The University of Notre Dame softball team will face the California Golden Bears in a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at Melissa Cook Stadium, beginning March 27. The games are scheduled for Friday at 6:00 p.m., Saturday at 1:00 p.m., and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The first two games will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra, with the finale airing nationally on ACC Network.
This series marks the first time Cal visits South Bend for a matchup against Notre Dame. Previously, the teams have met ten times, all at neutral sites. Notably, they played twice during the NCAA Tournament’s Auburn Regional in 2017. Notre Dame has only recorded one win over Cal, which came in February 2008 during the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona.
Notre Dame enters this weekend after a challenging series against Clemson. The Irish managed an impressive run-rule victory over Clemson last Saturday but lost two close contests on Friday and Sunday. With a current record of 3-6 in conference play, Notre Dame sits eleventh in the ACC standings.
Statistically, Notre Dame has shown improvement across several categories compared to last season. Increases are noted in batting average (.283), runs per game (4.52), on-base percentage (.374), stolen bases per game (1.13), while pitching statistics such as earned run average (3.89) and WHIP (1.59) have also improved from last year’s numbers.
Second baseman Ava Zachary leads the team with a .368 batting average and .574 slugging percentage and has reached base safely in fifteen consecutive games since late February. In pitching, sophomore Brianne Weiss stands out with seventy-nine strikeouts and six wins this season; she is among both team leaders and top pitchers within the conference.
Sixteen of Notre Dame’s final twenty-three regular season games will take place at home this year. Admission is free for all regular season home games at Melissa Cook Stadium, with special promotions planned throughout this weekend’s series.
