The Little League World Series is set to begin this week on ESPN, which has been broadcasting the tournament for years. One of the voices of the Little League World Series is Karl Ravech, one of the network's top baseball personalities who has been on site in Williamsport calling games since 2006, including play-by-play work in the championship game since 2011.
That run appeared to be in jeopardy when Ravech was let go as part of a round of layoffs at ESPN last month as part of cost cutting measures. Ravech has made a few appearances working for ESPN since that decision and is scheduled to call the Little League World Series again this year in what could be described as an unusual arrangement.
Why Is Karl Ravech Still Calling The Little League World Series?
Even though he is no longer employed by ESPN, The Athletic's Andrew Marchand notes that the network gave Ravech the opportunity to work a few baseball dates over the summer before the split becomes permanent. Ravech accepted that offer and the Little League World Series is currently slated to be the final event he works for ESPN after 33 years with the network.
In a separate interview with Westwood One Sports Night, Ravech elaborated that he was thrilled to get the opportunity to work this year's tournament since it is one of his favorite events to cover. Ravech also noted that he feels he has become associated with the Little League World Series throughout his years covering it so this assignment gives him a chance to say farewell to the ESPN audience on his terms.
It does make sense for ESPN to keep Ravech on for this event since finding a new lead voice for the Little League World Series on short notice was going to be a tall order. It is possible that several other voices who are working the event this year could be auditioning to fill Ravech's role as the main announcer for next year, but it will still be Ravech's show throughout the 2026 edition.
The Little League World Series is set to be played from Aug. 19-30 in Williamsport, PA. All games are set to be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks. The first day of games kicks off with a quadrupleheader starting at 1:00 p.m. ET between Nicaragua (representing Latin America) and the Dominican Republic (representing the Caribbean).
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