LAST UPDATE 5/25/2023

Due to too many technical issues we have pulled all the Fastpitch streams. We are going to continue to try and stream to see if we can get a few of them to work correctly but do that on a private channel. This is a new way of streaming for us and we’re using a 2nd platform and the issues are simply too many right now to believe we can put up a consistent, reliable and decent stream. 

Each team at all venues may stream on any platform they choose (Facebook, Twitch etc) to get the games up for their fans who can’t get to the games. This is at ALL Fastpitch sites and only Fastpitch sites. The other scheduled broadcasts are ready to go in Baseball, Soccer and Track.

Anyone who purchased a subscription for Fastpitch coverage can contact the NFHS and let them know your event was cancelled and they will refund your subscription. But be aware if you are wanting to watch Baseball, Soccer or Track if you get a refund, your subscription will be cancelled upon your refund and you will not be able to view any games on the NFHS.

We tried to do something no one in the country has attempted but it didn’t work so we will keep working to see what we can do to get this up so all Fastpitch games will be streamed. We apologize for any inconvenience but please know we will keep trying to expand and include all sports in our streaming coverage. We wish all teams the best of luck.

UPDATED 5/24/2023 5pm

Another venue takes a hit and we add Selah and the 2A tournament to the can’t be streamed list. Due to not enough WIFI at Carlon Park in Selah we will not be able to stream any of the games. WIAA officials say that teams may stream their own teams games if they are able to do so. ESN tested the site Wednesday afternoon and the upload speed of a minimum of 10 was far below that level. So if you are planning to stream or do anything on the guest wifi in Selah you may have issues so plan on using your own data.

ESN officials say we need 3 things to live stream, a dry area, access to power and enough wifi or the ability to plug in an ethernet to stream video. Streaming audio or using the internet and social media requires far less bandwidth than trying to upload video which is the issue.

Going into this attempt to stream this many fields at the same time we knew wifi and upload speed was going to be the challenge. Trying to get clean reads is also a challenge and to be honest a lot of folks still don’t quite understand this technology so until we can get to each site and physically check it there is always the chance that something could go wrong. Unfortunately this is the case in Selah and there is no time to try and find a solution.

We still plan on streaming in Lacey for the 3A tournament and in Yakima for the 1B and 2B tournaments. If you purchased a subscription just for the 2a fastpitch tournament contact the NFHS and let them know the event was cancelled and they will refund your subscription.

5/23/2023

The Eli Sports Network was planning on live streaming all 133 Fastpitch games on the NFHS Network set to be played this weekend beginning on Thursday in Lacey and Richland. Our plans have changed and we will not be able to do the 1A and 4A tournaments in Richland. This is simply due to wifi there isn’t enough upload speed available at the Richland fields to push 5 live streams up at one time, in fact the wifi is so low we cannot even do 1 field that would result in a clear picture. Teams will be allowed to stream their own games but must check in with the tournament managers at Richland only.

This is now also the case in Selah see the update above for more details.

The other sites are set to go with 3A in Lacey at the RAC and the 2B and 1B at the Gateway complex in Yakima. However, there will not be any announcers or score strips available for any of the streams. We will be using the smaller camera’s zip tied to the backstops for a clean picture from behind home plate and should be able to pick up the scoreboards in the outfields.

The two major reasons for the streamlined version is that we have all sports competing at the same time during the Spring Championships. We have Baseball in Bellingham, Everett and Ephrata, Soccer in Renton and Puyallup, Track and Field in Tacoma and Yakima and Fastpitch in Lacey, Selah and Yakima with a total of 12 fastpitch fields all on the same days. The other is we simply don’t have as many people available during this time of year between Memorial Day plans, Graduations coming quickly and just better weather many of our folks are committed elsewhere during this time.

In contrast the Fall and Winter Championships take place over 4-5 weeks such as the Fall with Slowpitch the final week of October, then came Cross Country, Swimming and Volleyball the next week, another week of Volleyball and soccer prior to Thanksgiving then the football semi-finals Thanksgiving weekend and State Football Championships the 1st Saturday of December. This allows us to move limited gear and announcers around to cover all of those games and events.

The Spring is different and we understand why, wanting to give as much time for baseball and fastpitch to get their games in during a traditionally rainy time of year and wanting them done prior to graduations that begin the weekend after Memorial Day make this window of time for Spring Championships challenging.

The fields we will be streaming will be listed by their location and field and streams will simply run all day, both days. This is going to require the viewer to know where your team is playing, which field they are on and the start time. For example, if you are a Walla Walla fan and want to watch your teams opening game you need to know your team plays in Lacey at 9am on field 1. Then when you log on to the NFHS, you search WIAA Fastpitch or Lacey Field 1. This will take you to the stream on Lacey Field 1.

If your team wins you then go to Lacey Field 4 at 3:30, if they lose their opener you would go to Lacey Field 4 at 1:30. We have linked the WIAA brackets at the bottom of this page so you can click on and see where your team plays and when. We know this is going to be a little awkward but it is the best we can do trying to stream 12 fields of just Fastpitch at one time.

The good thing about the constant live stream is you will know if your game is running late. No games will ever begin early but no doubt some will run long and when you click on your scheduled start time you will go right to the live stream and not get a “your event is delayed or will start soon” message, you will get the live action.

If you click on our broadcast schedule page we will also have a direct link to each location’s fields so you can click direct on the stream you want to watch.

Our future goal is to stream every game and to get a broadcast crew at least on each Championship field. What we’re trying to do this year is something no other state has attempted, Washington state will be the first to try and stream this many fastpitch games at one time. For us this is a step-by-step process and the first thing to master is a viewable stream. That’s what we are trying to accomplish this year and then work to improve it.

Finally, and as always we encourage you to attend the games in person. No video stream will ever be able to take the place of the fun, the excitement and the experience than being there in person. Go to the games every chance you get it is the best sports value dollar for dollar that you’ll ever find. Best of luck to all the teams we are excited to bring your performances to those who cannot be there in person.

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