When: 12:30 PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN3
Gametracker

It's the matchup that everybody wanted to see - except probably not until the Championship Series. But we get it today when the #1 Bears take on the #2 Crimson Tide. The champions of the two best conferences in the nation will battle it out for a spot in softball's final two.

Unfortunately for Cal, it's Alabama who has the advantage. They only need once and they've had a day of rest while Cal was fighting to avoid elimination against Oregon. But this isn't some impossible task. In each of the last two years a team has swept the semi-final double header to reach the Championship Series - including Florida, who did it to Alabama last year.

Alabama's strength is their offense. They're second in the nation in runs/game behind a lineup that can hit for power and average. Kaila Hunt and Amanda Locke supply the power while Jennifer Fenton and Kayla Braud supply the speed. Alabama's offense hasn't been bludgeoning teams in the post-season in quite the same way that they did during the regular season, but they've been supplying enough runs for their pitching.

And so far, their pitching has been Jackie Traina. Traina isn't quite on the same level as the shut-down pitchers Cal has seen against LSU and Oklahoma (she hasn't actually thrown a shut-out yet during the playoffs) but she's still an excellent pitcher very capable of holding great offenses down. Alabama advanced through the winner's bracket because Traina held ASU's potent offense to just one run on Friday.

I think the burden falls on Cal's offense to make things happen today. Jolene Henderson is great, but it's unfair to expect her to shut down Alabama's bats after three complete games in three days. That means it's up to Val and company to give Jolene (or, I suppose Val if she pitches) a lead to protect.

Who's ready for a double-header?

A new day saw a very different performance from the Bears against a familiar foe. The Bears put balls in play, got clutch two out hits, and hit for power - everything they didn't do against Oklahoma. It all added up to a mostly drama free 6-3 win over Pac-12 rival Oregon.

As a result, Cal advances to the semi-finals, where they will face the unenviable challenge of beating 2nd ranked Alabama twice. Game 1 will take place tomorrow at 12:30 PT on ESPN. If the Bears won that game they would play Alabama again in the late game for the chance to advance to the Championship Series.

The biggest hit of the game was Jace Williams' three run home run in the first inning. Britt Vonk's single and Frani Echavarria's walk set up the inning, and Jace hit a shot that kept carrying right over the wall near dead center. It was the big hit that was lacking yesterday, and I can only imagine that it helped settle down Jolene Henderson immediately to head to the circle with a quick lead. And even better, Cal kept the early offense coming.

In the 2nd inning it was Britt Vonk with the two out hit. Danielle Henderson and Jamia Reid both reached on base hits before advancing on a passed ball. Vonk turned on an inside pitch, blooping it down the line in right field. Henderson and Reid scored easily, and the game felt virtually over at that point.

Jolene Henderson cruised through the first five innings without much trouble. The only hard hit ball I recall was Samanta Pappas' 3rd inning home run. Luckily Victoria Jones followed that home run with a home run of her own in the next half inning.

To Oregon's credit they finally got to Jolene in the 6th inning with a single, hit by pitch, walk and double. The Ducks even got the tying run to the plate, but Jolene got out of her jam with a big assist from her defense and the backstop. Jace Williams made a nice running catch on a bloop hit by Lindsey Chambers, and when her throw home sailed wide the ball bounced right back to Victoria Jones, who dove to tag out Alexa Peterson to end the inning. Luckily the 7th inning was much more routine as Cal wrapped up the win.

So, bring on the Tide. We'll have a quick little preview of Alabama in tomorrow's gamethread. Survive and advance.

When: 6:30 pm PT (Or 30 minutes after ASU vs. LSU ends)
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN3
Gametracker

The bad news: Cal lost to Oklahoma last night, which means they must win three games in a row to make the
Championship Series.

The good news: They move to the opposite side of the bracket, away from the red-hot Sooners, and they'll face a team they know they can beat. Cal faces the Oregon Ducks (who had to eliminate Tennessee earlier today) for the right to face the Alabama Crimson Tide tomorrow - hopefully twice.

You may recall that Oregon handed Cal one of their four regular season loses. It was a 1-0 defeat in Eugene as Jessica Moore threw a complete game shut-out. But don't think that Cal can't hit Moore. She started both other games against Cal and allowed 10 runs in 6 2/3 innings. To be fair, 6 of those 10 runs were unearned, but then again Oregon had the lowest fielding percentage in the Pac-12 and defense is probably their biggest weakness.

