NASHVILLE, Tenn. — All 10 Vanderbilt lacrosse home games will air live on ESPN+ this season with play-by-play announcer Michelle Sebastian returning to the booth for her third full season.
Fans unable to join the team in person at the Vanderbilt Lacrosse Complex can stream every home game through the ESPN digital platform with an ESPN+ subscription.
The move to ESPN+ will include an updated graphics package and higher production quality from broadcasts in past seasons while increasing accessibility and visibility for Vanderbilt fans and lacrosse fans alike.
Heralded for her knowledge and energy on the broadcasts, Sebastian said calling Vanderbilt’s home games is a way to give back to the sport she loves.
“If you watch and listen to lacrosse the right way you can’t help but to fall in love with it,” Sebastian said. “These athletes have dedicated their whole careers to get to this stage. I love highlighting them and giving them the attention they deserve.”
The sport that Sebastian has dedicated so many years to wasn’t always in the picture for Sebastian. When she arrived at Vanderbilt as a freshman she was a basketball and soccer player who had never touched a lacrosse stick.
“A girl in my dorm invited me to a lacrosse club team meeting. I realized quickly that the group of girls in those meetings was the group I was looking for,” she said. “They knew I wasn’t good yet, but they were patient with me. I started going to high school camps as a college kid just so I could keep improving over the summer. After college I returned home to Chicago and went right into coaching.”
With the help of Sebastian and the rest of the members of the Vanderbilt lacrosse club team, the sport gained varsity status at the school ahead of the 1996 season. After graduation she coached her high school alma mater to a state title in Illinois and now coaches club lacrosse in Chicago, returning to Music City to call the Commodores’ home games.
The move to ESPN+ is a big one for the program.
“People are used to going to ESPN to watch sports,” Sebastian said. “This is a big deal for Vanderbilt. It’s going to increase visibility for the team and the sport as a whole and make the game more accessible.”
The Commodores start the 2023 campaign with four consecutive home games beginning with Colorado on Feb. 10. The home slate features three matchups against opponents ranked in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Preseason Top 25.
Vanderbilt will host No. 10 Denver on Feb. 12, No. 7 Rutgers on March 13 and No. 12 James Madison on April 8. Opponents Colorado and Temple are each receiving votes in the preseason poll.
