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No. 19 Cal Opens Pac-12 Tournament

by calbears.com
May 8, 2024
Third Team All-Conference selection Haylei Archer and the Bears face Stanford in the Pac-12 Quarterfinals.

BERKELEY – The seventh-seeded California softball team is set to face host and No. 2 seed Stanford in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Conference Tournament on Thursday at Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium in Stanford, California.
 
The Golden Bears and Cardinal are set for a 12:30 p.m. PT first pitch on the Pac-12 Networks with Ann Schatz and Kenzie Fowler on the call. With a victory, Cal would move on to face the winner of No. 3 Oregon vs. No. 6 Utah in Friday's semifinals at 4:30 p.m. PT. Saturday's championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT at Smith Family Stadium.
 
TOURNAMENT LINEUP

  • Teams: Cal (36-16, 9-13 Pac-12) vs. Stanford (42-12, 17-7 Pac-12)
  • Location: Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium | Stanford, California
  • First pitch: Thursday: 12:30 p.m. PT

HOW TO FOLLOW

  • Thursday: Live Stats | Pac-12 Networks

SERIES AT A GLANCE

  • Cal leads the all-time series with Stanford, 79-39, after the Cardinal swept the three-game series earlier this season on March 15-17 in Berkeley.    

QUICK HITS

  • The Bears earned seven All-Pac-12 honors on Tuesday, the most for the program since the 2014 season.
  • Tatum Anzaldo became the first Cal player to receive three straight First Team All-Conference honors since Jolene Henderson (2011-13).
  • Lagi Quiroga was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week on Monday after hitting .500 with a home run in each game during Cal's series win over Oregon State last week.
  • Quiroga and Elon Butler tied for the conference home run crown with 16 home runs each.
  • Cal's 77 home runs (1.48 per game) lead the conference and are eighth nationally. The school record for long balls in a season is 84 in 2012.
  • The Bears are among the top two in the Pac-12 in several other offensive categories, including runs (279, 2nd), hits (428, 2nd), doubles (83, 1st), RBI (253, 2nd) and extra-base hits (164, 1st).
  • Anzaldo is on a tear as of late, hitting .500 in the last 24 games with 42 hits, three home runs, nine doubles and 15 RBI. She has at least one hit in 26 of the last 30 games and has reached base in 45 of the 50 games she has played.
  • Anzaldo reached a career milestone on April 17 at Fresno State, notching her 200th career base hit. The senior from Whittier also set a new career best with four base hits in the game (4-for-4).
  • The Bears check in at No. 21 in the ninth 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. 19 in this week's NFCA poll and No. 24 by D1 Softball, while the Bears are receiving votes in the USA Softball and the Softball America rankings.
  • Acacia Anders became the second Golden Bear to win Pac-12 Player of the Week honors this season March 25 after hitting .500 (8-for-16), collecting two home runs and three doubles to go with six RBI. Her two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning 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 two-run shot in the sixth inning the next day, 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 18 doubles to top the Pac-12, tying the single season program record. Her 39 RBI are tied for seventh in the conference.
  • Butler was named Cal's first Pac-12 Player of the Week this season 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 two-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's .782 slugging percentage is second in the Pac-12. 
  • Cal finished with a trio of players in the top seven of the conference in home runs as Tianna Bell finished tied for seventh with 12.  

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