Meanwhile, Oregon hitters only managed 2 runs and 11 hits over the three game series. That isn't to say that Oregon's lineup doesn't have talent. Five players have hit at least nine home runs this year and seven players hit .300 or higher. But Jolene and Val shut them down earlier this year and they can do it again.

Cal has won three games in a row plenty of times this season. Time to do it again. Go Bears!

When you put the ball in play, anything can happen. Great pitchers lose plenty of games, even when they're throwing well. A bloop falls between outfielders. A swinging bunt gets past the pitcher. A fielding error swings an inning.

It takes an extraordinary effort to remove that element of chance from a game. Keilani Ricketts did just that. Cal put just eight balls in play all game long. Three of those eight balls resulted in a baserunner, which is a pretty good ratio. Maybe if Cal had put a few more balls in play something might've happened to turn the game in Cal's favor. But Keilani Ricketts struck out 16 Bears in a breathtaking (ly painful) performance.

All but one player that stepped to the plate for Cal struck out at least once. Ricketts came within two strikeouts of tying a College World Series Record . . . against the consensus #1 team in the country. I'm hardly the right person to ask for a historical perspective on softball but I would have to assume that this would rank very near the top in terms of 'greatest single game pitching efforts in CWS history.'

So whatever Oklahoma did at the plate against Jolene Henderson seems like a side note. Jolene wasn't her sharpest, but she pitched reasonably well against a loaded lineup. If Cal's defense had been tighter it might have been enough on a different night. As it is, Lauren Chamberlain's RBI double provided the only run Ricketts would end up needing.

So Cal heads to the loser's bracket, which means more games and less rest. That's not very good news for a team that has been a one pitcher team for the last few weeks. Cal will have to regroup and beat either Oregon or Tennessee in a game that will air at ~6:30 PT tomorrow night. We'll have more info on either team tomorrow, but you can take heart knowing that Cal has already beaten both teams this year.

The Bears made it hard on themselves in the regionals and survived. They have the talent to do it again. Go Bears!

Time: 4:00 pm PT
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN3
Gametracker

This is the most important game Cal will play in OKC. That seems counter-intuitive, but the risk/reward here is huge. Win, and Cal has a foot in the door of the championship series, gets a day of rest, and they put a title rival one win away from elimination. Lose and it means that Cal will have to win three straight elimination games over two days. The two teams that win their first two games at the CWS have a major advantage over everybody else.

To do that they'll have to beat the hottest team in the country playing in their own back yard. CGB has already previewed Oklahoma, so I won't belabor the point, but they're good. Probably the best team Cal has played this year, even if ASU has a higher ranking.

I'm 99% sure it will be Jolene Henderson vs. Keilani Ricketts. You'll see some of the best hitter vs. pitcher matchups softball has to offer. Enjoy, and Go Bears!

You might know Jennie Finch because she led the Arizona Wildcats to a national title in 2001. You might remember her from the 2004 Olympics, where the U.S. Softball team won Gold. Or maybe it's her 2005 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit appearance. In any case, she's arguably the most famous softball player of all time, and after her retirement from competition she's taken on commentator work with ESPN, promotional work with the Capital One Cup, and wrote a book, amongst many other activities.

1. Talk a little bit about Cal/Oklahoma
   
   

   It’s going to be a great test for Cal, playing against Oklahoma in what will be like a road game. It will be an incredible atmosphere, the game is already sold out. It’s a test for cal but there’s no preparation better than the Pac-12 season.

   
   

Continue reading this post »

When: 12:30 pm PT
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN3
Gametracker

The climax of a special season begins today.

The Bears and Tigers have actually met already this year, and the result was a 14-3 Cal blowout way back in February. Jamia was all over the basepaths, Val walked three times, and Jace Williams and Breana Kostreba went nuts driving in runs. It’s tied for the most runs Cal has scored in a game all year.

I don’t history to repeat itself. LSU’s ace Rachele Fico wasn’t pitching that day, but she’ll certainly be in the circle now, looking to protect her sub-1.00 ERA. I’d happily settle for a third of those 14 runs, because that should be enough support for Jolene.

Everybody knows that the key to surviving double elimination formats is to win your first two games. Step one is today. Go Bears!

In the end, even a road sweep probably wouldn’t have been enough.

As expected, the NCAA baseball playoff field was announced on Memorial Day and Cal’s name wasn’t included. In fact, when the selection committee listed the last 5 teams that missed the cut, Cal’s name wasn’t on that list either. Neither was Pac-12 rival Washington. Rightly or wrongly, the committee never viewed Cal as a legitimate at-large candidate.

