ESPN Adds Roddy Jones To ACC Network On-Air Team

Courtesy: ESPN

The ACC Network has added another name to its on-air talent roster.

Former Georgia Tech running back and team captain Roddy Jones was announced this week as the newest member of the network’s talent roster.  Jones currently works as a sideline analyst for ESPN during college football season. According to information provided by ESPN, which owns and operates the ACC Network, Jones’ first day on the job at the ACC Network is Aug. 22, the day the ACC Network officially launches.

Jones was upbeat as he recently talked about moving to the ACC Network.

“To be associated with a conference that is so rich in tradition, history and success, and to work alongside some of the best broadcast and production teams in the nation is truly an honor,” Jones said.  “The ACC has been a huge part of my life.  I grew up in the footprint, played in the conference and now cover it as a broadcaster.  I know firsthand how special it is, and how beneficial ACCN will be to the league.”

Jones was a four-year starter at Georgia Tech from 2008-11.  He was the team’s captain in his senior year at the university.  he broke many school records on the way to defeating Clemson in 2009 in the ACC Championship Game.  Among the team records that he broke were those for career starts (52), yards-per-carry (7.6) and rushing yards (212) in 2008 against Georgia.

Off the field, Jones was a three-time All-ACC Academic Football Team honoree.  He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 2010 and earned his MBA in 2013.  This fall marks Jones’ third season with ESPN and its networks.

More information on the ACC Network is available online now at http://www.getaccn.com.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Announces Biggest Broadcast Schedule Ever For 2014 College Softball Season

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN announced today, its broadcast coverage schedule for the 2014 college softball season.  This season’s broadcast schedule is the most expansive from the Worldwide Leader in Sports.  This season, audiences will be able to catch no fewer than forty regular season college softball games across the ESPN family of networks.  Another forty will be broadcast on ESPN3 later this season.  Those games will be announced at a later date.  Also included in this year’s broadcast schedule will be no fewer than five college softball championships and the entire SEC tournament.  The championship matches scheduled to be broadcast will be for the SEC, ACC, Big South, SWAC, and AAC conference titles.  It all begins with preseason Number 1 Tennessee hosting South Carolina on Sunday, March 23^rd at 2:30pm on ESPNU.

The end of the regular season doesn’t mean the end of ESPN’s coverage of college softball.  ESPN and the ESPN family of networks will have regional round coverage, full coverage of the super regionals, and NCAA Women’s World Series.

The number of college softball games covered this year by ESPN and the ESPN family of networks is just one landmark.  Among that total eighty games to be broadcast, the ESPN family of networks will also carry a record seventeen matchups featuring two ranked teams.  This includes a matchup of #10 Texas at #2 Oklahoma on Thursday, April 17^th on ESPN2.  The Sooners will also be on the road Saturday, April 12^th to face #16 Baylor. That game will be broadcast on ESPN.  Along with its matchup against the Gamecocks, ESPN is scheduled to carry The Volunteers’ matchups against #11 Texas A&M on Friday, April 11^th and Sunday, April 13^th.

Twelve of the eighty total games scheduled to air across the ESPN family of networks will feature a top five team in the ESPN.com/USA preseason Top 25 games.  Twenty-seven of the games will feature an overall ranked team.

If the number of games scheduled to be broadcast and the teams to be featured isn’t enough for audiences, the staff of analysts set to cover the games will impress viewers.  Each analyst—Jessica Mendoza, Jennie Finch, Amanda Scarborough, Cheri Kempf, and Michele Smith—is a multi-time collegiate All-American.  Three of the analysts—Finch, Mendoza, and Smith—combine for six total Olympic medals, including four gold.  Joining the staff for play-by-play commentary will be Beth Mowins, Pam Ward, Cara Capuano, Adam Amin, Holly Rowe, and Mark Neely.  The current schedule of college softball games to be broadcast across the ESPN family of networks is listed below.  Dates are subject to change.

