NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 11, 2016) – CBS Sports Network and National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), the premier women’s pro softball league, have renewed an agreement for 25 telecasts on CBS Sports Network throughout the spring and summer. NPF has steadily grown its nationwide fanbase through its relationship with CBS Sports Network, highlighting the talents of superstars such as Lauren Chamberlain, Keilani Ricketts, Lacey Waldrop, Lauren Haeger, Hannah Rogers, Dallas Escobedo and Monica Abbott.
The on-air talent for the 2016 broadcast season will include veteran announcers Eric Collins handling play-by-play duties and Barbara Jordan as the color analyst. Casey Carter will lead the NPF crew as producer again this season and John Tackett will return as director. NPF telecasts are produced by NPF Media LLC in conjunction with Orlando-based Guenther Productions.
As the primary cable television home of NPF, CBS Sports Network will air more than 50 hours of original, live event coverage throughout the summer. That coverage will include the NPF College Draft presented by Bownet in the spring, followed by 23 games of regular-season competition, a Championship Series Preview Special, and the majority of the 2016 NPF Championship Series.
The 2016 schedule on CBS Sports Network leads off on Thursday, April 14 with the NPF College Draft presented by Bownet, live from the CMA Theatre at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. The regular-season coverage begins June 20 at 8:00 pm ET from McKinney, Texas with the Dallas Charge hosting the Akron Racers.
Coverage will culminate with the NPF 2016 Championship Series at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., August 19-23. The entire 2016 CBS Sports Network schedule is included below.
2016 NPF Season Schedule on CBS Sports Network:
Date Day Time Game Location
6/20 Mon 8:00 AK @ DAL McKinney, TX
6/21 Tue 8:00 AK @ DAL McKinney, TX
6/27 Mon 6:30 AK @ USSSA Ann Arbor, MI
6/28 Tue 8:00 CHI @ USSSA Ann Arbor, MI
6/29 Wed 7:00 CHI @ USSSA Ann Arbor, MI
7/11 Mon 7:00 SYD @ USSSA Kansas City, KS
7/12 Tue 7:00 SYD @ USSSA Kansas City, KS
7/13 Wed 7:00 DAL @ USSSA Kansas City, KS
7/14 Thur 7:00 DAL @ USSSA Kansas City, KS
7/25 Mon 8:00 PA @ CHI Rosemont, IL
7/26 Tue 8:00 PA @ CHI Rosemont, IL
8/1 Mon 7:00 SYD @ USSSA Tallahassee, FL
8/2 Tue 7:00 SYD @ USSSA Tallahassee, FL
8/8 Mon 7:00 USSSA @ AK Akron, OH
8/9 Tue 7:00 USSSA @ AK Akron, OH
8/13 Sat 1:30 PA @ DAL McKinney, TX
8/14 Sun 12:30 PA @ DAL McKinney, TX
About National Pro Fastpitch (NPF)
National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), an Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball since 2002, provides elite female athletes with an opportunity to pursue a professional career in diamond sports beyond their collegiate success. The NPF recently announced that the Scrap Yard Dawgs, located in The Woodlands, Texas, will join the Akron Racers, Chicago Bandits, Dallas Charge, Pennsylvania Rebellion and USSSA Florida Pride for the 2016 season. National Pro Fastpitch players hail from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand, representing the most accomplished and talented athletes in the sport of women’s softball.
Note to Media
Photos and b-roll are available. Interviews with the league commissioner are welcomed, and top players from each team are accessible immediately. If you’re interested in pursuing story angles about professional softball for women, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Thank you.