None of that should diminish what the Bears did over the weekend. Historically, Sunken Diamond is where Cal teams go to die. Simply taking a series from Stanford on the road is an accomplishment by itself. Doing it by winning an 18 inning game and then blowing Stanford away the next day only makes it more noteworthy.

The only regret from the weekend is that Cal couldn’t quite close out what would have been their first sweep in Palo A lot ever. Cal earned an early lead and stayed within striking distance all game, but the clutch hits didn’t come the way they did in the first two games of the series and Stanford salvaged a win.

But wow, those first two games. Two wins, both incredibly satisfying for anybody who follows the team, and both as completely different as possible.

On Friday night I left home right when Cal and Stanford starting playing at 5:30. My wife and I drove to Stockton, watched the Ports earn a win over the Visalia Rawhide, and stuck around a bit after the game visiting with family. Then we had to stop at Target on the way back. We got home at 11:00, and I was able to listen to the conclusion of the game, including Tony Renda’s game winning RBI and Justin Jones’ hair-raising escape act in the bottom of the 18th.

Any game that goes that deep into extra innings is a contender for ‘instant classic’ status. That it came against Cal’s rival that happened to be ranked in the top 15 of every major poll only cements the title. But consider some of the crazy things that happened:

Continue reading this post »

A time-honored baseball cliche is that good pitching beats good hitting. If that cliche applies to softball, expect runs to be a scarce commodity this weekend.

Cal, Oklahoma, South Florida and LSU will all compete for one of two spots in the best-of-three Championship Series. Those four teams are currently 1st (Oklahoma), 2nd (South Florida), 3rd (Cal) and 9th (LSU) in the nation in earned run average. And in case you were going to scoff at LSU for being a distant 9th place, don't. They happen to have a pitcher with the lowest individual ERA in the nation. All four teams have lower ERAs than the four teams in the other half of the bracket. In the playoffs so far, facing above-average to elite competition, these four teams have combined to allow 25 runs in 24 games.

I can go on quoting crazy stats like that, but I think you get the point. Runs are going to be rare.

These are the four names you need to know: Rachele Fico (LSU), Keilani Ricketts (Oklahoma), Sara Nevins (USF) and Jolene Henderson (Cal). They are 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th respectively on the individual ERA leaderboard. Each have pitched between 220 and 255 innings, each has an ERA in the general vicinity of 1.00, each hold opponents to a batting average below .200 and each strike out about a batter per inning or more. They are all elite, the best of the best.

As I preview each team, I'm going to try to talk about something other than pitchers. Just know that the correct answer to the 'team strength' category is always pitching, and the correct answer to the 'player to watch' category is always the #1 starting pitcher.

LSU

How They Got Here: LSU is unseeded, which means they needed to knock off 8th seeded Texas A&M in College Station. They did that by holding the powerful Aggie offense to just one run in two games and scratching out a couple of runs to escape to the Super Regionals.

There they met the Missouri Tigers, again on the road. Again pitching won the day, but LSU's offense did their part as well, managing six runs in one win and three runs in the winner-take-all rubber match.

It's worth noting that Rachele Fico pitched in LSU's 1st and 3rd game each weekend, but #2 starter Brittany Mack pitched in the middle both times, including a 12 inning complete game 'losing' effort (she didn't allow an earned run) against Missouri. If LSU was willing to go with Mack facing elimination on the road last week I see no reason why they won't do so again in Oklahoma City.

Continue reading this post »

It wasn't as dominating as so many of Cal's wins have been this year, but it counts just the same. With today's 2-0 win over Washington, the Bears sweep their way back to Oklahoma City for the College World Series.

For the first few innings Washington was controlling the game. Cal's hitters were pressing and getting set down quickly, and the Huskies had base runners all over the place. But thanks to some sparkling defense UW was never able to push any runs across and the score remained knotted at 0-0. Jamia Reid's sliding, run-robbing catch in left looms large as the biggest play of the game, but Cal's defense was superb all around.

It stayed scoreless until 9th hitter Cheyenne Cordes blasted a pitch over the scoreboard in left field with a runner on base in the 5th. The Bears hadn't even earned a hit until Breana Kostreba lined a single to left to lead off the 5th. Elia Reid came into run for her and scored on Cheyenne's blast to give Jolene all of the runs she would need.

