With ESPN producing both the WCWS and NBA Finals this week, the broadcaster has made a concerted effort to link the two events from both an operational and promotional perspective.

Between the unprecedented upsets, rise of charismatic new stars, and return of established powerhouses, this year’s Women’s College World Series inarguably ranks among the most exciting in recent memory. And ESPN has the ratings to prove it: going into last nights’ opening game of the three-game Finals series, the 2025 WCWS is the most-watched on record with an average of 1.1. million viewers (up 25% YoY).

ESPN has rolled out seven trucks plus additional trailers at its Women’s College World Series production compound in OKC.

“This has been the wildest and most epic College World Series we’ve ever had,” says ESPN coordinating producer Nick Rud, who is working his sixth WCWS. “Just the unbelievable dramatic finishes, the parity, the walk offs, and off-the-wall situations like the lights going out – all of that has made for an insane run for us. It feels like every single game there’s something new and different that we’ve never seen before. It’s been so much fun to cover and it’s great to see the big ratings as people gravitating to this event more and more.”

Rud and company have the production chops to match those big viewership numbers. With around more than 40 cameras and a full studio set on-site, this year’s production at Devon Park in Oklahoma City represents the network’s biggest WCWS production to date. It is also the most technologically ambitious softball presentation ever, complete with a Technocrane, live drone, Megalodon shallow-depth-of-field camera, 80-foot-long RailCam, SupraCam wired two-point system, and a mask-mounted POV camera on the homeplate umpire.

“This is as high a quality of production as I’ve been a part of out here,” says Rud. “Having these great ratings allows us to have the resources to cover this at the highest level. Now we’ve got 43 cameras, we’ve got seven production trucks plus a couple of production trailers, and about 250 people total out here. So we are able to put in the resources to match just about any other production that ESPN does.”

“Then you couple that with the fact that we’ve had the same core crew – the best in the business – out here for many years,” he continues. “It’s an all-star cast of people that work on some of our biggest shows throughout the entire year and we get them all to OKC because they love coming here. They love event, environment, and atmosphere. And it’s amazing when you put all those things together.”

Plenty of Tech Toys: TechnoCrane, SupraCam, RailCam, Megalodon, Drone, and Virtual Graphics

ESPN brought back its Technocrane this year positioned on the baseline to provide sweeping cinematic motion shots of gameplay and crowd reactions. The extended reach and dynamic movement of the crane give directors the ability to capture unique low and high-angle perspectives, enhancing both storytelling and visual depth.

ESPN brought back its Technocrane this year positioned on the baseline to provide sweeping cinematic motion shots of gameplay and crowd reactions.

Another first-time deployment is a two-point cable camera system that stretches from the top of the press box down the left-field line. This system provides dramatic tracking shots of base runners rounding third base and heading for home—an angle not previously available in WCWS coverage.

To better cover defensive plays in the outfield, ESPN has installed an 80-foot rail camera system along the left and centerfield wall. This mobile camera tracks fly balls, catches, and relays with dynamic motion that follows the play in real time, adding another layer of coverage to outfield action.

Returning to the production this year is the Megalodon shallow–depth-of-field camera: offering cinematic, high-frame-rate visuals ideal for capturing emotional moments, celebrations, and dramatic close-ups. Often used in NFL and college football coverage, the Megalodon adds a stylistic layer to ESPN’s softball broadcasts.

Aerial coverage will also be significantly upgraded through the use of a drone system providing sweeping venue shots and transitional aerials throughout the tournament. The drone’s flexibility allows operators to deliver context-rich visuals of Devon Park and the surrounding crowd environment.

In conjunction with studio technology in Bristol, CT, ESPN is also utilizing Pixotope virtual enhancement integration on the Supracam and Megalodon cameras this year. This consisted of optical tracking composited in Bristol, fed back to site via a fiber path and taken to air in game and studio trucks. This is the first time ESPN has used this remote workflow on a field of play as opposed to a studio production.

