Cal Softball Lands New Head Coach

Bay area native and title-winning coach Steve Singleton named the ninth leader of the Golden Bears

Times have been rough for Cal Softball after their untimely departure from the Norman Regional Finals at the hands of Oklahoma earlier this year. To begin with, the entire 2024 starting roster either graduated or entered the portal, leaving massive holes on both offense and defense as stars like Tianna Bell and Elon Butler shipped off to Arkansas and Oregon. On top of that, associate head coach Brandon Telesco also announced he had accepted an offer to join California Baptist University as their new head coach. And finally, a month after Telesco’s departure, head coach Chelsea Spencer announced she would be stepping away from the program to prioritize her mental health and her family, and assistant coach Jen Deering would take over as interim. With so many holes in practically every aspect of the program (remember, Levine Fricke field is also closed for renovations) many fans were left overwhelmed at what exactly could be done to turn things around.

A little more than a month after Spencer’s surprising departure, new hope for rebuilding has begun to form. Recently named Co-Athletic Directors Jay Larson and Jenny Simon-O'Neill announced on Monday a new skipper had been selected. Steve Singleton, former Minnesota Twin and associate head coach from the 2025 title winning Texas softball team, became the first hire of Larson & Simon-O’Neil’s rule as CO-AD’s. "We are thrilled to welcome Steve back to the Bay Area and introduce him as the head coach of our softball program," Larson and Simon-O'Neill said in Cal’s press release. “We're confident that under Steve's leadership, along with our new stadium opening in 2027, our softball program is positioned to become one of the premier programs in the nation."

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Singleton, a bay area native and Bishop O’Dowd graduate, coached the Longhorns to five superregionals and three WCWS appearances in his six years with the program, earning himself assistant coach of the year honors by D1Softball in 2024. The Golden Bear’s new head coach was credited in his bio at Texas as being “instrumental” in the coaching and development of multiple Longhorn players that broke school records in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

While Cal has a long way to go after the losses suffered in the last few months, it appears Co-AD’s Larson and Simon-O'Neill are focused and determined to right the ship as quickly as possible. It’s still early to say this, but from the outset this first hire of their careers is a splash and a massive pick up for the softball program. The full press release can be read here, and a full breakdown of Cal softball’s recruiting and portal results will be posted closer to the preseason.