Jolene started the game much shakier than usual, although that was largely due to an unusually thin strike zone. For a pitcher like Jolene that lives on the corners, the tiny zone resulted in four walks in the first two innings. But then the zone inexplicably grew larger, and it was lights out for Washington the rest of the way. Just another complete game, nine strikeout shut out. Ho-hum.

The Bears are headed back to OKC, and they'll face either LSU or Missouri on Thursday at 12:30 PT. This season is long from over, and it's only getting tougher. Methinks the Bears are up to the challenge.

When: 4:00
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN3
Twitter: Cal Softball, RookieBears1754
Gametracker

Cal is just one step away from Oklahoma City after a 5-0 win that was very emblematic of everything that Cal can do on the diamond. The Bears did it with power (two home runs) pitching (another shut-out from Jolene Henderson) and speed/execution (two runs scored without a hit in the 5th inning).

Jolene Henderson is in the circle again as Diane Ninemire clearly wants to take no chances and finish things off as quickly as possible. Here's the lineup:

Jamia Reid LF
Britt Vonk DP
Valerie Arioto 1B
Frani Echavarria CF
Jace Williams 2B
Breanna Kostreba RF
Danielle Henderson 3B
Victoria Jones C
Cheyenne Cordes SS
Jolene Henderson P

Go Bears!

When: 1:00 pm PT
Radio: KALX, KNEW 960 locally
Gametracker

After Friday's 18 inning thriller, the Bears didn't mess around Saturday: They clobbered Stanford. 15 runs, 26 base runners, runs scored in five different innings . . . it was a wipe out. Stanford's worst defeat so far this year was a five run loss to Oregon. Now it's a ten run loss to Cal.

Cal's win moved their RPI up to 60 and the tiniest flicker of post-season hopes remain. I'm still of the opinion that Cal needs to win this afternoon and even then I won't watch the selection show with much optimism. But after getting swept by Arizona and losing the first two games against UCLA, any minuscule hope at all is more than I anticipated.

If we're serious about Cal making the tourney we should keep an eye on Washington's final game against Washington St. Cal and UW have nearly identical RPIs and records, and the Huskies are presumably one of our competitors for that final spot. So go Cougars!

Justin Jones is pitching for Cal today after throwing an inning in relief on Friday. I think Stephen Piscotty is starting for Stanford - at least, he started last Sunday against Utah, and he's just about the only pitcher left on Stanford's roster that hasn't thrown yet in this insane little series.

Win or lose, playoffs or not, this has been a spectacular series for the Bears. If they can finish off a sweep of Stanford at Sunken Diamond that would be one of the most impressive feats any Cal baseball team has accomplished. Has it even ever happened before?

Go Bears!

When: 7:00 pm PT
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN3
Gametracker
Twitter: Cal Softball, RookieBears1754

For what I assume is the first time ever, the Bears will play at home in a nationally televised softball game. Regardless of the result, this is a momentous day for the program.

But we want the win. It's Jolene Henderson vs. Kaitlin Inglesby. If you're looking for some pre-game reading, check out CGB's super-regional preview or check out John Crumpacker's story on Frani Echavarria (and Jorge Gutierrez).

All the other super-regionals are well underway, and four tickets to the College World Series in Oklahoma City have already been punched. It's time for Cal to take another step towards a ticket of their own. Go Bears!

Cal's lineup:

1. Jamia Reid LF
2. Britt Vonk DP
3. Valerie Arioto 1B
4. Frani Echavarria CF
5. Jace Williams 2B
6. Breanna Kostreba RF
7. Danielle Henderson 3B
8. Victoria Jones C
9. Cheyenne Cordes SS
Jolene Henderson P

When: 1:00 pm PT
Radio: KALX, KNEW 960 locally
Gametracker

Yesterday Cal and Stanford played an 18 game epic novel of baseball that included great pitching, clutch rallies, umpire goofiness, premature victory celebrations and two full games worth of insanity. No team ever lead by more than 2 runs and 14 of the 18 innings ended with both teams tied. I'll have more to say about this game next week, but suffice to say it was an instant classic

What you need to know now is that Cal won 5-4, and the win will have direct impacts on today's game. Scheduled starter Justin Jones picked up the save yesterday and will presumably have his start pushed back to tomorrow. That means Michael Theofanopoulos will go today with the expectation that he pitch as deep into the game as possible. Joey Donofrio, Michael Lowden and especially Logan Scott threw lots of high stress pitches yesterday and I'm sure David Esquer would prefer not to need them.