“We have a virtual graphics operator and builder back in Bristol that’s communicating with our associate producers on site,” says Rud. “We calibrated the [SupraCam and Megalodon] for [virtual graphics] and we’ve gotten in some really good stuff. And we will continue to improve that and make it better year over year.”

In the Studio: A Bigger and Better On-Site Set

While ESPN has had live, on-site studio coverage from Devon Park the past few years, the network recommitted to this initiative with a bigger presence this year. Ahead of each of the Championship Series games, host Courtney Lyle and analysts Danielle Lawrie and Madison Shipman are live from a large fight field set. Then during the game, ESPN offers an alt-cast for fans dubbed “Champ Series – 7Innings Live: Championship Finals Special Presented by Capital One” where fans can tune in to ESPNU/ESPN+ to hear commentary from the analysts.

“The past few years we had a smaller footprint for the set and a REMI studio operation, but this year we were able to bring it back with a whole truck on site,” says Rud. “It’s a great looking set and it has made our coverage look so big and professional. That show really connects everything together for our broadcast.”

In the Compound: Combining Institutional Knowledge and Passion

NEP’s EN3 (A and B units), ST 25, and ST 27 are on hand in the compound, while the Alliance Flex Units 3 and 8 are also supporting the broadcast. CMSI (Creative Mobile Solutions Inc.) is also on site in OKC supporting the on-site edit and file transfer initiatives with connectivity to ESPN’s facilities in both Bristol and Charlotte.

NEP’s EN3 is a the center of ESPN’s WCWS production this year.

“This show is truly unique,” says Catherine Chalfant, manager, remote production operations, ESPN. “Each year, we build our on-site infrastructure completely from scratch. Over time, we’ve developed a highly efficient workflow that underpins how we run the show. That historical knowledge is invaluable.”

“It’s this strong foundation that allows our team to remain agile and adapt to whatever comes our way,” she continues, “Whether it’s a rain delay or an epic extra-inning game (like this year’s Oregon vs. Ole Miss matchup, which became the second-longest WCWS game ever). What makes the biggest difference, though, is that every person on this team shares the same vision: we’re all committed to doing whatever it takes to deliver the high-caliber, successful production this event deserves year over year.”

All Over OKC: ESPN Brings It All Together for NBA Finals and WCWS

With ESPN producing both the WCWS and NBA Finals this week, the broadcaster has made a concerted effort to link the two events from both an operational and promotional perspective.

“It’s not very often you have two major championships coinciding in the same city on the same days,” says Rud. “So when we saw [the Thunder advance to the Finals], we immediately connected with our partners on our NBA on ESPN team to find ways that we can cross promote.”

For example, last night’s Game 1 broadcast saw NBA on ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson in the stands at Devon Park and the NBA’s Larry O’Brien trophy was on-hand at the WCWS Fanfest. The broadcast also featured a promo spot highlighting the start of both events in OKC.

“There is a lot of cross pollination and we’re trying to take advantage of the situation,” adds Rud. “As a company, we’re definitely leaning into how cool it is that we have these two events just a few miles apart from each other in the same city.”

SVG Director of Digital Brandon Costa contributed to this story.

By: Dan Richeal

HANOVER, N.H.—Dartmouth field hockey celebrated the 2024 season at its annual end-of-year banquet.

Helen Young was the recipient of the Dorothy H. Leavitt Award which is presented to the player who has made the greatest contribution to the field hockey program, both on and off the field. Young played and started in all 16 games for the Big Green; she tallied her first collegiate point against Harvard while scoring her first goal against Princeton on Oct. 27.

Sophomore Riley Dumigan was named the Offensive Player of the Year after leading the team in points. She played in all 16 games while making 15 starts for the Big Green. The native of Oklahoma City scored four goals while notching two assists.

The Defensive Player of the Year award was awarded to Ella Bowman. Bowman played 885 minutes for the Big Green on the backline, she notched a defensive save against Yale on Oct. 18. While being a key member of the backline, Bowman tallied four goals this season.

