BERKELEY - With the announcement of the Pac-12 Networks slate this week, the 2016 schedule came into focus for the Cal softball team as the Bears revealed a 55-game schedule filled with quality competition.

Head coach Diane Ninemire's crew will line up against some of the best teams in the nation this year, with 17 teams on the schedule that joined Cal in the NCAA Tournament last season. That means the Bears will face a returning postseason team 31 times as they look for their 28th tournament appearance under Ninemire.

And, fans will have several opportunities along the way to see the Bears in action. Cal will make 17 appearances on the Pac-12 Networks this year, beginning with the season's first home series against UCLA from March 19-21. Road series against Oregon State, Arizona State, Stanford and Arizona will be televised and two of Cal's three home games against Oregon (May 7-8) will also be broadcast live and streamed at Pac-12.com.

The journey begins Feb. 12-14 when the Bears travel to Tempe, Ariz. to face Wisconsin, Notre Dame, CSUN and Indiana in the Kajikawa Classic hosted by Arizona State. Cal's first Bay Area appearance comes Feb. 17 with a trip to nearby Saint Mary's, then the Bears head for San Diego to take part in the Campbell/Cartier Classic against South Dakota, Kentucky, Texas Tech, host San Diego State and San Diego.

Life on the road continues for the Bears from Feb. 26-28 at the Palm Springs Classic, with a quartet of games highlighted by a matchup against an NC State team that finished in the top 20 of last year's final rankings. The road gets no easier the following week when Cal heads to the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif. and lines up against four NCAA Tournament participants in Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina and Fresno State. Tournament season concludes at the Hawai'i Spring Fling from March 9-12 where, in addition to playing host Hawai'i, the Bears face returning postseason teams North Dakota State and Baylor.

The Pac-12 season begins against UCLA from March 19-21, and after a trip to Oregon State the following week, Cal returns to Berkeley for an eight-game homestand that features visits from Arizona State and Utah as well as mid-week games against Sacramento State and Saint Mary's. The Bears then travel to Santa Clara on April 13, head to Washington for three games beginning on April 15 and then go south for a game at UC Santa Barbara on April 20 and two at Cal Poly on April 21.

From there, Cal spends the next few weeks in Northern California as UC Davis visits for a doubleheader on April 26 and Pac-12 play resumes at Stanford from April 29-May 1. The Bears make a mid-week trek to the Central Valley to play Pacific on May 4 before hosting Oregon from May 6-8 in the final home series of 2015. The regular season concludes May 12-14 at Arizona.