1 CAL SOFTBALL GOLDEN BEARS CAL BAPTIST 1-1 0-0 4-5 0-0 OVERALL OVERALL WAC PAC-12 VS STANFORD CHELSEA SPENCER 4-0 0-0 --/-- Pac-12 NFCA/D1 SB RANK HEAD COACH OVERALL DATES Smith Family Stadium, LIVE STREAM LIVE STATS Feb. 26-27 Stanford, CA GoStanford.com statbroadcast.com FAST FACTS Cal Heads To The Stanford Invitational This Week Five days after enjoying a three-run comeback walk-off victory over Saint Mary’s in the home COACHING STAFF opener, the California softball team spends this weekend in the south bay. The Golden Bears Head Coach Chelsea Spencer (1-1) will face Cal Baptist and Stanford in the Stanford Invitational from Feb. 26.27, and then California, 2006 Overall Record 1-1 (1st season, 1st overall) Cal plays at Santa Clara on Sunday, Feb. 28, at 4 p.m. Asst. Coach Mitch Roberts (1st season) St. Ambrose, 2016 Both days at Stanford will feature doubleheaders. On Feb. 26, Cal faces Cal Baptist at 3 p.m. Becca Mueller and Stanford at 6 p.m. On Feb. 27, the Bears face Cal Baptist at 11:30 a.m. and the Cardinal College Of Charleston, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. The games against Stanford are non-conference games. Volunteer Asst. Coach Kailee Cuico (1st season) Oregon, 2014 After suffering a 3-0 loss in the season opener at Sacramento State, the Bears posted 13 hits in a 5-4 win over Saint Mary’s in the home opener last Sunday. Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the TEAM INFORMATION 2020 Overall Record 13-11 seventh, Candace Yingling blasted a two-run home run, the third of her career, to tie the game 2020 Home Record 0-0 at four. The four-bagger was Yingling’s second hit of the day. Cal later loaded the bases, and 2020 Away Record 1-4 Karlee Sparacino ended the game with a shot to left-center to send the Bears home happy. 2020 Neutral Record 12-7 2020 Pac-12 (finish) 13-11 (9th) The victory marked the first win in the Chelsea Spencer era, and the game marked Cal’s first Starters Returning/Lost 9/0 contest at Levine-Fricke Field since May 2019. Newcomers 6 Picking up right where she left off last season, Makena Smith leads her squad in hitting after UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Location: Berkeley, Calif. two games with a .571 batting average that ranks fifth in the Pac-12. Smith, who is currently Nickname: Golden Bears enjoying a 21-game hitting streak that dates back to last season, went 3-for-4 in Cal’s 5-4 win Enrollment: 41,910 over Saint Mary’s last Sunday, including her 10th career home run in the bottom of the first. Smith hit safely in her first at-bat in both games. After missing last season due to injury, Sona Halajian spent the majority of last weekend’s by the numbers games in the circle. Halajian pitched nine-and two-thirds innings combined last weekend. She 3 earned the win in relief against the Gaels after starting in her collegiate debut the day before at Sacramento State. She boasts a 2.90 ERA and batters are hitting .211 against her through Cal scored three runs in the seventh inning to two games. Contributing at the plate, as well, Halajian singled in both contests, and scored the comeback and defeat Saint Mary’s in a walk-off last Sunday in the home opener. game-winning run against Saint Mary’s. Another Bear returning after missing the 2020 campaign, Morgan Zamora is currently batting 21 .500 (3-for-6), including collecting two hits against the Hornets. Zamora is one of four Bears Makena Smith is currently enjoying a 21-game batting .400 or better - Smith (.571), Kacey Zobac (.429) and Halajian (.400). Zobac singled hitting streak, dating back to last season. twice against the Gaels, including a single in the bottom of the seventh to keep the rally going after Yingling’s game-tying home run. 27 The Bears will return to Levine-Fricke Field for a Cal returns to Stanford next week for the DeMarini Invitational before heading back to Berkeley 27th season in 2021. Cal will soon have a brand for a non-conference matchup against Nevada on Sunday, March 7, at noon from Levine-Fricke new facility in Strawberry Canyon. Field. The home game will be Cal’s final non-conference home game before the Pac-12 home opener against UCLA on Friday, March 26. 