SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT — Sportscaster Karl Ravech will call Little League World Series games for ESPN despite being laid off by the network on July 21. The announcement confirms his continued involvement with the annual youth baseball tournament following his departure from the company.

Ravech has worked for ESPN since 1993 and has called Little League World Series games for the broadcaster since 2006. He began calling the championship games in 2011, establishing a long tenure with the event coverage. Mike Monaco serves as the play-by-play announcer for the International bracket of the Little League World Series.

As part of his separation from the network, Ravech was given the option to call a select number of MLB games for ESPN. He addressed the situation in a podcast interview on July 21, stating that he would not discuss the internal matters at that time. "There is a lot going on with ESPN. We're well aware of it. We're not going to discuss that tonight," Ravech said.

Ravech later took to social media on August 7 to promote the upcoming tournament coverage. "It is my favorite time of the year. @LittleLeague baseball is back and all over the ESPN app. Check out the amazing, fun action as we work toward Williamsport and the Little League World Series beginning Wednesday, August 19th," Ravech posted.

The Little League World Series has featured notable participants who went on to professional careers. New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger played in the 2007 Little League World Series. Bellinger recalled the scale of the event in an interview, noting the crowd size during his participation.

"I was in center field and I looked behind me and the whole berm was filled with people. I was like, 'This is actually crazy,'" Bellinger said.

He described the media attention that followed his team's performance during that tournament. "And then later that night we ended up going on the ESPN Baseball Tonight set and had a microphone on my face. The whole thing was just wild," he said.