The 2014 Little League World Series presented by Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes on ESPN and ABC will debut some new faces, features and production enhancements, beginning Thursday (1 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Most notably, Hall of Famer and Baseball Tonight analyst Barry Larkin will join the crew to provide analysis for 17 games from Williamsport, Pa. Baseball Tonight host Karl Ravech will handle play-by-play alongside Larkin and analyst Nomar Garciaparra, who returns to ESPN and ABC for this two-week assignment. SportsCenter’s Jaymee Sire will serve as reporter.
Additionally, ESPN and ABC will debut a new telecast “open” for the series featuring a summer camp theme set to the band 1985’s youthful, energetic “Summer Forever” tune – a song ESPN has used previously for Little League World Series telecast opens.
Filmed at Winding Trails camp in Farmington, Conn. over two days in June, the shoot followed children through traditional day camp activities – fishing, canoeing, zip-lining, swimming and making s’mores – in an effort to capture the spirit of summer. The video above provides a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new open.
Additional production highlights this year include a new TrussCam positioned on a trolley beyond the outfield wall at Lamade Stadium to capture sweeping shots of action, vignettes with athletes and notable figures in celebration of Little League’s 75th Anniversary and a special feature on Little League creator Carl Stotz.
Video produced by Josh Lander