86 Cal has never lost to Santa Clara in school history, owning an all-time record of 86-0. CALIFORNIA SOFTBALL GAME NOTES Assistant Director of Athletic Communications (Softball Contact): Tim Miguel Cell: 510-326-9761 // Email: [email protected] // 349 Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, CA 94720 2 AT Stanford Invitational SCHEDULE CAL ALL-TIME AGAINST CAL BAPTIST, STANFORD AND SANTA CLARA Friday’s game against Cal Baptist will mark the first-ever meeting between these teams. OVERALL: 1-1 • PAC-12: 0-0 • HOME: 1-0 • AWAY: 0-1 The Bears lead the all-time series against Stanford by a wide margin, 75-31. The last NEUTRAL: 0-0 time these teams met was March 24, 2019, an 11-10 victory by the Cardinal. Stanford won both meetings in 2019 after Cal enjoyed a 12-game winning streak that started in DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT 2015. Feb. 20 Sacramento State L, 0-3 FEB. 21 Saint Mary’s W, 5-4 Cal has never lost to Santa Clara in school history, owning an all-time record of 86-0. The Stanford Invitational (Stanford, Calif.) last time these teams met was May 1, 2019, a 1-0 Cal victory. Cal has recorded eight Feb. 26 Cal Baptist 3 p.m. no-hitters against the Broncos, including a perfect game by Cal Athletic Hall of Famer Feb. 26 Stanford 6 p.m. Leslie Partch in 1982. Feb. 27 Cal Baptist 11:30 a.m. Feb. 27 Stanford 5:30 p.m. Feb. 28 Santa Clara 4 p.m. SMITH NAMED TO THE USA SOFTBALL COLLEGIATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR TOP 50 WATCH LIST DeMarini Invitational (Stanford, Calif.) Makena Smith, who is currently enjoying a 21-game hitting streak, was tabbed to the March 4 BYU 3:30 p.m. USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List. Last weekend, Smith batted March 5 UC Santa Barbara 10:30 a.m. March 6 UC Santa Barbara 10 a.m. .571 including a 3-for-4 day against Saint Mary’s with a home run and an RBI double. MARCH 7 Nevada Noon In 2020, Smith paced the Bears in hitting with a .481 batting average that ranked tied Fresno State Tournament (Fresno, Calif.) for first in the Pac-12 and tied for 21st in the nation. March 12 UC Davis 12:30 p.m. In the final 2020 Pac-12 ranks, Smith finished tied for second in hits (37), tied for March 12 Fresno State 3 p.m. March 13 UC Davis 10 a.m. seventh in slugging percentage (.727), eighth in on-base percentage (.512) and tied March 13 Fresno State 3:30 p.m. for eighth in doubles with seven. Smith had also previously garnered 2019 Pac-12 All- March 17 Pacific 2:00 p.m. Freshman Team honors. March 19 Oregon State* TBA The top 25 finalists for the 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be March 20 Oregon State* TBA March 20 Oregon State TBA announced on April 21. March 21 Oregon State* TBA MARCH 26 UCLA* TBA SCHEDULE CHANGES MARCH 27 UCLA* TBA MARCH 27 UCLA TBA Prior to next Sunday’s home game against Nevada, Cal will return to Stanford next week MARCH 28 UCLA* TBA for the DeMarini Invitational from March 4-6. The Bears won’t play the Cardinal next April 1 Washington* TBA week, though. Instead, Cal will play a single game each day, facing BYU on Thursday, April 2 Washington* TBA March 4, at 3:30 p.m., and UC Santa Barbara on Friday, March 5, at 10:30 a.m. and April 2 Washington TBA April 3 Washington* TBA Saturday, March 6, at 10 a.m. APRIL 9 UTAH* TBA APRIL 10 UTAH* TBA THANK YOU TO THE RIVERAS APRIL 10 UTAH TBA APRIL 11 UTAH* TBA On Oct. 22, former Cal student-athletes Ron and Stephanie Rivera made a $500,000 April 16 Stanford* TBA gift to Cal’s softball facility project. To honor the Riveras’ gift, the renovated facility is April 17 Stanford* TBA intended to be named the “Rivera Family Cal Softball Field.” Ron, current head coach April 17 Stanford TBA for Washington in the NFL as a star linebacker at Cal from 1980-83, and Stephanie was April 18 Stanford* TBA APRIL 21 SAN JOSE STATE TBA a member of Cal’s women’s basketball team from 1983-85. APRIL 23 ARIZONA STATE* TBA The Rivera’s gift is part of the Cal Athletics’ gender equity campaign that is raising funds APRIL 24 ARIZONA STATE* TBA for new facilities for both softball and beach volleyball. APRIL 24 ARIZONA STATE TBA APRIL 25 ARIZONA STATE* TBA The Riveras built a relationship with Chelsea Spencer while Spencer was playing APRIL 28 SANTA CLARA TBA professionally with the Rockford Thunder near Chicago. Ron and Stephanie asked April 30 Arizona* TBA Spencer to help run a softball camp that was attended by their daughter, Courtney, who May 1 Arizona* TBA ultimately went on to play at UCLA.