As a First-Year, Ally Brosie was named Most Improved Player following her first season in Hanover. The New Vernon, N.J. native played in 15 of 16 games while making three starts to end the season.

Senior Piper Edwards and junior Olivia Galiotos were named Teammates of the Year. Edwards closed out her career with 29 career games and three assists. Galiotos earned Second Team All-Ivy honors as she started in 16 games as captain. She scored a goal and added two assists.

The Big Green will be back on the field in the fall for the programs 52^nd season. Mark Egner will welcome back 18 student-athletes in 2025.

The Hotline mailbag publishes weekly. Send questions to wilnerhotline@bayareanewsgroup.com and include ‘mailbag’ in the subject line. Or hit me on the social media platform X: @WilnerHotline

Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.

In 2026, will the new Pac-12 be as competitive, or greater than, the likes of the ACC and Big-12? — @eric_zetz

The Hotline has given this matter much thought recently while publishing a series of columns on the College Football Playoff controversy.

The conference hierarchy in 2026 and beyond is interconnected to any analysis of CFP access models, whether it’s the automatic qualifier format (4-4-2-2-1) favored by the Big Ten or the at-large format (5+11) preferred by the Big 12, ACC, SEC and Pac-12, as commissioner Teresa Gould said this week.

(In our view, the Big 12 and ACC have no choice but to push for 5+11, because the alternative is the end of those conferences as we know them.)

The Hotline does not believe — not for a second — that the rebuilt Pac-12 will be as competitively successful as the ACC and Big 12 in the next era. Although to be fair, those conferences are not entirely comparable, either.

If quality depth is the standard, the Big 12 is superior to the ACC. No conference in major college football can match the Big 12 for parity, which is both a blessing and curse.

But if judging by the number of championship-caliber programs, the ACC possesses a clear edge over the Big 12. It has two programs capable of winning the national title, Clemson and Florida State. Until proven otherwise, the Big 12 has none. (The last current Big 12 school to win it all was Colorado in 1990.)

Using either standard, the ACC and Big 12 are a level above the rebuilt Pac-12.

But here’s a question worth pondering: Is the rebuilt Pac-12 closer in quality to the ACC and Big 12 than the ACC and Big 12 are to the SEC and Big Ten? Which gap is larger?

That discussion also depends on the framing — on how you define the strength of a conference. We believe the flaws in the Big 12 (lack of elite programs) and the ACC (lack of quality depth) are significant enough, relative to the SEC and Big Ten, to make the topic worthy of tracking in the upcoming season.

For the rebuilt Pac-12 to be closer in quality to the ACC and Big 12 than they are to the SEC and Big Ten in a given season, two benchmarks are required:

— Boise State must be Boise State.

Conferences are often judged by the success of their top brands. If Ohio State and Michigan are both mediocre, the Big Ten will be viewed as having a subpar season. (Same with Georgia and Alabama in the SEC.)

Boise State is the rebuilt Pac-12’s premier football brand by a clear margin. The Broncos must have a Top 15/20-caliber season in order for the Pac-12’s reputation to rise.

— At least two of the following four teams also must be ranked: Washington State, Oregon State, Fresno State and San Diego State.

If the legacy Pac-12 programs flounder with the arrival of the Mountain West contingent, the national narrative won’t be, “The newcomers must be really good to outperform the Beavers and Cougars.” Instead, the narrative will be, “See, the rebuilt Pac-12 is no better than the old Mountain West.” One of them must win nine or 10 games on a consistent basis.

The Aztecs and Bulldogs will have a greater role in shaping the Pac-12’s reputation than the likes of Utah State and Colorado State because of their locations and their recent history of success — of regularly beating the legacy Pac-12 schools, cracking the Top 25 rankings and producing 10-win seasons.