But the Bears are viewing these games as playoff elimination games, so if Theofanopoulos struggles he may have no choice but to call on the bullpen after yesterday's marathon. Stanford's bullpen isn't quite as fried, but I'm sure they'd like starter Brett Mooneyham to pitch lots of innings as well. Go Bears!

When: 5:30 pm PT
Radio: KALX, KNEW 960 locally
Gametracker

It's Matt Flemer vs. fancy-pants-Mr.-I'm-gonna-be-the-#1-Draft-Pick Mark Appel. Sink them on that diamond, Bears!

Jace Williams broke Washington.

At least, that seems to be the reasonable conclusion. On March 30th, 3rd ranked Washington hosted the Bears in Seattle. The Huskies entered the day with a record of 32-1. Their only loss was a neutral-site defeat to a top 15 Missouri team. And for six innings Washington absolutely stymied the Cal offense, allowing just one hit.

But in the 7th Frani Echavarria doubled, Jamia Reid singled, Valerie Arioto walked, and Jace Williams stepped to the plate with 2 outs and the bases loaded. Jace doubled down the line to drive in the tying and winning runs, and Cal won. The Bears would go on to win the final two games of the series by more comfortable margins.

After Jace's double the Huskies went 4-15 to close out the regular season, finishing 2nd to last in the Pac-12. Jace broke them, and she broke them good.

But to Washington's credit, they got back enough mojo to win their own regional with a perfect record. Three shut-out wins over Harvard, Texas Tech and Harvard have given the Huskies a second shot at the Bears. But Cal already swept Washington in Seattle, so why should we expect things to finish differently in Berkeley?

Continue reading this post »

Last week, I finally (and probably belatedly) gave up the ghost that Cal might have a shot at the playoffs. The numbers, negatively influenced by Cal’s weird post-elimination-no-just-foolin’-we’re-not-eliminated-will-you-still-play-us schedule, said that the Bears were toast. As a result, all I wanted was to annoy UCLA and Stanford.

I doubt Bruin fans are crying many tears, what with their inevitable home regional to look forward to. But Cal’s Sunday afternoon win did put a major dent in UCLA’s Pac-12 title chances, as they’re now two games back of Oregon with three to play rather than just one game back.

But the win went a bit beyond petty revenge. I’ve been on record as saying that Chadd Krist was just as important as Tony Renda last year, and then he went got drafted in the 13th round of the MLB draft and elected to come back anyway. If anybody deserved to be the player involved in every Cal rally, and to finish his home career with a home run, it was him.

Krist’s senior day was the most spectacular, but every graduate stepped up. Chad Bunting had a key RBI single in Cal’s game winning 8th inning rally. Danny Oh went 2-5. And Joey Donofrio worked around a few hits to pitch two innings and finish off the game with a strike out. Four of Cal’s six seniors (and every senior that participated in the game) had themselves a game.

Continue reading this post »

Back when I was just a wee college student, I spent my summers working at the Strawberry Canyon athletic complex. Many warm summer days were spent herding cute children from the pool to the softball field and back again. So I'm pretty familiar with Levine-Fricke field and the surrounding environs.

But when I arrived on Saturday, nothing looked familiar. Of course, the construction around Memorial Stadium wasn't surprising, but it was still different. But even that wasn't as jarring as the amount of activity going on around the usually quiet mouth of Strawberry Canyon. Generators hummed as they provided power for lights, concessions and NCAA officials. Booths were everywhere. Cal even set up valet parking, jamming as many cars as possible into a parking lot made even tinier by the huge temporary left field bleachers. It was a facility transformed, and I was impressed with the planning the athletic department put into the event.

But the most impressive addition? The bathrooms:

No, honest. These things were amazing. They may look modest on the outside, but the inside contained immaculate wood tiled floors, a fancy tiled sink and solid, thick wood doors. It's the fanciest temporary restroom I've ever used, and I hearby officially nominate them for the Loo of the Year award.

Continue reading this post »

It was a weekend that ended up being much, much longer than anticipated. But it doesn't matter what sport it is - there's a Cal way to do things. For the undisputed #1 in the country softball Bears, it was surprising loss to Arkansas that meant three straight elimination games.

That loss is the big weird story of the weekend. It wasn't a fun game to watch in part because the Bears seemed destined to break the game open constantly but never found the breakthrough hit. The Bears had 12 base runners in seven innings, but the one crushing blow was elusive. Val juuust got under one ball and sent it to the warning track rather than over the fence. Brianna Kostreba hit a rocket that the right fielder had to leap on the run to grab with the bases loaded. It felt like every hard hit ball was in the general direction of a Razorback defender.

