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BLACKSBURG - ESPN announced Tuesday its lineup of college softball broadcasts for the upcoming season, a lineup that features two Virginia Tech games for the first time in program history. The first game of the doubleheader against Florida State at home on April 20 - also the day of the Spring Game for football - and the single game at Virginia on Monday, April 29 at 7 p.m. will be televised, both live by ESPNU.

While Tech has been on TV 15 previous times, these two games will mark the first regular season games shown nationally live in the program’s 18-year history.

ESPN networks will present the largest schedule of college softball to date and boasting more ranked teams, beginning with No. 5 Tennessee at No. 15 Florida on Saturday, March 16, at 11 a.m. The regular-season schedule has 44 games across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU featuring 19 teams in the Top 25 as well as seven teams receiving votes (where Virginia Tech sits), including 13 conference tournament matchups.

In addition to conference play, the season will culminate with ESPN’s multi-platform coverage of every pitch in the NCAA Division I Softball Super Regionals and the NCAA Women’s College World Series.

The schedule is highlighted by a record 15 games matching ranked opponents and 25 games with a ranked team, based on the pre-season ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 released today. Nine conferences are represented in the schedule, which is capped off with six conference championship games.

ESPN’s returning line-up of college softball analysts includes Garland Cooper, Jennie Finch, Cheri Kempf, Jessica Mendoza, Michele Smith, and Amanda Scarborough with Beth Mowins, Pam Ward, Cara Capuano, Joe Davis, Holly Rowe and Adam Amin on deck bringing the play-by-play each week.

You can find a full listing of the broadcast schedule here.

Below is Tech’s all-time television appearance list, plus its lone appearance on ESPN3, the network’s online broadcasting platform:

2005 ACC championship game on RSN vs. Georgia Tech
2007 ACC championship game on RSN vs. Florida State
2008 ACC championship game on RSN vs. NC State
2008 vs. USA on ESPN2 (tape delayed)
2008 vs. Tennessee on ESPN2 in NCAA Regionals
2008 all three Super Regional games on ESPN at Michigan
2008 both WCWS games on ESPN from Oklahoma City
2009 vs. USF on Bright House Network
2009 vs. Florida State on Sun Sports
2009 vs. Florida State on FSN
2012 vs. Maryland at ACC on ESPN3
2012 vs. UNC at ACC Tournament on RSN
2012 ACC championship game on ESPN vs. Georgia Tech

For updates on Virginia Tech softball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Softball).