Put another way: There’s a path for the rebuilt Pac-12 to be seen as closer in quality to the ACC and Big 12 than those conferences are to the SEC and Big Ten, but it hinges on the performance in non-conference games (obviously!) and which teams are leading the way.

If Boise State finishes as an 11-win Pac-12 champion, with Washington State and SDSU, for instance, both sitting on nine victories, the conference will look much stronger than it would if, for instance, Colorado State or Utah State finished on top.

That’s the nature of narratives. Brand success matters at every level of the sport.

From your standpoint, what would be the incentive for a school like UNLV to arrange (in mediation) a move to the Pac-12? Is it financial stability? Conference strength? — @BobhornOrAgcat

UNLV is contractually locked into the Mountain West, so the question is moot … unless, perhaps, the conference cannot meet its financial obligations.

The poaching penalty and exit fee lawsuits have, in total, roughly $150 million at stake. If only half that amount enters the Mountain West’s bank account, the distributions promised to the Rebels and others could be impacted.

Would that be enough to spur UNLV to leave? Would it change their legal commitment?

We don’t have clarity on those matters. (Few do.) And because neither the Pac-12 or Mountain West has signed a media rights agreement, there’s a leap-of-faith element for the Rebels with either course of action.

The Hotline’s view hasn’t changed: UNLV’s administration made an epically bad decision to remain in the Mountain West through the 2020s.

Our assumption is the Pac-12 would welcome the Rebels if they had a change of heart, but only for the right price. They are not a must-have school. There are no must-have schools remaining for the Pac-12. It secured the three it had to have (Boise State, San Diego State and Gonzaga) last fall.

Will Texas State receive a full share after this Pac-12/Mountain West mediation mess? I feel the Pac-12 has lost leverage on that front, unless North Texas or UTSA become a serious alternative. — @vince_per

We can’t answer that question without knowing, at the very least, the outcome of the mediation. How much of the $55 million owed to the Mountain West in poaching fees will the Pac-12 retain or relinquish?

And would the schools agree to use whatever pot of cash exists to lure Texas State, which would offer vital access to football-crazed Texas.

In our view, leverage remains with the Pac-12: The Bobcats would be foolish to pass on the chance to join a conference with Boise State football and Gonzaga basketball, especially when the annual media rights payments likely will triple or quadruple what they receive in the Sun Belt.

But it’s not entirely clear to the Hotline that anyone in the Pac-12 will receive a full share, at least in the traditional sense. The conference is considering a revenue distribution model that rewards and incentivizes success, much like the ACC has implemented.

Exactly how it will be structured, we cannot say.

The conference could use postseason revenue (NCAA Tournament and CFP) to fund an unequal distribution of cash. Or it could include a portion of the media rights revenue in the pot, as well.

What do you think about NIL and its impact on college football and basketball. And just a tad on the rest of the sports, too? I believe it will be the end of college sports as we’ve known it for so long. — Bo L

The impact of NIL, especially when combined with the transfer portal, has been momentous across many sports. Texas Tech’s success in softball, fueled by the arrival of million-dollar-pitcher NiJaree Canady from Stanford, is all the proof you need.

To the extent that amateurism mattered to your enjoyment of the competition, maybe this era marks “the end of college sports as we’ve known it.”

But the Hotline doesn’t know many college football and basketball fans who are no longer watching or attending  because players are getting paid.

As the late, great Chris Dufresne, of the LA Times, used to say: “Everyone has an alma mater.”

And that’s true whether your quarterback is getting $2 million in NIL or nothing in NIL.

Media deal timeline for the Pac-12? @TonyOnly_

One month after the lawsuits are resolved.

I hope that’s specific enough for you, because it’s as specific as the Hotline can possibly be.

Think about the situation from the standpoint of ESPN, The CW or Fox executives:

Why commit tens of millions of dollars over time to a conference that has two major lawsuits unresolved — lawsuits that could impact the membership structure, competitive success and overall outlook.

What if the Pac-12 and Mountain West end up with a court trial?