And to their credit, Arkansas made almost every single defensive play, both routine and non-routine. A decent portion of Cal's offense is the ability of certain players to put extreme pressure on the defense with pure, unadulterated speed. That speed ate up Iona on Friday night, but the Razorbacks handled it extremely well on Saturday. It was that defense that allowed Arkansas pitchers to escape jam after jam with minimal damage, allowing the Razorbacks to make their early 3-0 lead stand up.

Continue reading this post »

Game 1
Time: 5:00 pm PT
Gametracker
Twitter: Cal Softball, RookieBears1754

Game 2 (If necessary)
Time: 30 minutes after Game 2 (approx.) 7:00 pm PT
Twitter: Cal Softball, RookieBears1754

Radio for both games: Click here (Arkansas feed, but you've gotta make do).

So, all Cal needs to do is sweep a home double header against the 9th place team in the SEC. No problem, right?

The concern for the Bears is if their pitching is fresh enough to shut down a dangerous Arkansas lineup. Jolene Henderson has pitched 17 and 2/3 innings over the last two days. For whatever it's worth, she looked her best against Boston late last night, striking out 11 Terriers with an unhittable change-up. If she brings the same stuff today Cal will be in great shape:

On how the arm feels after three games: "Golden. With the adrenaline rush I don't feel anything. I'm just excited to go out and play with my team."

What Cal really needs is for the middle of the order to produce after Arkansas inevitably walks Valerie Arioto. It's really hard to get away with intentional walk after intentional walk, but the Razorbacks somehow did it yesterday. It shouldn't be allowed to happen again.

It's time to show everybody why Cal is the #1 in the country. Go Bears!

When: 1:00 pm PT
Radio: KALX, KNEW 910 am locally
Gametracker

Bummer. What else is there to say? UCLA battered another Cal starter early and a few errors added to the damage, and another game was over almost before it began. UCLA held a 5 run lead after 3 innings, and though Cal at least cut the deficit the end result was still another loss.

That brings us to Senior Day at Evans Diamond, which means it's time to bid fond farewells to Danny Oh, Stephen Pistoresi, Chadd Krist, Joey Donofrio, Chad Bunting and Matt Flemer. It's a shame that they won't get to finish their Cal careers in the playoffs, but they were all contributors to one of the single greatest seasons in Cal sports history and that's what they will be remembered for.

It might also be the last home game for a few draft eligible juniors like Tony Renda, Mitch Delfino and Justin Jones. Hopefully they all go out with a win. Go Bears!

When: 3:00 pm PT
Gametracker
Twitter: Cal Softball, RookieBears1754
Cal Softball live chat

The Bears scored 6 runs in the 5th inning yesterday to earn a mercy rule victory over the Iona Gaels. It was a resourceful inning that featured hits, walks, errors, steals, and even a bases loaded hit-by-pitch. It added up to an early win for Jolene Henderson, who only allowed two singles in 5 innings of work.

A well rested Cal squad will take on Arkansas after the Razorbacks held on for a 3-2 win over Boston. It will be interesting to see if Diane Ninemire sends out ace #1 Jolene Henderson or ace #1a Valerie Arioto. This is the most important game of the weekend because the winner only needs to win one more game while the loser will have to win 3 in a row - all elimination games. Luckily there's not really a wrong choice to make when you're picking between two pitchers with the two best (identical) ERAs in the Pac-12.

If you're looking for more info on Arkansas, check out CGB's Berkeley regional preview. If you want to see video of Cal's victory over Iona last night, check here. Go Bears!

When: 1:00 pm PT
Radio: KALX, KNEW 910 am locally
Gametracker

Yesterday's game might have been the most disheartening of the year. The Bears were down almost immediately and after just 3 innings it was 7-0. That's way too many runs to give Adam Plutko and the UCLA bullpen, and they made it stand up easily. It was never a contest.

Cal will look to rebound behind Justin Jones today. It should be noted that this could be Jones's last start at Evans Diamond if he chooses to sign a pro contract this year. UCLA counters with righty Nick Vander Tuig, who sports a very hittable looking ERA of 4.96. If a win is coming this weekend, it'll probably have to come today. Here's to hoping. Go Bears!

