Tatum Anzaldo

After competing in four NCAA tournament games at the Oklahoma Sooners’ Marita Hynes Field over the weekend, the Bears’ best season since 2018 came to an end.

The Bears have been a team that has shown the ability to fight their way back into games, but a five-run first inning by the Utes was the beginning of the end for Cal.

The sixth-ranked Bears are set to play the third-ranked Utah Utes in the quarterfinals of the first annual Pac-12 softball tournament.

Even though the 33-18-1 Bears will remain in Tucson as the sixth seed facing Utah in the inaugural Pac-12 softball tournament, Cal concluded its regular season on a high note, winning two of three against the Arizona Wildcats.

Cal has a polished resume thus far, winning games against No. 2 UCLA, No. 24 Utah and No. 8 Stanford. The Bears have to take care of business in Tucson but hope to enter the looming “second season” with high spirits and energy.

Cal looks to climb Pac-12 standings over the weekend, as it is set to play Oregon State University in a three-game series.

Cal dominated in the batter’s box. The Bears posted 54 runs throughout the tournament, giving the team an average of nine runs per game.

The Bears, who finished last season with a record of 28-27-1, will take on San Diego, Loyola Marymount, Cal State Fullerton and Utah State in the 2023 edition of the tournament.

Softball is back for three weekend series in a row, starting in San Mateo and San Jose. The Bears take on new and familiar teams that include Cal State East Bay, College of San Mateo, West Valley College and San Jose State.

With vocal Makena Smith at first base, the Bears’ energy going into this three-game series in Los Angeles seemed promising.