What if the Mountain West takes the Pac-12 to the cleaners?

We view those outcomes as extremely unlikely. But why would network executives take the chance? It would be tantamount to financial malpractice.

They want legal clarity and financial certainty.

The court-ordered stay of the poaching penalty lawsuit expires July 15, so we expect resolution to the mediation by that point. From there, the media rights piece should wrap up fairly quickly.

If the Pac-12 had played an eight-game conference schedule from 2014-23, would it have avoided the endless cannibalism and gotten a team in the playoffs consistently enough to still be around today in its original form? — Will D

Admittedly, the Hotline has not plowed through 10 seasons of data to offer a definitive answer. But our hunch is that yes, swapping a conference game for a non-conference cupcake might have resulted in the extra win for a given team in a given season and propelled the Pac-12 champion into the CFP more often than was actually the case.

Pac-12 teams participated in the four-team event in 2014 (Oregon), 2016 (Washington) and 2023 (Washington) and just missed on several other occasions.

If Stanford had played Sacramento State instead of Oregon in 2015 … if Oregon had played Idaho instead of Arizona State in 2019 … the Pac-12 might have been better represented in the CFP.

(Also, idiotic scheduling strategies, like asking teams to play Friday night road games after Saturday road games, contributed to a multi-year competitive malaise.)

Would more CFP teams have saved the conference? We aren’t so sure.

USC and UCLA likely would have left for the Big Ten anyway. And it’s unrealistic to think ESPN’s media rights offer would have been substantially higher in the fall of 2022 based on one or two additional playoff bids in the pre-COVID era.

The Hotline loves alternative history and hypothetical scenarios. But in this case, it’s difficult to connect a one-game change in the conference schedule to a Pac-12 survival scenario.

The seeds of destruction were largely rooted in off-the-field issues.

Is high school recruiting much less important because of the transfer portal? Players can develop at smaller schools who weren’t four- or five-star recruits but have grit and heart and the ability to improve. — @chipe

It’s absolutely less important, at least at the highest levels of the college football food chain.

The Power Four programs can swap out 25-to-33 percent of their rosters each year using the transfer portal, with Colorado as the extreme example under coach Deion Sanders. That said, strong high school recruiting, player retention and roster cohesion remain the prime ingredients for success.

At the lower end of the chain, in the Group of Five and the FCS, high school recruiting remains critical.

Those programs typically lose their top talents to the heavyweight schools through the transfer portal and NIL offers. Without quality replacements on the roster and ready to step in, consistent success is elusive and regression is, in many cases, inevitable.

Will the Pac-12 do anything to regain autonomous status back? Or has that ship already sailed? — @CelestialMosh

For those unfamiliar, “autonomous” is a legislative term established a decade ago. The so-called Autonomy Four conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC) have some freedom to set their own rules within the broad NCAA structure. The Pac-12 might seek to regain A-4 status, but the odds are long.

Far more common in the college sports lexicon is the term “Power Four,” which used to be the Power Five and is specific to the College Football Playoff governance and revenue distribution models.

There is no chance of the Pac-12 regaining power conference status, in part because the term Power Four is no longer material. The Big Ten and SEC control the format for 2026 and beyond. The ACC and Big 12 can provide input but have no material authority.

Effectively, the CFP structure now has three tiers: the Power Two, the Other Two and the Group of Five.

I haven’t seen it made public how much The CW is paying for Pac-12 football. Are you able to share that amount? — @cougsguy06

Clarity on this front should emerge next spring, when the Pac-12 releases its tax returns for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The statement of revenue will include whatever cash entered the conference’s coffers from the media rights deal with The CW and Fox during the 2024 season.

Our hunch is the amount paid by The CW was roughly $1 million per game, and that’s likely the case for the 2025 media deal announced in April, as well.

But revenue for WSU and OSU during these transition seasons was a secondary consideration to exposure on linear (broadcast and cable) networks. And the deals with The CW, Fox, ESPN and CBS are providing plenty of exposure.

