BERKELEY – The No. 20 California softball team returns home for a four-game nonconference slate this week, beginning Wednesday vs. Saint Mary's, followed by a three-game series with Loyola Marymount over the weekend.
 
First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. PT on Wednesday vs. the Gaels. The weekend series against the Lions gets underway at noon and 3 p.m. on Saturday, with the series wrapping up at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
 
MIDWEEK LINEUP

• Teams: Cal (26-10) vs. Saint Mary's (19-13)
• Location: Levine-Fricke Field | Berkeley, California
• First pitch: Wednesday: 3 p.m. PT

WEEKEND LINEUP

• Teams: Cal (26-10) vs. LMU (16-16)
• Location: Levine-Fricke Field | Berkeley, California
• First pitch: Saturday: noon & 3 p.m. PT | Sunday: 1 p.m. PT

HOW TO FOLLOW

• Wednesday: Live Stats | Pac-12 Network
• Saturday: Live Stats | Cal Live Stream
• Sunday: Live Stats | Cal Live Stream

SERIES AT A GLANCE

• Cal leads the all-time series against Saint Mary's, 69-2, with the latest matchup coming earlier this season on March 5, a 7-1 Golden Bear victory in Berkeley. The Bears are 7-0 all-time against the Lions with the most recent meeting a 10-7 Cal victory on Feb. 10, 2023 in Los Angeles.   

QUICK HITS

• The Bears maintained their conference lead in home runs after hitting three during last week's trip to Utah. Cal's 51 long balls are 13 more than Washington (38) and 16 more than Arizona (35) who sit second and third, respectively.
• Cal also leads the Pac-12 in several other offensive categories, including runs (205, 1st), hits (295, 1st), doubles (54, 1st), RBI (185, 1st), extra-base hits (108, 1st) and total bases (508, 1st).
• The Bears check in at No. 18 in the fifth NCAA RPI of the season. Cal was No. 9 in the initial rankings, its highest since reaching No. 2 in 2012.
• Cal is ranked No. 20 in this week's NFCA and USA Softball polls, while checking in at No. 23 in the Softball America and D1 Softball rankings.
• Acacia Anders became the second Golden Bear to win Pac-12 Player of the Week honors this season on March 25 after hitting .500 (8-for-16), collecting two home runs and three doubles to go with six RBI. Her 2-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning on Saturday vs. then-No. 21 Arizona ignited then-No. 19 Cal's comeback from five runs down to take a 7-6 win in nine innings. The Vacaville native hit another 2-run shot in the sixth inning on Sunday, extending Cal's lead to 8-4 as the Bears hung on for an 8-7 victory to secure the series. Anders scored five runs and tallied a .529 on base percentage with a 1.063 slugging percentage.
• Anders has 16 doubles to top the Pac-12, the third most in the country. Her 30 RBI are tied for fourth in the conference and .400 batting average is tied for seventh.
• Cal won 14 straight games in February, the program's longest win streak since taking 22 in a row in 2013.
• Chelsea Spencer earned win No. 100 as head coach of the Golden Bears last month at Oregon, where she spent six years as an assistant coach under Mike White from 2013-18.
• Elon Butler was named Cal's first Pac-12 Player of the Week this season on Feb. 20 after a standout performance during the Golden Bears' undefeated weekend at the Littlewood Classic. Butler hit .600 (9-for-15) in Cal's five victories, collecting two home runs and two doubles to go with seven RBI. Her 2-run homer tied the game against then-No. 17/21 Virginia Tech as the Bears went on to a 6-5, eight-inning, victory over the Hokies.  
• Butler is currently leading the conference in home runs (11), and ranks 16th nationally. Her .816 slugging percentage is second in the conference and she's tied for the team lead with Anders at 30 RBI.  
• Cal has a trio of players in the top seven of the conference in home runs as Lagi Quiroga is in a five-way tie for second with nine long balls and Tianna Bell is tied for seventh with eight.
• Tatum Anzaldo is tied for seventh in the conference with 40 hits and is 11 away from a career milestone of 200 hits, currently sitting at 189.
• Randi Roelling is seventh in the conference with 67 strikeouts in the circle and is tied at the top with three saves.

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