BERKELEY – The California softball team returns to Pac-12 play for a three-game set in the Big Series at No. 8 Stanford on Friday-Sunday.
 
The Golden Bears and Cardinal will open the weekend with a 6 p.m. PT first pitch on Friday on Pac-12 Bay Area, followed by a 2 p.m. PT start on Saturday airing on Pac-12 Los Angeles. The series wraps up on Sunday at 2 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Networks.
 
WEEKEND LINEUP

• Teams: Cal (29-12-1, 6-8-1 Pac-12) at No. 8 Stanford (32-9, 8-7 Pac-12)
• Location: Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium | Stanford, California
• First pitch: Friday, 6 p.m. | Saturday, 2 p.m. | Sunday, 2 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW

• Friday: Live Stats | Pac-12 Bay Area
• Saturday: Live Stats | Pac-12 Los Angeles
• Sunday: Live Stats | Pac-12 Networks

SERIES AT A GLANCE

• Cal leads the all-time series against Stanford 78-34 and took two of three from the No. 24 Cardinal in 2022 at Levine-Fricke Field.    

QUICK HITS

• The Bears check in at No. 27 in this week's NCAA RPI ratings after reaching No. 20 last month, their highest standing since the 2018 season.
• California entered a national poll two weeks ago for the first time since the 2018 season, checking in at No. 25 in the D1Softball rankings. The Bears are also receiving votes in the NFCA Coaches poll and the ESPN.com/USA Today poll.
• Makena Smith was selected with the 15th pick in the Women's Pro Fastpitch draft on Monday by the Smash It Sports Vipers out of Oxford, Alabama. Smith was the fourth Pac-12 player selected and one of five total student-athletes from the conference.
• Smith etched her name into the record books on Wednesday with Cal's 9-8, 13-inning, comeback win vs. Santa Clara. The Murrieta, California, native moved into fifth-place on the Bears' career RBI list with 154, passing Melanie McCart (153, 1994-97). She also moved into a fifth-place tie with Lindsey Ziegenhirt (2010-13) in career home runs with her 42nd long ball.
• Cal's 9-8, 13-inning, victory on Wednesday vs. Santa Clara was its longest game since a 1-0, 12-inning loss to Stanford in 2010. 
• Elon Butler was named the Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Week on April 3 after hitting .500 with five RBI, two home runs and a double in the series against then-No. 24 Utah. Butler blasted a 3-run shot in the third inning and a solo shot in the sixth frame that turned out to be the game-winner in Cal's series-clinching win over the Utes.   
• Cal took down then-No. 2 UCLA on March 11 in an 8-0 run-rule victory in five innings for its first win over a top-5 team since the 2012 season, when the Bears swept No. 3 Washington in three games March 30-April 2 in Berkeley.
• The Bears sit atop the Pac-12 in both home runs and doubles with three weeks left in the regular season. Cal has crushed 58 long balls to rank 11th in the NCAA and is 23rd nationally with 65 doubles.
• Cal's 58 home runs are third on the team single-season record list, passing last year's 57 home run season. The Bears' 64 home runs as a team (2013) are the second most all time and the school single-season record is 84 in 2012.
• With 1.37 home runs per game, Cal ranks 10th in the country and leads the Pac-12.
• Cal's 127 extra-base hits (58 HR, 65 2B, 4 3B) lead the Pac-12 with Arizona (116) in second and Washington (115) in third.
• Cal has six players with at least five home runs - Smith (12), Sophie Medellin (8), Kacey Zobac (8), Butler (7), Acacia Anders (5) and Tianna Bell (5). The Bears have two more players with at least three long balls – Sona Halajian (4) and D'Asha Saiki (3).
• Zobac has been hot of late, hitting .518 with 3 HR, 2 2B and 11 RBI during an eight-game hit streak. Zobac's .510 OBP is third in the conference and her .687 SLG ranks eighth in the Pac-12.
• Zobac is in a five-way tie for first in the Pac-12 with 11 doubles and is second with 27 walks.
• Smith is third in the Pac-12 with 12 home runs.
• Tatum Anzaldo has been on a tear since returning to the lineup on March 3 against Miami (Ohio), going 33-for-86 (.383).
• Zobac (.383), Anzaldo (.379), Smith (.354) Mika Lee (.349) and Saiki (.301) are all above .300 to lead the Bears offensively.   

STAY POSTED
For coverage of Cal softball, please follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalSB), Instagram (@calsb) and Facebook (/CalSoftball/).