College softball continues to be a property on the rise for ESPN.
Game 1 of the intrastate battle between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Texas Longhorns in the Women’s College World Series on Wednesday averaged 2.1 million viewers on ESPN. The Longhorns’ unconventional win, which came in part due to a hit that drove in two runs while the Red Raiders were attempting to intentionally walk a hitter, increased its audience by 11% year-over-year from Oklahoma’s Game 1 win over Texas in 2024 (1.91 million viewers), which was a record-setting audience at the time.
Per ESPN, Game 1 peaked at 2.8 million viewers and was the most-watched cable telecast of the day in the females 18-49 demographic.
Perhaps the best superlative for the Women’s College World Series, however, is that it drew nearly as many viewers as Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on TNT, which it took on head-to-head. The Stanley Cup Finals averaged just 2.42 million viewers, the least-watched Game 1 since 2008 (excluding COVID-impacted seasons).
The mere fact that college softball is within touching distance of a “Big 4” North American sports league is remarkable, and a testament to ESPN’s role in growing the sport by increasing its exposure in recent years.
Overall, the Women’s College World Series is averaging 1.21 million viewers, according to Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch. That is a 21% increase from this point last year.