has over 100 games scheduled for broadcast this weekend alone!

Many may not know it, but I worked at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn. for nearly three years ago and had access to some eye-opening data which reveals why the Worldwide Network is so high on college softball.

When I was working for ESPN (no, John Kennedy wasn’t the president then; it was a few years later!), the Women’s College World Series (softball) outdrew the College Baseball World Series by more than 30% — I want to say it 300,000 viewers more!

And, if memory serves me right, the WCWS was the third biggest college property for ESPN at that time behind only the NCAA football bowl games and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (March Madness).

So it’s no surprise that the “Worldwide Leader of Sports” is so bullish on softball: it draws very, very well!

College softball is fast, both in speed of game and time of play compared to baseball, and what I love best is that the athletes are smiling and are really enjoying their time on the field!

Kudos, then, to ESPN for getting college softball back on our screens in a big way and, hopefully, this is the start of a complete season.

And be sure to check out the Webinar also!

Yay, softball, at least on the collegiate level, is BACK!

— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball

*****

ESPN College Softball Schedule February 11-14, 2021

Here is the complete schedule for the 100+ college games being televised this weekend on the ESPN networks:

*****

History Webinar: Black Athletes Through the Decades in Softball (Thurs, Feb. 11 @ 7 pm EST)

Originally published Tues., Feb. 9, 2021 on Extra Inning Softball

The event is FREE but registration is required: CLICK HERE to REGISTER!

The Alliance Fastpitch & NFCA are co-sponsoring a must-see webinar taking place Thursday night, February 11^th at 7 pm EST:

Black Athletes Through the Decades in Softball

Featured on the panel are over six decades of Olympians, All-Americans, National Champions, a Gold Glove winner, and overall trail blazers.

AJ Andrews, the first woman to receive a Rawlings Gold Glove, will moderate a powerful conversation around black softball athletes and their experiences through the decades.

The panelists include:

• Billie Harris, (1960s Women’s Majors)
• Gillian Boxx (Cal, 1995 and the first black softball Olympian)
• Natasha Watley (UCLA, 2003 and two-time Olympic medalist)
• Marissa Young (Michigan, 2003 and current Duke Head Coach)
• Peaches James (Nebraska, 2004)
• Jazz Jackson Vesely (LSU, 2010 and President & Program Director with Impact Gold Fastpitch)

*****

Two of the panelists for Thursday’s webinar express their gratitude for this forum to inform and educate young players today and their parents and coaches.

“It means the world to me to see an event like this highlighting diversity and representation, take place on the main stage thru Alliance Fastpitch,” says former Michigan All-American Marissa Young, now the Head Coach at Duke.  “There are so many players and parents out there that need access to and visibility of Black women who have excelled in the game of softball.”

“We didn’t have the opportunity to look up or follow our favorite players on social media growing up, so the only black players I knew about were the limited number I had the opportunity of playing with or against. So it’s incredibly special for me to join two of my former teammates on this panel.”

Jazz Jackson Veseley, who was a two-time All-American at LSU (2007, 2009) and is now involved running the Impact Gold Fastpitch club organization, sees this panel as a way to inspire young players today who can learn from those who’ve gone before.

“I am so excited to be a part of the panel,” she told Extra Inning Softball earlier today. “Representation is so important. I don’t know if I’m here without players looking like me and showing me I could do it. I hope the next generation sees themselves in this panel and it helps them take the next step to reach their dream.”

*****

We caught up with Jami Lobpries, the Executive Director of The Alliance Fastpitch, to learn about the genesis of this historic panel… here are her thoughts:

How did this webinar idea first start and become reality?
The conversation about preserving the history and legends of our game first started with Natasha. We have this youth audience—how do we educate them on those that paved the way in the game?

Coming out of our Winter Meetings, we wanted to create a schedule for our members so they knew when to expect things and this thought of a ‘virtual history series’ came out of that planning recognizing that February is Black History Month and March is Women’s History Month (we have a fun one planned for next month!).

I simply called Natasha and asked her thoughts on this first webinar. We identified the title and the framework of who we wanted on the panel, and probably most important was getting AJ to moderate.

How did you decide on the structure of the event and who would speak?
I reached out to Carol Bruggeman (NFCA) about co-hosting a virtual history series. This is our first edition. It’ll be a panel format with AJ Andrews moderating the conversation.

We identified athletes from various decades and who brought diversity in things like what college they played at, what position, what they’re doing now and how that affects our youth.

This is a great way to start the history series… what excites you about this initial presentation?
I think honoring the history and the trail blazers of our game is important in general. This topic in particular is important for all races and all backgrounds to understand, to listen and hopefully to continue to pave the way for more black athletes in our game.

Our panelists paved the way on the field but they’re also continuing to blaze trails off the field and inspire young girls to play softball. I’m excited to listen and to learn from these women and see how we can help open doors and break down any barriers that still exist.

*****

Meet one of the panelists, Billie Harris, who is considered as the “Jackie Robinson” of Softball: