GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico - A trip to Puerto Rico is not a bad way to start a season.

But, for California softball, this trip is about more than fun in the sun and competition. As the Golden Bears take their first trip to the inaugural Puerto Rico Tournament in San Juan, the team will have something bigger than the game – rather someone – on their hearts.

Games will be hosted in the Estadio Donna Terry (Donna Terry Stadium) and as the Bears squad walks through the gates they will be stepping into Cal history.

"I was contacted by the Puerto Rico Tour Company that wanted to start the first NCAA Collegiate Softball Tournament at the Donna Terry Stadium," said Cal head coach Diane Ninemire, beginning her 29th season. "Because she was the former coach here at Cal we thought this would be a great way to honor her and let our current players know about the legacy she left. She accomplished many things and did an outstanding job. We're just honored to be able to go to Puerto Rico and be a part of this tournament."
 

Donna Terry, now deceased, led the Golden Bear softball program from 1983-1987, but was forced to step down in 1988 because of contracting HIV/AIDS from health complications due to Hepatitis C.

Before her time at Berkeley, Terry headed the Puerto Rico Women's National Team. An untimely encounter with muggers while running on the beach put her in the hospital in need of a blood transfusion after being stabbed. The blood she received was contaminated with Hepatitis C and over the next few years, even as her collegiate career soared at Berkeley, her health slowly waned.

Even in a short time, Terry left an indelible mark at Cal, most visibly in bringing along Ninemire, the winningest coach in program history, as her assistant. Before Ninemire had to assume the program unexpectedly in 1988, Terry managed a 168-95-1 record that included a trio of NCAA post-season appearances and the

inaugural Pac-10 conference title in 1987. She also won the national title at the 1979 AIAW/ASA Women's College World Series while at Texas Women's University.

"I was left with a team back in 1988 broken from losing a coach, only 30 years of age – which was kind of young for a Division I program like Cal, but because of my loyalty to Donna I didn't want to let anyone down," Ninemire recalled. "There's not a moment when I take third base as a coach that I don't think 'what would she do?'"

It is somewhat uncanny to consider the parallels between Terry and her successor's career. Ninemire, who also assisted Terry at TWU, is now well over 1,000 wins (1,211), has appeared in the postseason on 28 occasions, the majority of her career, won the inaugural Pac-12 title in the conference's expansion year and also garnered a WCWS national title in 2002.

While Ninemire is synonymous with Cal softball, the foundation for her was laid by Terry.

"She's still in my bones to this day," the Hall of Fame coach said. "Donna was a wonderful mentor; she was a wonderful coach. I wouldn't be where I am today without her. A lot of people don't understand what a great coach she was because her coaching life here at Cal was very short.

"She was far ahead of her time and I can't even imagine what she would've accomplished if she would've lived a full life. I was fortunate enough to step into her shoes and they were big shoes to be filled. I feel like she prepared me every way that she could to help Cal go on to be a powerhouse softball team."

The late coach's influence was felt far beyond her stinging pitches, of which she'd practice whirling 400 or more throws to different locations with Ninemire daily before the Cal team came to the diamond for training. Her legacy lasts on in the lives of her former student-athletes.

"I don't want to cry, but I'm so excited about going to Puerto Rico," said Evelyn Fernandez, who played at Cal from 1984-1988 and is traveling with the team to honor the late coach. "She had such an impact on me and most of the people in her years. She was about values in life, discipline and education. She would say 'ladies, these lessons are for life.'"

Others from the Donna Terry era are headed to San Juan to watch the team and remember their former friend, colleague and guide.

"It was a lot of fun to make the selection of who you hired. It was fun to find the best person you could and with Donna Terry, I feel like I did that," said Dr. Luella Lilly, the athletics director for Cal women's sports from 1979-1992. "The superlatives for her sound like she's not real. She did all the things that made her an excellent coach and an excellent person. She had quite a reputation; our interview was quite different than anyone I had before. I never had anyone challenge me on an interview before, and I liked that."

Former player, Lynda Bettencourt, a Bears outfielder from 1984-1988, also is taking the trip east.

"It is very significant to go to Puerto Rico because the influence Coach Terry had on my life; it transcends time," she said. "I believe I've passed that on to my students as a high school teacher and the legacy she's left supersedes the five years that I knew her. Having the opportunity to go and reflect and experience something that has been built in her name is exciting. Her legacy will live on for many years to come."

The alumni's enthusiasm resonates with the current team with eight returning starters, vying for another postseason appearance after posting a 33-24-1 record a season ago, which led them to the NCAA Regional. The 2016 season marked the 28th occasion for the Bears to make it to extended play under Ninemire.

"We're all really excited to go to Puerto Rico knowing the history behind the stadium and the connection between Cal and Puerto Rico," said junior Jazmyn Jackson, a two-time US Women's National Team member. "Coach Ninemire told us that Coach Terry played a really big part in setting the winning culture for us and we're just trying to continue that.

"It puts a little bit of a chip on our shoulder on one hand, but also creates a little pressure," continued Cal's lead hitter for consecutive seasons. "It's really cool though to be part of something we didn't know previously and didn't get to experience. Hopefully, we make Coach Terry look good and make her proud."

The Bears open up the program's 45th season sharing the 24th spot on the 2017 ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 preseason list with South Florida. It is the first time the Bears ranked in the top 25 since 2013.

Thursday's opener against Georgia Tech is scheduled for an 11 a.m. (PT) start. Friday the Bears will see North Carolina to start the day at 8:30 a.m. (PT). Saturday the Bears will have back-to-back rematches against the Yellow Jackets and Tarheels at 6 a.m. (PT) and 8:30 a.m. (PT), respectively. Sunday concludes in a faceoff with Illinois at 5 a.m. (PT).

Thursday will be just the fourth meeting between Cal and GT, the last coming in 2013 when the Bears shutout the Yellow Jackets 8-0 in six. A season ago, the Bears knocked down the Tarheels in similar fashion. Cal also blanked the Fighting Illini in their last meeting in 2013, 5-0.

While the Blue and Gold will miss the leadership of graduated All-American pitcher Nisa Ontiveros, newcomer Zoe Conley, who transferred from Cal-State Northridge, could prove vital for the team in the circle, along with the combined experience of senior Stephanie Trzcinski and other returning pitchers.

Senior starters Kylie Reed and Annie Aldrete will be integral for the Bears this season. Reed concluded 2016 notching an All-Pac-12 second team honor and her

third consecutive NFCA All-Pacific Region Third Team nod with a team-high .403 batting average, amassing four triples on the season. Aldrete, led the Bears with seven homers and earned an invitation to participate in the Team USA Tryout to open the year along with sophomore Lindsay Rood and Jackson.

As a freshman, Rood earned All-Pac-12 Second Team honors and was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team after leading Cal in runs (50) and also garnered a Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honor.The Bears have a lot of expectation to live up to, but standing on a strong foundation set by Terry gives the team an added boost for the season.

"We are a blue-collared team. We work hard for everything that we have. We don't take anything for granted," said Ninemire. "Nothing is easy here and that's what makes the players here so special because they're willing to pay the extra price to have the big reward here. I'm not the same coach as Donna Terry, but her philosophy of working hard, with a nose to the ground mentality was instilled in me and this program."