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T7 – Texas Tech 4, Texas 1

The name of this inning? Chaos. Texas Tech hasn’t necessarily smoked the ball this inning, but it is putting it in play and putting pressure on this Longhorns’ defense, and it’s working. On that ground-ball hit (it should have been an error), Victoria Valdez just ran through a stop sign from Gerry Glasco to add another run of support for Texas Tech. She saw that this Texas defense was fumbling and saw her chance to run home. This Texas Tech team is known for wreaking havoc on the bases, and it’s working in its favor this inning.

Texas Tech is a win away from its first Women’s College World Series championship in program history, and it has ace pitcher NiJaree Canady to thank for its rise to title contention. The three-time All-American joined the Red Raiders this season on a historic NIL deal worth more than $1 million, and in advance of Friday’s decisive battle with Texas for the national championship, Canady landed another seven-figure package, per ESPN.

Canady was clearly worth the investment this year, and the new NIL deal all but ensures that she will return to the program for a second season in 2026. The potential for a second transfer portal entrance in as many years went out the window, and Canady’s manager, Derrick Shelby, said to ESPN the decision to stay with the Red Raiders was “not difficult.”

“This program has taken care of her,” Shelby said. “They have showed how much she is appreciated. The entire staff, her teammates, the school in general have been great. Tonight she is playing for a national championship and she is making history. Everything she wants from this game she can get here at Texas Tech.”

Women’s College World Series 2025: Scores, schedule as Texas Tech evens series for NCAA softball championship

Cody Nagel

While she took her sixth loss of the year in Game 1 of the championship series, Canady returned to the circle for Game 2 and got back in the win column with a two-run complete game. For the season, she boasts a remarkable 0.97 ERA and fanned 317 batters in 239 innings. The two-way standout also hits .280 for the Red Raiders with 11 home runs, the most recent of which came in the super regional round.

The Matador Club, Texas Tech’s NIL collective, rewarded Canady with $1 million when she picked the Red Raiders last offseason through the transfer portal. Canady also received a $50,000 living expense bonus and $24 to match her jersey number. The NIL package made her the first college softball millionaire.

Former Texas Tech quarterback and three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes is a prominent benefactor behind the school’s NIL operation and is an avid softball fan. He attended the Red Raiders’ run through the WCWS and lauded Canady’s efforts.

“It’s special,” Mahomes said during Thursday’s finals contest. “The way she’s able to control the softball and the way she’s able to locate it in the strike zone, it is special. To be able to watch it firsthand all season long, you know why we’re in the position that we’re in. It starts off with her and her leadership.”

Canady transferred from Stanford to Texas Tech after NIL discussions with the Cardinal reportedly broke down. The star pitcher and her family sought a more lucrative contract after she led a second consecutive trip to the WCWS in 2024, and Texas Tech offered 10 times Stanford’s starting price.

By: Dan Richeal

HANOVER, N.H.—The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced its end of season regional rankings. Dartmouth women’s tennis was ranked sixth in the New England Region. The doubles duo of Peyton Capuano and Michela Moore are the top ranked doubles team in New England. As singles players, Capuano was slotted eighth with Moore at 14.

The Big Green finished the regular season with a 9-13 record while winning a pair of Ivy League matches. Six of the wins came at home while the nine overall wins were the most wins since the 2017-18 season.

Moore and Capuano were named First Team All-Ivy for doubles. The duo was the top doubles team for the Big Green and had a 15-4 record while also having a 4-2 Ivy League record.

Capuano was a First Team All-Ivy for singles; in her sophomore season she notched nine wins in the spring with three of the wins being in Ivy League play. In the first singles position she had an 8-8 record.

Moore earned Second Team All-Ivy honors after winning a team high 12 wins in the spring. Over the full season, the sophomore won 20 matches in singles play, she played in second singles for most of the season while going 10-5 in second singles.