The Fall and Rise of a West Coast Softball Team
Introducing New Head Coach Steve Singleton and Catching up with Golden Bears Softball
When speaking with the new head coach of Cal softball Steve Singleton, a word popped up multiple times that in my mind succinctly described the Bears’ offseason: adversity. Despite a promising 37-21 (11-13 ACC) finish to the 2025 season and an appearance in the NCAA Softball Tournament, Cal lost fourteen players–its entire starting lineup and all but one of its pitching rotation–to the transfer portal. In addition, Anabelle Teperson (P), Mika Lee (CF), and Acacia Anders (SS) departed from the team due to graduation.
Along with the player departures, on June 23rd, former head coach Chelsea Spencer stepped down from her role after five years at the helm for personal reasons. A proud Golden Bear (‘05), Spencer ended her Cal coaching career 153-108-2, having taken Cal to the regional tournament for the last three years consecutively. Former assistant head coach Brandon Telesco also departed the team in late May to fill the head coach position at California Baptist. In other words: Cal had adversity to spare by the time summer arrived in Berkeley.
However, to Cal’s new skipper, rising up out of such difficulties and winning a national championship both come down to one thing: “getting comfortable with adversity.”
Enter Coach Singleton
Before arriving in Berkeley last August, Oakland native Steve Singleton had just capped off a seven-year career as the Associate Head Coach of the Texas Longhorns Softball team, bringing the program their first-ever WCWS National Title. Even though Texas did ultimately rise to the top of the mountain, their season did not pass without its setbacks. They lost a series to Tennessee 2-1, were swept by rival Oklahoma, and got their teeth kicked in and bounced in the second round of the SEC Tournament by Texas A&M. The adversity the Longhorns overcame to achieve success is the lesson Coach Singleton plans to bring to California. “We had to learn to manage that roller coaster and still perform and be the best versions that we can be,” Singleton explained. “That’s something I’ll carry into a program like this, knowing that we’re going to have our ups and downs while building what we ultimately want.”
It certainly could be a bumpy ride for Cal this season. Putting aside the growing pains of a new team, new coaches, and a soon-to-be new stadium; the Bears also have to contend with a brutal schedule. Thirteen teams that qualified for the NCAA Championship and nine that finished the season ranked in 2025 are on Cal’s schedule this year, including Oklahoma, Florida, UCLA, and Florida State. However, Coach Singleton isn’t scared, quite the contrary, actually. “Not scared. Definitely not,” Singleton told me confidently. “It’s not going to be perfect and pretty all the time, but I think we’re going to be good enough to make some noise when it’s time to make noise.” Even in times where they might be outgunned and outmanned–or out-womanned as Coach Singleton put it–his focus is always on the ways to win, not worrying on the ways to lose.
Fortunately, the situation for Cal softball isn’t nearly as devastating as one might think, as not all players left, and Cal picked up plenty of electrifying talent in the portal. Three veteran players from last year’s Golden Bears team will be returning, including power-hitting threat Alyssa Herrera (C), D’Auna Johnson (Utility), and Kiki Mashoud (P), and five freshmen from the 2025 signing class will have their chance to debut this year. Far from complacent during the transfer period, the Bears picked up ten recruits of their own in the summer transfer portal to join the returning players. First, Cal nabbed a shortstop out of Boston College with the best first name in the ACC: Gator Robinson. Along with Robinson, the Bears picked up nine players to provide depth and veteran leadership. “We have a bunch of kids that are really competitive,” Singleton said. “[They] have worked really hard, are really talented, and they have a lot of pride in playing for California.“
What Lies Ahead for Cal Softball
Looking to the future, the Bears appear to be at a foundational moment for building upwards. In November, Coach Singleton signed five incoming freshmen in the class of 2026. According to ON3/Rivals, three of these five (Emoni Lam Sam, Malea Ricks, and Emalee Cargill) rank in the top-150 high school players in the country. On top of that, the 2027 class has already seen three players within top 100 commit to playing for Berkeley in the coming years. “I want to get us to a spot where [our focus] is predominantly high school recruiting,” Singleton said when explaining his recruiting philosophy. “You start to really plant those seeds in year one that grow very strong culture-wise and commitmen-twise.” This is certainly important for creating a team culture and dynamic, both of which are crucial for attracting and keeping high-level athletes on the team. What kind of recruits is our new head coach looking for? Those who play with an athletic style that blends strength and speed with a high game IQ and field awareness. Very on brand for the University of California, Berkeley.
So where are we at, and what’s next? While proceeding with tempered expectations for this season, with a new coach and a new vision for the path ahead, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the future of this team. I think in the short term this season, Cal may not be quite as good as last year. Granted, I can’t know how the season will go before it’s happened, but in my opinion Cal softball will take a tiny step backwards this year. While the new transfers and incoming freshmen show a lot of promise, due to the depletion of star players that led the team last year, I don’t think there will be much season-on-season improvement as was previously expected. That’s not to say Cal is bad–far from it in fact–I’m just cautious in my optimism.
Regardless of whether or not Cal is in rebuild mode or manages to make a playoff push - with a national championship caliber coach, a great 2026 class coming in, and multiple commits from talented recruits for the next class, once again the future looks bright.
Cal Softball begins its season on Friday, February 6th, against #20 Oklahoma State in their first game of the Stanford Invitational tournament, which will be held in Stanford, CA, from February 5th to February 8th. After the Stanford Invitational, the Bears will play in the Silicon Valley Classic in Santa Clara, CA from February 13th to February 15th, the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, CA from February 19th to February 22nd, and the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, CA from February 26th to March 1st.
Ongoing renovations at Levine-Fricke Field are expected to be completed in 2027. Cal will be playing their home games this year at either Sacramento State’s Shea Stadium in Sacramento, CA, or West Valley College’s Viking Field in Saratoga, CA. Conference play begins on March 6th at Shea Stadium against Duke, and all 2026 home games afterwards will be played at Viking Field. Tickets for all home games will be available soon via Cal’s website. Go Bears!
Can’t wait until Cal returns to an era of dominance - too long the power has been in the South. We need a return to days of Michelle Granger being the best softball pitcher in college - yes better than Lisa Fernandez or Jennie Finch.
Really unfortunate Cal was unable to secure a temporary home field anywhere near Berkeley. This year could be tough sledding. But, maybe the challenges will foster some great bonding among the newly cobbled roster.