When: 7:00 pm PT
Gametracker
Twitter: Cal Softball, RookieBears1754
Cal Softball live chat

Cal’s journey back to Oklahoma City starts tonight against Iona. Boston and Arkansas are playing in Game 1 of the Berkeley Regional right now, and presumably one of those teams will win! The winner of this game will play the winner of that game, and hopefully that team is Cal. Or something like that.

Unfortunately, today’s game isn’t televised. Perhaps ESPN decided that the Berkeley regional games were unlikely to be competitive, like when CBS doesn’t give you a 1 vs. 16 game during March Madness. Perhaps Levine-Fricke Field isn’t TV ready. In any case, we’re stuck with gametracker and twitter. Hopefully those CGBers in attendance will pass along useful tidbits when they can.

We offered up a preview of the Gaels earlier this week, so check that out if you’re catching up. The Bears will have to win at least 10 games over the next three weeks to take home a national championship. It all starts today. GO BEARS!

When: 2:30 pm PT
Radio: KALX, KNEW 910 am locally
Gametracker

It's a battle of aces in Berkeley as Adam Plutko takes on Matt Flemer, who has finally been 'promoted' to Friday night starter. Chat here as Cal looks to knock UCLA down a peg or two. I'm a bit too busy with softball to offer you much of a preview, but if you're looking for more you can check out Ryan's always excellent work with UCLA baseball on Bruins Nation. Go Bears!

All season long you’ve been glancing at the headlines, hearing about the rankings: ‘whoa, Cal softball is really good!" But they’ve had all of one game televised, and that one was tape-delayed! But now the playoffs have rolled around, games should start getting televised, and you want to jump on the bandwagon!

Well, welcome aboard! I’ve been on the bandwagon for a month or two, and I highly recommend it. If you’re like me, you don’t know a ton about softball. I mean, I know the basics. It’s like baseball, except the ball is bigger, you pitch underhand, and the field is smaller. But the reason I love baseball is because I understand the nuances, the strategy. When does it make sense to sacrifice? What does it take to steal a base? How is a slider different from a curve ball, and when should you consider a platoon? That’s the type of stuff that makes baseball endlessly fascinating.

With Cal softball dominating, I want to learn everything I can about those types of nuances as quickly as possible. So join me as we together explore everything the internet can teach me about the game of softball! But be forewarned - I come from a position of general ignorance. If you're someone in the know, please add on for the edification of all! To start, here are some important rules to know that differ from MLB baseball rules:

• NCAA softball uses a designated hitter that can substitute for any position player in the lineup. Softball refers to that player as a ‘Designated Player.’ It’s that rule that allows Valerie Arioto to both hit and pitch in the same game. Cal tends to have their designated player bat in place of their catcher.
• You can steal a base, but you can’t leave the base until the pitcher has released the ball – in other words, you can’t take a lead away from the base and you can’t anticipate the pitcher’s delivery. This makes it marginally more difficult to steal bases, but still very possible. A runner is out if they leave their base too early.
• Substitution rules are significantly more flexible. In baseball, if a player is removed from the game they cannot ever return, even for an injury. In softball, that isn’t the case. Each starter is entitled to be replaced and to re-enter the game one time as long as she assumes her original position in the batting order. This is a critical distinction, because Cal couldn’t substitute Val out at 1st base so that she could warm up, then put her in at pitcher*. Additionally, a substitute cannot be taken out and then reinserted into the lineup like a starter.
• The strike zone (well, according to the rule book, at least!) is from the sternum to the top of the knees, which is subtly different from MLB’s definition of bottom of the knees to line at the midpoint between the top of the batter's shoulders and the top of the uniform pants.

(More after the jump!)

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For so long, it was never an issue. Cal players just didn’t do much in the NFL. Sure, there were occasional exceptions. Your Doug Briens, your Joe Kapps, your Todd Steussies. But they were the rare exceptions, and there never seemed to be more than a few at a time. And of those few who made it to the NFL, a bona fide pro bowler was even rarer.

