ESPN SportsCenter airing live from James Madison University

HARRISONBURG — ESPN is returning to James Madison University Wednesday and Thursday.

This time it's not College GameDay, but the 2 p.m. edition of SportsCenter. The sports news and highlights show will air live from James Madison’s campus on Wednesday, Oct. 9 and Thursday, Oct. 10 with co-host Matt Barrie.

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The Thursday program will originate from the patio area near the Duke Dog statue in front of the Plecker Athletic Performance Center with the public invited to gather for the show. The Wednesday show will air from a private location and not open to the public.

Barrie, who co-hosts the 2 p.m. weekday editions of SportsCenter, will also provide the play-by-play call for the Thursday night Sun Belt Conference football game between JMU and Coastal Carolina, which will air on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m.

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Guests are allowed on the APC patio area for the Thursday SportsCenter broadcast, but everyone is requested not to gather prior to 1:30 p.m. Anyone planning to attend should review campus parking regulations in effect for the Thursday night football game as announced by JMU Athletics, with additional details on campus operations announced by the university .

This Wednesday, SportsCenter will mark the fourth live ESPN show originating from Harrisonburg in the last 10 years. JMU hosted College GameDay in 2015, 2017 and 2023, with the most recent marking the 30 ^th anniversary of ESPN taking the show on the road. An estimated 26,000 people were in attendance last November.

JMU is 4-1 overall and 0-1 in Sun Belt play heading into the Thursday contest, while Coastal is also 4-1 overall and 1-0 in league play.

— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick . Subscribe to us at newsleader.com .

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: ESPN SportsCenter airing live from James Madison University