BERKELEY - If the first week of a new season is about finding a rhythm and making sure a team is working in concert with one another, consider experience in the circle as a definite head start for the 2016 Cal softball team.

The Bears return all four pitchers that took the ball in 2015, and in Kristin Cullen, Nisa Ontiveros, Katie Sutherland-Finch and Stephanie Trzcinski, Cal has a good foundation from which to build as the new season gets started Friday at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. Add to that the arrival of freshman Kourtney Shaw and the fact that the Bears are entering year two under pitching coach Chuck D'Arcy and the potential for growth seems obvious for a Cal team with high aspirations.

Statistically speaking, the conversation begins with Cal's two returning workhorses from 2015. Sutherland-Finch led the team with a 19-11 record, 120 strikeouts and 18 complete games in 41 appearances. Trzcinski went 15-6 with 61 strikeouts and seven complete games in 33 appearances and then spent her summer as part of the Australian Junior National team.

But, that's not to say they'll be the only contributors in the circle in 2016. Ontiveros returns as one of only two active seniors on the roster, Cullen enters her sophomore season after appearing in six games as a freshman and Shaw brings a resume that includes 2015 CIF San Diego Player of the Year for Poway High School.

Add all that up and the result is a staff intent on making a difference each time it crosses the white lines.

"We're all competitive, so we push each other every day but in the same sense we all have qualities about ourselves that complement each other," Ontiveros said. "As a pitching staff, taking each quality from each pitcher and combining them will help us win a lot of ballgames."

For all the talent the Bears have, comfort level might be an equally important factor to consider. D'Arcy joined the coaching staff for the 2014-15 season, taking over after longtime pitching coach John Reeves retired, and worked to implement his methods and ways of coaching that had led to much success as both a player and coach.

This year, those systems are already in place and while he knows what to expect from his staff, the Bears also have a better idea of what they need to do on a daily basis.

"Last year was a good test to see how things were going to be with Chuck because he was a new coach," said catcher Alleah Laxamana. "I think the girls have really grasped the mentality that Chuck wants them to have. The returners have shown how to go about things, how things work here and why they've been effective for us."

Laxamana returns as one of Cal's backstops but the Bears also welcome in another contributor to their pitching staff in catcher Annie Aldrete. The transfer from Tennessee was a two-time NFCA Division I All-Southeast Region first team selection and helped lead the 2015 Volunteers to a 2.97 staff ERA. Her influence has already started to take hold and the returns will begin to come in Friday when the Bears take on Wisconsin to officially kick off 2016.

"I think it's good competition. With Annie coming in and being a catcher at the top level, she's pushed me to be better and I think I've become better because of that," Laxamana said. "All of our pitchers are on the same page and at the end of the day it's about winning. No matter who's pitching, whether it's for an inning or a batter, they're all contributing and they understand that it takes all of us, not just one person."