More Little League on ESPN

Here's the latest news on ESPN and its Little League coverage, for those who might be interested:

ESPN to Expand Coverage of Little League Baseball Regional Tournaments

ESPN will add 14 regional semifinal games to its schedule of Little League Baseball Tournaments, beginning this summer. Last year, ESPN televised eight Little League Baseball regional tournament games – the championships of the eight regions. Collectively, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.com will present 22 regional games and up to 56 total games of the Little League Baseball International Tournament.

“We’re delighted to grow our coverage of the Little League regional semis,” said Len DeLuca, ESPN senior vice president, programming and acquisitions. “The Little League World Series merits more national attention as one of the leading sports events in the dog days of summer. We can capture more stories from expanding our coverage of the eight regions in the United States.”

Stephen Keener, president and chief executive officer of Little League Baseball and Softball, said: “We are pleased ESPN has decided to expand its coverage of the Little League Baseball International Tournament. I think this shows ESPN believes the core values of Little League Baseball and Softball are meaningful to its viewers. There also is an increasing fan interest in tournament play in all eight divisions of Little League tournament play. We are thankful to have ESPN as a media partner to help us promote the benefits of the Little League experience.”

Beginning August 10, ESPN will add the Southwest Region semifinals from Waco, Texas; the two semifinals from the Mid-Atlantic Region in Bristol, Conn.; semifinal games in the Great Lakes and Midwest Regions held in Indianapolis; semifinal games in the Northwest and West Regions in San Bernardino, Calif.; and Southeast Region semifinals in Warner Robins, Ga.

Overall, ESPN2 will televise 12 of the regional semifinal games, which will also be available via ESPN3.com. Two of the regional semifinals will appear exclusively on ESPN3.com. All games will be carried live.

The entire schedule of Little League Baseball and Softball International Tournament games will be made available in June.