Answering The Call – California Golden Bears Athletics

Tatum Anzaldo was a 2022 All-Pac-12 First-Team pick after ranking second in the conference with 72 hits and batting .383.

This feature originally appeared in the 2023 Spring edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.

California infielder Tatum Anzaldo grew up a team player. As a child in Whittier, California, she wanted to play every sport she possibly could. Being on the field or the court with her teammates has always been her favorite thing to do.

Anzaldo quickly fell in love with the game of softball – from the beginning days of Amateur Softball Association play, to high school, and to what became a scholarship offer from the University of California.

That offer came from working hard, not only in high school at Saint Paul High School but in the years leading up to that when college coaches first get a look at athletes in ASA tournaments. Anzaldo became a four-time first-team All-Del Rey League player at Saint Paul and earned All-CIF honors three times.

Sports and softball were not the only team aspects that had an impact on Anzaldo growing up in Southern California, however. It also came from her parents, Rick and Tisha. Rick has been a Los Angeles police officer for 36 years and joined the Special Weapons and Tactics unit in 1995. He has been the LA SWAT team leader since 2005.

“Growing up I have only known my pop as a SWAT officer, so it has always been somewhat of a roller coaster,” Tatum said. “It’s hard to say, but I think my mom, brother (Larson) and I got kind of used to the lights, sirens and late nights. Sometimes I would hear him racing up the stairs and we would all kiss and hug him goodbye, tell him to be safe and pray for his squad’s safe return. We’d always keep the news on in case they would give updates and my mom always made sure Larson and I listened for his car to pull up so we could wait on the porch to greet…