SportSpyder - The Latest California Golden Bears Football Podcasts

DBD 2026-04-23: Shakespeare

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:52:47 GMT

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Cal Softball: Bears Losing Streak Continues

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 19:00:50 GMT

LOS ANGELES – The California Golden Bears (13-33, 3-15 ACC) are on a painful eight game losing streak since beating conference opponent Louisville in game one of their three game series at the beginning of April. This past weekend, the Bears travelled south to Northridge, CA and Los Angeles, CA for trio of non-conference games against the Cal State Northridge Matadors (12-28, 7-14 Big West) and the #9 UCLA Bruins (41-5, 16-2 B1G).

Thursday, Game 1: Cal 3 - 6 CSUN
On Thursday the Bears travelled down to the hometown of sophomore pitcher Kiki Mashhoud to face Cal State Northridge in a midweek matchup. The Bears struck first when Mya McGowan (sitting at the pitcher/designated player spot in the lineup) got her third hit in two games, this one an RBI single to bring Anaya Togia home from second for a 1-0 lead. McGowan was then given the starting nod from head coach Steve Singleton, taking the opportunity to keep CSUN to just one hit through two innings.

Both sides remained silent until the bottom of the third when an RBI double and a batter hit by a pitch with the bases loaded saw two cross the plate for Northridge. CSUN’s lead lasted only four at-bats in the fourth inning before the Bears reclaimed it. With two outs down, Sophia Everett knocked a double into left field to give Cal some life. Five pitches later, Maddie Rey skied a high fly ball that bounced off the scoreboard in left field, giving the Bears the 3-2 advantage.

In the bottom of the fourth, Kiki Mashhoud was brought in to relieve McGowan, taking the opportunity to sit down the first three batters she faced in order on ten total pitches in front of a hometown crowd. The Golden Bears maintained their 3-2 lead until the bottom of the sixth when Northridge stormed ahead by three. The Matadors tied things up with an RBI single, then added an additional three runs off two more RBI singles. The late two out rally would call an end to Mashhoud’s day in the circle after 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 Ks. McGowan returned to close out the game she started by grabbing the final out in the bottom of the sixth to keep the score at 6-3. In the top of the seventh, Cal failed to bring in any more runs, giving the Matadors the 6-3 victory–their first over the Bears since 1995. McGowan ended her day with 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K.

Cal recorded 8 hits on 27 at-bats, with Sophia Everett hitting 2-2 with a double and a single, Maddie Rey going 1-4 with a 2-run home run, and Mya McGowan going 1-2 with an RBI single. Sophia Everett recorded a stolen base, while Kayla Lee picked up two. WP: Alizae Cole (3-1) 3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB. LP: Kiki Mashhoud 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 K.

Saturday, Game 1: Cal 5 - 13 #9 UCLA (5)
For the first time since the original members of the PAC-12 disbanded, UCLA and Cal faced each other at Easton Stadium in Los Angeles. UCLA–the #9 team in the country and tied for second in the B1G–entered game one of Saturday’s double-header the winners of ten straight, dominating teams with electric bats and precise pitching. Both of these aspects were on full display throughout the ballgame, especially the Bruin’s pitching, which kept Cal hitless in three of five innings and scoreless until the fifth.

Singleton called on Tamya Waiters to begin the day in the circle, the first time she’s started a game since March. UCLA got on the board quickly in the first, scoring on an RBI ground out with the bases loaded. In the following inning, the Bruins made it a five run ball game by sending out a solo homer and a 3-run homer over the fence in left field. The pair of home runs brought Taylor Peacock into the circle to relieve Tamya Waiters and end the second inning before any more damage could be done, although Waiters would return later on.

After a silent top of the third from Cal, Peacock again stepped up to the circle, this time retiring the side in ten pitches thanks to a timely 6-4-3 double play. However the silence from UCLA’s bats would not last long. In the bottom of the fourth, UCLA added two more from a 2-run home run to give them a 7-0 advantage. Layna Gerhard was called in to relieve Peacock, who threw for 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, and 1 BB before being pulled.