2014 ESPN NCAA Softball Television Schedule (subject to change)

 

Date	Time	Matchup	Network
Sun, March 23	2:30 p.m.	South Carolina vs. #1 Tennessee	ESPNU
	7 p.m.	#10 Texas at #16 Baylor	ESPNU
Mon, March 31	6 p.m.	# 12 Florida State at UNC	ESPNU
Fri, April 4	9 p.m.	Arkansas at #6 Alabama	ESPNU
Sat, April 5	5 p.m.	Auburn at #3 Florida	ESPNU
Sun, April 6	3 p.m.	Arkansas at #6 Alabama	ESPN
Thu, April 10	11 p.m.	#5 Washington at #20 Stanford	ESPNU
Fri, April 11	8 p.m.	#1 Tennessee at #11 Texas A&M	ESPNU
Sat, April 12	3 p.m.	#2 Oklahoma at #16 Baylor	ESPN
Sat, April 12	10 p.m.	#5 Washington at #20 Stanford	ESPN2
Sun, April 13	1 p.m.	#1 Tennessee at #11 Texas A&M	ESPNU
Mon, April 14	7 p.m.	#12 Florida State at Notre Dame	ESPNU
Wed, April 16	7 p.m.	Long Beach State at Cal State Fullerton	ESPNU
	9:30 p.m.	Long Beach State at Cal State Fullerton	ESPNU
Thu, April 17	9 p.m.	#10 Texas at # 2 Oklahoma	ESPN2
Fri, April 18	8 p.m.	#3 Florida at #11 Texas A&M	ESPNU
Sat, April 19	4 p.m.	#19 LSU at South Carolina	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	#3 Florida at #11 Texas A&M	ESPNU
Sun, April 20	3 p.m.	Syracuse at #12 Florida State	ESPNU
Thu, April 24	8 p.m.	#21 Georgia at # 6 Alabama	ESPN
Fri, April 25	10 p.m.	# 8 Oregon at #20 Stanford	ESPNU
Sat, April 26	12 p.m.	#21 Georgia at # 6 Alabama	ESPNU
Mon, April 28	7 p.m.	Maryland at Notre Dame	ESPNU
Thu, May 1	8 p.m.	# 6 Alabama at # 17 Missouri	ESPN
Sat, May 3	2 p.m.	# 6 Alabama at # 17 Missouri	ESPNU
	4 p.m.	# 14 Kentucky at #21 Georgia	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	#20 Stanford at #13 UCLA	ESPNU
	7:30 p.m.	#3 Florida at Arkansas	ESPN
Sun, May 4	1 p.m.	#3 Florida at Arkansas	ESPN
	3 p.m.	#20 Stanford at #13 UCLA	ESPN

 

2014 ESPN NCAA Conference Championship (subject to change)

Wed, May 7	4 p.m.	SEC Softball Tournament – Play-In Game No. 1	ESPNU
	6:30 p.m.	SEC Softball Tournament – Play-In Game No. 2	ESPNU
Thu, May 8	11 a.m.	SEC Softball Tournament – Quarterfinal No. 1	ESPNU
	1:30 p.m.	SEC Softball Tournament – Quarterfinal No. 2	ESPNU
	4 p.m.	SEC Softball Tournament – Quarterfinal No. 3	ESPNU
	6:30 p.m.	SEC Softball Tournament – Quarterfinal No. 4	ESPNU
Fri, May 9	3 p.m.	SEC Softball Tournament – Semifinal No. 1	ESPNU
	5:30 p.m.	SEC Softball Tournament – Semifinal No. 2	ESPNU
Sat, May 10	2 p.m.	ACC Softball Tournament – Championship	ESPN2
	3:30 p.m.	American Softball Tournament – Championship	ESPNEWS
	8 p.m.	SEC Softball Tournament – Championship	ESPN2
	10 p.m.	SWAC Softball Tournament – Championship*	ESPNU
Sun, May 11	Noon	Big South Softball Tournament – Championship	ESPNU

*Live on ESPN 3 at 3:00 p.m.; taped delayed on ESPNU

 

More information on the ESPN family of networks coverage of the 2014 college softball season is available online at http://www.espn.com and http://www.facebook.com/espn.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Family Of Networks Add ACC Football Games To 2013 Schedule

Fans of both college football and of the ACC will get a big treat from the ESPN family of networks beginning this fall.  ESPN has officially announced that it will broadcast no fewer than twenty additional ACC college football games across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPNU during the course of the 2013 season.  The first three weeks of the upcoming college football season will see every home game from specific ACC teams, as well as a road and neutral site matchup across the ESPN family of networks.  This is in addition to five previously released ACC games.

