BERKELEY - The Cal softball team welcomed a new addition to the 2015-16 roster last week as head coach Diane Ninemire announced that pitcher Zoe Conley will join the team for the upcoming season.
Conley, who played for CSUN last year, is a Berkeley native who attended Salesian High School in nearby Richmond. She comes to Cal as a sophomore, was an alternate on the U.S. Junior National Team over the summer and will look to make an impact immediately for the Bears in 2016.
"Zoe is going to be a great asset to our pitching staff," Ninemire said. "She's a very experienced pitcher that comes in with a wealth of talent. She should help boost our pitching staff and assist us in being a real contender this year."
Conley was named Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year and made both the All-Big West First Team and Big West All-Freshman Team after appearing in 40 games and compiling a 19-7 record, 1.84 ERA, eight complete games, eight shutouts and 134 strikeouts in 156.1 innings. She earned a spot on the NFCA All-West Region first team and was one of 25 finalists for the NFCA Freshman of the Year award.
In high school, Conley starred at Salesian for head coach Dee Bonds. She was a first team all-league selection four times and was named a ESPN Small High School First Team All-American as a senior as well as a Cal-Hi Sports Small School first team pick. She also played basketball for the Pride.
Conley joins an already strong group of Bears for the upcoming season. She is the fourth Cal player to spend the summer of 2015 with Team USA, joining U.S. Women's National Team member Annie Aldrete and Junior National Team players Jazmyn Jackson and Kobie Pettis. Cal kicks off its 2016 campaign on Feb. 12-14 when the Bears travel to Tempe, Ariz. to compete in the Kajikawa Classic hosted by Arizona State.