Women’s College World Series on ESPN shattered viewership records for NCAA softball

Game 3 between Texas and Texas Tech was the most-watched college softball game ever on ESPN platforms.

It’s true, y’all. Everyone watches women’s sports.

The Women’s College World Series concluded last week with Texas beating Texas Tech in a thrilling three-game series.

And now, the numbers are in.

That decisive Game 3 is the most-watched NCAA softball game ever, as it drew an average viewership of 2.4 million people and peaked at 2.7 million watchers on ESPN.

While the number is significant on its own, it’s even more impressive when compared to other sporting events. More people watched that third game between the Longhorns and Red Raiders than the first round of this year’s Masters, the ACC men’s basketball tournament semifinal between rivals Duke and North Carolina, and Game 6 of the NHL Western Conference Finals between the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars.

Texas won Game 3 by a score of 10-4 to capture its first-ever national championship in softball. The Longhorns were powered by the superb pitching of Teagan Kavan and a timely grand slam by Mia Scott, who played much of the postseason with a torn ACL.

But it wasn’t just that Game 3 that attracted viewers in droves to college softball. Several of the games broadcast throughout the NCAA Tournament and World Series drew millions of fans and reset records.

Before Game 3, Game 1 of the championship series drew an average of 2.1 million viewers, making it the fifth-most-watched college softball game ever on ESPN platforms. Viewership of Game 1 was up 11 percent from 2024.

Additionally, the pre-final rounds of the World Series averaged 1.1 million viewers and marked ESPN’s highest pre-finals World Series audience on record, up 25 percent from 2024.

The most-watched game of the World Series before the championship round was UCLA vs. Tennessee on Sunday, June 1, on ABC, which drew an average of 2.2 million viewers. That clash between the Bruins and Lady Vols peaked at 3.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched non-finals game of the World Series on record.

College softball is clearly growing its audience. The numbers don’t lie.