From the Hill to Home Plate: ESPN Covers All the Angles at the 2018 Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport

All 32 Games of the Annual Summer Event will be Shown Across ABC, ESPN & ESPN2

The Beach Boys will Perform Live on Little League’s Famous Hill Following the 2 p.m. ET Game August 19

On-Site SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight Telecasts During the Eleven Day Tournament

ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 will once again combine to show every pitch, swing and diving catch from all 32 games of the 72nd Little League Baseball World Series presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. All the action from Williamsport, Pa., begins Thursday and continues through Sunday, August 26, with the Little League Baseball World Series Championship game at 3 p.m. ET on ABC. The United States Championship, International Championship and two other matchups throughout the tournament will also be available on ABC, with the remaining games available on ESPN or ESPN2. All Little League Baseball World Series games will also be available streaming on the ESPN App.

Commentators

Karl Ravech, Dave Flemming and Adnan Virk will call the action as ESPN’s play-by-play voices throughout the tournament. They will be joined by a team of rotating analysts including Jessica Mendoza, Kyle Peterson, Tim Kurkjian and Major League Baseball World Series Champion and former Little League player David Ross. Sebastian Salazar and Julie Foudy will also be providing on-field reports during the telecasts. “Wired segments” will also return this year with coaches and umpires providing unique and candid insight and instant reactions on the field.

ESPN International will televise select Little League Baseball World Series games from Williamsport throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific Rim. Games airing in Latin America will be voiced in Spanish by Eduardo Varela, Pablo Viruega, Michele LaFountain, Roger Valdivieso, Guillermo Celis, Fernando Álvarez, and Ismael Valdez. Freddie Lomeli will be the reporter for ESPN International’s coverage of the Little League Baseball World Series capturing the families and other behind-the-scenes elements of the games.

2018 MLB Little League Classic

The second annual MLB Little League Classic will return to the renovated BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field, on Sunday, August 19 at 7 p.m. on ESPN. This year’s special telecast will see the Philadelphia Phillies, currently tied for first in the National League East, “hosting” the New York Mets. A full day of four Little League Baseball World Series games, on-site SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight telecasts, interviews with MLB players and the MLB Commissioner and more will precede the game.

The Beach Boys will perform live from Little League’s famous hill overlooking Lamade Stadium following the 2 p.m. game on ABC (performance may finish on ESPNEWS, depending on when the game concludes). The day will also feature a look back at the 1998 Little League World Series Champion team from Toms River, NJ., which included current Mets third baseman Todd Frazier. The Glory Days: Toms River Little League special will run from 4-4:30 p.m. on ESPN. The special will also run on August 25 between the International Championship and United States Championship. It will include additional content from the team’s on-field reunion scheduled to occur on August 19.

Full details on ESPN’s MLB Little League Classic coverage will be announced later this week.

SportsCenter & Baseball Tonight

ESPN’s SportsCenter will have an increased presence at the Little League Baseball World Series this year with five shows emanating from Williamsport during the tournament. Michael Eaves and Kevin Negandhi will be hosting the shows which will include interviews with Little Leaguers and other special guests.

ESPN’s MLB pre-game show Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown will be on site in Williamsport for a two-hour edition beginning at 5 p.m. on August 19 on ESPN. Virk will host the first hour of the show with Mark Teixeira, Ross and Kurkjian. The trio of analysts return for the second hour with Ravech leading into the MLB Little League Classic. Baseball Tonight will also have shows from its Bristol, Conn., studio on August 21 and August 22.

Ravech, Peterson, Ross and Salazar will recap all the excitement and storylines from Williamsport and look ahead to the championship game with the Little League World Series Web Gems and Preview Show on Aug. 26 at 12 p.m. on ESPN.

* Telecast will be based in the Bristol, Conn., studio

Visit ESPN.com’s Little League World Series page for updated scores, results, and game stories throughout the tournament.

Little League Baseball World Series Schedule

U.S. teams include regional champions: Post Oak Little League – Houston, Texas (Southwest), Peachtree City America Little League – Peachtree City, Georgia (Southeast), Coeur d’Alene Little League – Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (Northwest), Coventry Little League – Coventry, Rhode Island (New England), Grandview Little League – Des Moines, Iowa (Midwest), Honolulu Little League – Honolulu, Hawaii (West), Mid Island Little League – Staten Island, New York (Mid-Atlantic), Grosse Pointe Woods-Shores Little League – Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan (Great Lakes)

International teams include regional champions: Gold Coast Baseball Association Little League – Gold Coast, Queensland (Australia), South Seoul Little League – Seoul, South Korea (Asia-Pacific), Matamoros Little League – Matamoros, Tamaulipas (Mexico), Radames Lopez Little League – Guayama, Puerto Rico (Caribbean), Catalunya Little League – Barcelona, Spain (Europe-Africa), Vacamonte Little League – Arraijan, Panama (Latin America), Kawaguchi Little League – Kawaguchi, Japan (Japan), Whalley Little League – Surrey, British Columbia (Canada)

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ESPN Little League contacts: Ben Cafardo at 860-766-3496 or [email protected]. Twitter: @Ben_ESPN; Michael Skarka at 860- 385-3986 or [email protected]. Twitter: @Michael_ESPN.