BERKELEY – For the 29th season in program history, California softball is headed to the NCAA Softball Tournament, and for the second time in three years, the road to the Women’s College World Series begins in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Bears (38-16, 10-14 Pac-12) claimed an at-large bid and will join host Michigan (51-6), who claimed the tournament’s No. 3 seed overall, as well as Pittsburgh (35-20) and Oakland (27-22) in Ann Arbor for NCAA Regional action.
“We’re excited. When you get to this level, you expect to play great teams. We’ve played great teams all season, playing in our own conference against top teams,” said head coach
Diane Ninemire. “I’m very porud of our effort and hard work this year. It’s not just about talent, but about playing with heart and digging deep.”
Cal’s last appearance in the NCAA Tournament came in 2013 at the Ann Arbor Regional, where the Bears faced then-eighth-seeded Michigan, Central Michigan and Valparaiso. The Bears won their opening game against Central Michigan, 8-1, before dropping a 5-0 decision to Michigan. Cal battled back with a 6-0 victory over Valparaiso on the heels of a no-hitter by ace Jolene Henderson to face Michigan in the final day of the regional. The Wolverines once again took the win, slipping past the Bears 3-1.
“I’m pretty excited to head back to Michigan. I remember the players on Michigan and the way they played, and it’s going to come down to who brings the bats,” said senior captain Britt Vonk, who helped the Bears to the WCWS twice as a freshman and sophomore. “From pitching to offense to defense, we can’t be lacking in any of those aspects. It really comes down to bringing it all together.”
The Bears open regional action against Pitt on Friday, May 15 at 12:30 p.m. PT on ESPNU.
Cal is 7-3 all-time over Michigan, and 1-0 over Pitt and Oakland.
The winner of the Ann Arbor Regional will play the winner of the Athens Regional, which features the hosting Georgia Bulldogs (40-14), North Carolina (36-14), Western Kentucky (34-12) and Central Connecticut State (31-12).
The Blue and Gold join 63 other teams selected from among 283 NCAA Division I institutions who will be competing at 16 regional sites in the first round of double-elimination Regionals. The top 16 teams were seeded in order, and the remaining teams were placed in regional brackets to create balanced competition and avoid conference matchups, when possible. Each Regional winner will advance to Super Regional competition for a best-of-three series at eight campus sites. The eight teams that win their Super Regionals will advance to the Women’s College World Series, held May 28 through June 3 in Oklahoma City's ASA Hall of Fame Stadium - OGE Energy Field, for a shot at the NCAA Softball National Championship in the double-elimination tournament. The championship final will be a best-of-three-series.
Every Super Regional and WCWS game will be broadcasted live on the ESPN family of networks.
Sunday’s selection marks Cal’s 29th NCAA postseason berth. The Bears have appeared in all but five NCAA Softball tournaments since the NCAA began sponsoring softball in 1982. At 28 consecutive tournament appearances, Cal held the nation’s longest active postseason streak (1982-2013) before the Bears failed to qualify in 2014. The Golden Bears are 68-29 in NCAA Regional play.
“It says a lot about our team and the way we’ve come back, and come back so strong,” Vonk said.
The Bears won the National Championship in 2002 and made three consecutive title game appearances from 2002-04.
Stay posted to www.CalBears.com for up-to-date information regarding the 2015 NCAA Softball Tournament in the coming days.
Ann Arbor Regional Schedule
All times listed Pacific
Friday, May 15
Game 1 -- #2 seed California vs. #3 seed Pittsburgh, 12:30 p.m. - ESPNU
Game 2 -- #1 seed Michigan vs. #4 seed Oakland, 3 p.m. - ESPNU
Saturday, May 16
Game 3 -- Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 1 p.m. - ESPN2
Game 4 -- Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 3:30 p.m. - ESPN2
Game 5 -- Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 6 p.m. - ESPNU
Sunday, May 17
Game 6 -- Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 12:30 p.m. - ESPNU
Game 7 (if necessary) -- Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 3 p.m. - ESPNU
