BERKELEY – The California softball team opens a seven-game road swing with a trip to Seattle for three games at No. 10 Washington on Thursday through Saturday at the Husky Softball Stadium.
 
First pitch between the Golden Bears and Huskies is set for 5 p.m. PT on Thursday with Friday scheduled for a 6 p.m. start and the series finale on Saturday slated for noon. Thursday's game will air on the Pac-12 Networks with Friday and Saturday on Pac-12 Washington.

WEEKEND LINEUP

• Teams: Cal (24-9-1, 6-5-1 Pac-12) vs. No. 10 Washington (26-8, 7-5 Pac-12)
• Location: Husky Softball Stadium | Seattle, Washington
• First pitch: Thursday: 5 p.m. | Friday: 6 p.m. | Saturday: noon

HOW TO FOLLOW

• Thursday: Live Stats | Pac-12 Networks
• Friday: Live Stats | Pac-12 Washington
• Saturday: Live Stats | Pac-12 Washington

SERIES AT A GLANCE

• Washington leads the all-time series 54-46 but Cal took two of three last season in Berkeley against the No. 7 Huskies for its first series win against UW since 2015.  
• UW has won six in a row against the Bears in Seattle and the two teams have only met those six times (four in 2021, two in 2018) in the Northwest since the 2016 season. Cal won the series finale in 2016 after dropping the first two.
• Cal has never taken a series in Seattle under the modern three-game format and the last time it won more than one game on the road in the same season against the Huskies was in 1995.

QUICK HITS

• The Bears check in at No. 24 in this week's NCAA RPI ratings after reaching No. 20 three weeks ago, their highest standing since the 2018 season.
• California entered a national poll this week for the first time since the 2018 season, checking in at No. 25 in the D1Softball rankings. The Bears are receiving votes in the NFCA Coaches poll and the ESPN.com/USA Today poll.
• Elon Butler was named the Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday after hitting .500 with five RBI, two home runs and a double in the weekend series against 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 on Sunday.
• The Bears start a stretch run with 14 of the last 18 games of the season on the road, beginning with this week's trip to Seattle. 
• Sitting at 6-5-1 in the Pac-12, the Bears have won two straight conference series after taking two of three from then-No. 24 Utah last weekend and Arizona State two weeks ago. It was Cal's first series win against the Sun Devils since the 2012 season.  
• Cal took down 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 are second in the Pac-12 in both home runs and doubles. Cal has crushed 47 long balls to rank 11th in the NCAA and is 18^th nationally with 52 doubles.
• Cal's 47 home runs are eighth on the team single-season record list. The Bears hit 57 home runs as a team in 2022, ranking third in school history.
• With 1.38 home runs per game, Cal ranks 11th in the country and second in the Pac-12, trailing only ASU (1.39).
• Cal's 103 extra-base hits (47 HR, 52 2B, 4 3B) are second in the Pac-12 behind Arizona (110).
• Cal has five players with at least five home runs - Makena Smith (11), Sophie Medellin (8), Butler (6), Kacey Zobac (5) and Tianna Bell (5). The Bears have three more players with three long balls apiece – D'Asha Saiki, Acacia Anders and Sona Halajian.
• Smith is tied for second in the Pac-12 with 11 home runs (19th NCAA). Her 41 career home runs are one away from tying for fifth all-time at Cal (42 – Lindsey Ziegenhirt, 2010-13).
• Smith has 144 career RBI, nine short of tying for fifth on Cal's all-time list (153 – Melanie McCart, 1994-97).  
• Zobac is tied for fifth in the Pac-12 with nine doubles.
• Haylei Archer's 1.68 ERA ranks fifth in the conference.
• Tatum Anzaldo has been on a tear since returning to the lineup on March 3 against Miami (Ohio), going 23-for-57 (.403).
• Mika Lee (.351), Zobac (.341), Saiki (.328) and Smith (.324) are all above .300 to lead the Bears offensively.  
• Anzaldo (.392), a 2022 first-team all-conference selection, hasn't had enough plate appearances to qualify for official stats after missing 10 games earlier this season.

 
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