But since Tedford’s arrival, it’s become increasingly clear each year: Being a Cal fan and a 49er fan at the same time is hard. Amongst the highlights:

• With the #1 pick in the draft, the 49ers passed up on Aaron Rodgers to select Alex Smith.* (Twist: NorCalNick, how could you forget that he went to the WORST.POSSIBLE.TEAM Brett Farrrrrrrrrrve’s Packers! Now, I have to root for the Packers???? What have I done to deserve this?)
• Just a few years later the 49ers desperately needed a wide receiver. Twice San Francisco held late 1st round/early 2nd round picks with DeSean Jackson still on the board. Twice the 49ers passed, instead taking Kentwan Balmer (19 total tackles and 0 sacks in SF) and Chilo Rachal (U$C). This last season turned in part because only one passable WR was on the roster. (Twist: NorCalNick, the key moments from the NFC Championship game came stemmed from our punt returner not being quite so good.....if only Cal had the Wizard Of Returns!)
• After a decade of irrelevance, the 49ers finally changed their fortunes, renewing the hope of thousands of 49er faithful . . . by hiring noted evil person Jim Harbaugh. [Twist: Why do you keep seeing half the story?? WE ALSO HAVE LAMICHAEL JAMES!!!!!!!!!! Did I murder a nunnery in a past lifetime or something?]

These days you can’t throw a stone without hitting a Golden Bear in the NFL. 40 Bears were in the NFL last year. 6 more were drafted this year. You could field an entire competitive team of Golden Bears that might end up with 6 or 7 pro bowlers! [Twist: And the Seahawks are going to do it or die trying!]

As of right now, 22 NFL franchises have at least one Cal player. One of the few teams without a Bear will likely again be San Francisco.

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Cal isn’t going to make the playoffs. That leaves us in a weird spot. We can't really talk about title races and playoff chances, but it’s a little too soon for end of season recaps and analysis. All that’s left is to play out the string.

For Cal fans, that means playing the bitter role of spoiler. But if ever there were two teams to spoil, it would be UCLA and Stanford. The Bruins come to Evans Diamond while Stanford will host the Bears at Sunken Diamond. It would probably be fair to describe the Bruins and Cardinals as the two most talented teams in the Pac-12, which means taking a game or two will be exceedingly difficult. But weirder things have happened, and it would be pretty sweet if Cal could deny UCLA a Pac-12 championship or cost Stanford a national seed.

And hey, if the Bears go 6-0 maybe we can talk about playoff chances again!

Cal did at least snap a 3 game losing streak in their strange conference non-conference, Monday afternoon match up of fading Pac-12 squads. Washington State had just been swept at Stanford, and rather than retreating home to the Palouse they had to come to Evans Diamond.

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There's no non-jinxy-sounding way to say it: Cal is a heavy, heavy favorite in the Berkeley regional. Arkansas, Boston and Iona have RPIs of 45, 47 and 175 respectively. The 2nd to last team in the Pac-12 (Washington) has an RPI of 17. The 2nd lowest RPI in the Pac-12 is Oregon St. at 23. The point is this: Cal went 21-3 against a set of teams that are significantly stronger than the teams that will be heading to Berkeley.

Still, the teams coming west were good enough to make the playoffs and that means they've beaten some decent - in some cases, even elite - talent. Which means that Cal can't coast. I'll trust that a team with 50 wins knows how to avoid coasting.

We'll start our regional preview with Cal's Friday night opponent

Iona Gaels: 31-23 (12-4) Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

The Gaels managed a .500 record outside of the MAAC, but none of the teams Iona played jump out as particularly strong. Rutgers looks like the strongest team on their schedule and Iona lost both games at home. Iona has spent the majority of the season on the Eastern seaboard but like most teams up North took a couple trips south earlier in the season to avoid bad weather. Still, the 3,000 mile journey to face the #1 team in the country at their place is as daunting a challenge as the playoffs can hand out.

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It was all but a foregone conclusion, but that doesn't make it any less sweet: The Golden Bears are the number one seed in the NCAA tournament, and they'll play at home in the Berkeley regional for the first time in school history.

The Bears will start their post-season journey against the Iona Gaels out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Arkansas and Boston University will also join the fun in the Berkeley Regional. Should Cal advance to the Super Regionals they would also host. Potential opponents in the super-regional include Harvard, Texas Tech, Maryland and . . . #16 seed Washington!

All kinds of credit should go to Sandy Barbour and the athletic department for the work they did to make sure that this special team didn't have to go on the road. This team is waaay too good to play anywhere other than Berkeley.

Look for a more in-depth breakdown of Cal's post-season path later this week. For now, here's some ticket info, because we need to pack Levine-Fricke field with Cal fans!

All-session passes will go on sale on Monday May 14th at 9 a.m. PT. Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase all-session passes as soon as they go on sale because if the all-session passes sellout, day-of, individual game passes will not be available. All-session chairbacks are $55; all-session adult bleacher are $40 and all-session senior/youth(12 Grade and Under)/student bleacher are $25.

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