BERKELEY -- California softball began its path to the 2023 season on Thursday with the opening of practice, marking the beginning of the third campaign under Golden Bear head coach Chelsea Spencer.

After coming up just short of a postseason bid a year ago, the Bears are looking to reach the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2018.

Cal returns a large part of its lineup from the 2022 season, including four players who earned All-Pac-12 recognition last season in Makena Smith (C), Tatum Anzaldo (SS), Sona Halajian (P/DP) and Acacia Anders (3B/2B). Smith and Anzaldo were both named to the First Team, while Halajian received second team honors and Anders made the All-Freshman Team.

Losing just two players from its 2022 roster, Cal added four freshmen to the squad who are set to make an impact in their first year at the collegiate level. Tianna Bell (INF/Antioch, Calif.) led the Bears with a .674 batting average and a 1.65 OPS in the fall, followed closely by Elon Butler (INF/San Jose, Calif.), who boasted an average of .562 with a 1.65 OPS. The Bears also have pitcher Ashanti McDade (Denton, Texas) and utility player D'Auna Johnson (Mather, Calif.) added to the mix. 

"Tianna and Elon have both come on strong from day one and are fighting for top spots in our lineup," Spencer said. "We also have several returners who are showing improvements from last season. Sona has continued to dominate from the circle, becoming a very dynamic pitcher and leader on the field. I've been very impressed with our entire pitching staff, who have all made great strides and will help us win games this spring. Anzaldo and Kacey Zobac (C/OF) have been strong two-way players – Mika Lee (OF) has shown great strides both at the plate and in the field."

The Bears have a new face on the coaching staff for 2023 in pitching coach Amber Freeman. A three-time NFCA All-American and 2013 Pac-12 Player of the Year at Arizona State, Freeman joins the staff with a wealth of experience as a catcher on the biggest stage.

Freeman will work with an experienced staff in Halajian, Haylei Archer, Anna Reimers and Annabel Teperson, along with newcomers McDade and Samantha Rocha (Salinas, Calif.).

"We've gotten stronger in both the pitching and catching positions," Spencer added. "Bringing in Coach Freeman was instrumental. She has experience catching some of the most elite pitchers in the country, has great knowledge of pitch calling, pitching and catching mechanics and the relationship needed to run a successful battery."

Cal is looking to add to a successful set of wins against quality opponents last season, including a series win over No. 7 Washington for the first time since 2015, taking down No. 24 Stanford in the Big Series and winning the series over No. 25 Arizona for the first time since 2013.

"As a team, we're all really excited to hit the ground running," Smith said. "We've been growing a lot over the fall and have gotten to a point where we are all really confident and trusting in each other to get the job done and chase the same goal. We're all pumped to get going and looking to make a big impact on the season, getting to where we want to be in postseason."

Smith is back for another crack at a conference batting title after finishing fourth in the Pac-12 with a .412 average in 2022. She'll be joined in the core of the lineup by Anzaldo, who started all 56 games last season and compiled a .383 batting average, second-highest on the squad. Halajian adds power both at the plate (14 HR) and in the circle after she finished fifth in the conference in wins (18).

"We've improved a lot from last season and I'm confident that we're only going to get better with each practice and each game leading up to postseason," Smith said. "We know we want to be there, but we have to take it one game at a time. With how deep our lineup is and the strength of our team chemistry, we're going to be a dangerous team to play."

The Bears open the 2023 season Feb. 10-12 at the Easton Classic in Los Angeles and Fullerton, California, beginning with a 3:30 p.m. first pitch on Friday, Feb. 10 against San Diego.

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