Bears Begin Norman Regional With Tigers

Tatum Anzaldo tied for the Pac-12 lead with 32 hits in conference games this season.

SB5/17/2023 9:01 AM | By: Cal Athletics

Cal Opens NCAA Tournament Against Missouri

BERKELEY – The California softball team is set to face Missouri in its opening game of the NCAA Tournament Norman Regional on Friday at Marita Hynes Field in Norman, Oklahoma.
 
The Golden Bears and Tigers are scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. PT first pitch on ESPN+ with Jenn Hildreth and Carol Bruggerman on the call. Missouri, an at-large selection from the SEC, went 34-24 in 2023.
 
No. 1 Oklahoma and Hofstra, the other two teams in the regional, start the action at 2 p.m. PT on Friday on ESPNU. Friday’s winners will square off in the first of three games Saturday at 12 p.m. PT, while Friday’s losing teams will face off in an elimination game for game two (2:30 p.m. PT) of Saturday’s tripleheader.
 
The loser of Saturday’s first game will take on the winner of the day’s second game in an elimination game later Saturday night (5:30 p.m. PT). The winner of Saturday’s final game will take on the winner of the day’s first game on Sunday (11 a.m. PT) with an if-necessary rematch scheduled for later on Sunday.
 
TOURNAMENT LINEUP

• Teams: Cal (33-19-1) vs. Missouri (34-24) | No. 1 Oklahoma (51-1) vs. Hofstra (29-25)
• Location: Marita Hynes Field | Norman, Oklahoma
• First pitch: Friday, 4:30 p.m. PT

HOW TO FOLLOW

SERIES AT A GLANCE

• California leads the all-time series with Missouri, 5-3, but the Tigers won the most recent matchup 11-7 at the Mary Nutter Classic in 2020.
• The Bears are 11-7 vs. Oklahoma with the Sooners winning 8-0 (5) last season in Hawai’i. Cal has faced Hofstra three times, winning all of them, including most recently a 15-2 decision in 2002.     

QUICK HITS

• The Bears check in at No. 29 in this week’s NCAA RPI ratings after reaching No. 20 in March, their highest standing since the 2018 season. Cal has been in the top 30 in the RPI for eight straight weeks.
• California entered a national poll in April for the first time since the 2018 season, checking in at No. 25 in the D1Softball rankings. The Bears are receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Today poll.
• Makena Smith was selected with the 15th pick in the Women’s Pro Fastpitch draft on April 17 by the Smash It…