The California softball team (6-2) heads to Cathedral City this week for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The Golden Bears played in the event each of the past two seasons and have gone unbeaten, owning a 10-0 record.
 
Cal will begin the six-game week with a doubleheader Thursday against Oregon and Cal State Fullerton, followed by a single game against Washington on Friday, another doubleheader Saturday against Seattle and LMU before closing the weekend against Northwestern on Sunday.
 
The Bears enter the event riding a three-game win streak following a solid weekend at the Wilson Invitational.
 
ON DECK
THURSDAY, FEB. 20 – SUNDAY, FEB. 23
Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic | Big League Dreams Complex | Cathedral City, Calif.
Opponents: Oregon, Cal State Fullerton, Washington, Seattle, LMU, Northwestern
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Oregon: Feb. 20 | 10:00 AM PT | Live Stats | Live Stream: FloCollege
Cal State Fullerton: Feb. 20 | 3 PM PT | Live Stats | Live Stream: FloCollege
Washington: Feb. 21 | 8:30 PM PT | Live Stats | Live Stream: FloCollege
Seattle: Feb. 22 | 2:30 PM PT | Live Stats | Live Stream: FloCollege
LMU: Feb. 22 |5 PM PT | Live Stats | Live Stream: FloCollege
Northwestern: Feb. 23 | 9 AM PT | Live Stats | Live Stream: FloCollege
 
SERIES HISTORY
Cal holds the advantage in the all-time series against Oregon (81-63), Cal State Fullerton (24-23), Seattle (1-0), LMU (9-1), Northwestern (14-13), while Washington (47-59) takes the all-time series against the Bears.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Bears picked up three straight wins during the Wilson Invitational hosted in Long Beach, defeating Oregon State (3-1), Kansas (2-1), and Iowa State (4-1), while games against Saint Mary's and Southern Utah were canceled.
 
PRESEASON HONORS
Junior Elon Butler and senior Acacia Anders piled up several preseason accolades. Butler (No. 29) and Anders (No. 33) were named on the Softball America Preseason Top 100 and both received Softball America Preseason All-American honors. Butler made D1Softball's Preseason Top 100 list (No. 35), while both were ranked in the top 15 in their respective position rankings – Butler was the No. 3 second baseman while Anders was the No. 13 shortstop. Butler was also selected to the 2025 Softball Preseason All-ACC Team.
 
START OF NEW ERA
The University of California, Berkeley, announced Sept. 1 that its athletic department was joining the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. With that, the Bears began their inaugural season in the ACC and were picked to finish sixth in the league by the conference's coaches, earning 130 points in the preseason poll. Duke was the favorite with 193 points and 11 first-place votes, followed by Florida State with 183 points and four first-place votes. Virginia Tech (165), Stanford (143) and Virginia (140) rounded out the top five.

In the NFCA/GoRout Softball Preseason Poll, Duke led the conference at No. 7, followed by Florida State (No. 9), Virginia Tech (No. 17), Stanford (No.18) and Clemson (No. 25).
 
FAMILIAR FACES
Cal has a slew of returning starters who were key to the success of last year's team, including a pair of All-American honorees. Elon Butler earned NFCA Second-Team All-American honors while Lagi Quiroga received Softball America Freshman All-American recognition. The group of Tianna Bell, Mika Lee, Kaylee Pond, Acacia Anders, Butler and Quiroga combined for 65 home runs, 185 runs, 199 RBIs and 299 hits, which accounted for nearly 63 percent of the offensive production from a year ago.


WELCOME TO BERKELEY
The Bears welcome seven newcomers this season, including six freshmen: Harmony Andrade (Surprise, Arizona/Willow HS), Kayli Counts (Garden Grove/Pacifica HS), Kayla Mashhoud (Northridge/Notre Dame HS), Mia Phillips (San Jose/Hollister HS), Miranda Temple (Riverbank/Central Catholic HS) and Miranda De Nava (Riverside/Riverside Polytechnic HS), along with Xiomei Geluz, a junior transfer from Long Beach City College. On Jan. 14, Andrade and De Nava were named to Softball America's Freshman Watch List.
 
STAY POSTED
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