As an added bonus for ACC football fans, the new deal between the ACC and the ESPN family of networks means that they will get to see the Dr Pepper ACC Championship from Charlotte, North Carolina and the previously announced quartet of Thursday ESPN College Football  Primetime telecasts.  Also, the deal has guaranteed at least one game on “Black Friday.”

The whole schedule kicks off with a matchup between the University of North Carolina and SEC #8 South Carolina.  The game is the first of the four scheduled Thursday ESPN College Football Primetime telecasts.  The game is currently scheduled for Thursday, August 29^th at 6pm on ESPN.  Virginia Tech and two-time defending BCS National Champion Alabama follow on August 31^st at 5:30pm on ESPN.  The game, the Chick-fil-a Kickoff Game is scheduled to be played in Atlanta.  Miami will face #11 Florida on September 7^th at noon on ESPN.  Also expected to be broadcast that day is a matchup between Virginia and 3 Oregon at 3:30pm on ABC and ESPN2.

The current schedule of games is listed below.  More games will be announced as the season moves forward.

The 2013 ACC schedule as of May 23 (additional selections to be announced):

 

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Thu, Aug 29	6 p.m.	North Carolina at No. 8 South Carolina *	ESPN
	6:30 p.m.	Presbyterian at Wake Forest	ESPN3
Fri, Aug 30	8 p.m.	Florida Atlantic at Miami (Fla.)	ESPNU
Sat, Aug 31	Noon	Villanova at Boston College	ESPN3
	Noon	Elon at Georgia Tech	ESPN3
	12:30 p.m.	Louisiana Tech at NC State	ESPN3 ^ / ACC Network
	12:30 p.m.	Florida International at Maryland	ESPN3 ^ / ACC Network
	3:30 p.m.	BYU at Virginia	ESPNU
	4 p.m.	North Carolina Central at Duke	ESPN3
	5:30 p.m.	Chick-fil-A Kickoff: Virginia Tech vs. No. 2 Alabama (from Atlanta) *	ESPN
	8 p.m.	No. 7 Georgia at No. 12 Clemson *	ABC
Mon, Sep 2	8 p.m.	No. 14 Florida State at Pittsburgh *	ESPN
Fri, Sep 6	8 p.m.	Wake Forest at Boston College *	ESPN2
Sat, Sep 7	Noon	No. 11 Florida at Miami (Fla.)	ESPN
	12:30 p.m.	Middle Tennessee at North Carolina	ESPN3 ^ / ACC Network
	12:30 p.m.	South Carolina State at No. 12 Clemson	ESPN3 ^ / ACC Network
	1:30 p.m.	Western Carolina at Virginia Tech	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	No. 3 Oregon at Virginia	ABC & ESPN2
	4 p.m.	Old Dominion at Maryland	ESPN3
	6 p.m.	Richmond at NC State	ESPN3
Sat, Sep 14	12:30 p.m.	New Mexico at Pittsburgh	ESPN3 ^ / ACC Network
	12:30 p.m.	Louisiana-Monroe at Wake Forest	ESPN3 ^ / ACC Network
	3:30 p.m.	Nevada at No. 14 Florida State	ESPN or ESPN2
	3:30 p.m.	Georgia Tech at Duke	ESPNU
	4 p.m.	Wagner at Syracuse	ESPN3
Thu, Sep 19	7:30 p.m.	No. 12 Clemson at NC State *	ESPN
Thu, Sep 26	7:30 p.m.	Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech *	ESPN
Thu, Oct 17	TBD	Miami (Fla.) at North Carolina *	ESPN
Thu, Nov 14	7:30 p.m.	Georgia Tech at No. 12 Clemson *	ESPN
Fri, Nov 29	TBD	Miami (Fla.) at Pittsburgh *	ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
Sat, Dec 7	7:45 p.m. or 8 p.m.	Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game (from Charlotte)	ABC or ESPN

For all the latest ACC news, fans can follow the conference on its official Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/theACC and its official website, http://www.theACC.com.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.