Down seven and in need of a rally, the Golden Bears finally found their stride in the top of the fifth. Togia hit a lead off single to left field to begin the inning, and Anya German got a seven pitch walk to put runners on first and second. It took Kaylia Counts just two consecutive foul balls before she put Cal on the board with a hard hit RBI double to center field, scoring Togia while advancing German to third. On the following at bat Gator Robinson–who has been going through a drought of hits since the end of March–lit up the first pitch of her at-bat, sending a 2-RBI double into center field to cut Cal’s deficit to four. With one out down and a new pitcher in for UCLA, Everett launched a rocket into right field to score another two runs to bring the Bears within two.

The Bruins responded with a slew of runs in the bottom of the fifth. First, a 2-RBI single with the bases loaded would bring an end to Gerhard’s day in the circle. Gerhard threw for 1.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, and 4 BB, and Waiters was called on to close out the inning. With a 9-5 lead, UCLA picked up two more runs from an RBI single to go up 11-5. The Bruins hit the final nail in the coffin for game one on the following two at-bats, as a pair of back-to-back RBI doubles into center field gave UCLA an eight run 13-5 lead, activating the mercy rule.

The Golden Bears struggled to put together an offensive strike against the Bruins, earning just 5 hits in 20 at-bats. Sophia Everett went 1-3 with a home run and 2 RBIs, Gator Robinson went 1-2 with a double and 2 RBIs, and Kayli Counts went 1-2 with a double and an RBI. From the field: the Bears turned a 6-4-3 double play in the third inning. WP: Brynne Nally (4-1) 4.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. LP: Tamya Waiters (1-6) 2.0 IP, 28 H, 7 ER, 4 BB.

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Saturday, Game 2: Cal 1 - 9 #9 UCLA (5)
After a short intermission, the Bears and Bruins returned to the field to finish out the second game of their double-header. McGowan was again called upon to start in the circle for Cal, her second starting role in three games. The bats of UCLA were quick to pounce on the freshman pitcher, with their lead off batter hitting a solo home run on McGowan’s second pitch of the game. The Bruins scored two more a couple at-bats later on the second home run of the game, which resulted in McGowan being pulled from the circle after facing five batters and giving up 3 H, 4 R, and 3 ER. Mashhoud was called on in relief, and after giving up an RBI sac fly closed out the first thanks to a double play down 4-0.

The second inning passed silently as Mashhoud sat down three UCLA batters on five pitches while her counterpart–Bruins’ ace Taylor Tinsley–did the same with six. Cal clawed back one from the Bruins after Gator Robinson went yard with a solo shot to left center. However the third inning would be the last time the Bears would score or record a hit for the rest of the game. In the bottom of the same frame, UCLA plated four runs with three home runs, bringing an end to Mashhoud’s day after 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, and 1 BB, and giving the Bruins an 8-1 lead.

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Gerhard was called into the circle in relief for Mashhoud, and was able to keep UCLA from adding any more runs to the board aside from a solo home run in the fourth. Gerhard would close out the game with 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, and 1 BB. In the bottom of the fifth, with another loss by fifth inning mercy rule looming, Cal attempted to pull off a last minute rally. With one out down, Robinson got herself into scoring position thanks to a ground ball from Emma Jackson and a rare throwing error from the Bruins. However, the Bears were not able to bring Robinson home, and Cal ultimately fell to UCLA 9-1 in game two of the double header.

Cal was completely held in check by UCLA pitcher Taylor Tinsley, earning only 3 hits on 19 at-bats. Gator Robinson has returned to her regular form as she went 1-2 with a home run, and Sophia Everett knocked in a pair of singles. Emma Jackson was credited with an error, and the Golden Bears nabbed two double plays: a 6-4-3 double play in the bottom of the first, and a 4-6-3 double play in the bottom of the second. WP: Taylor Tinsley (23-3) 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. LP: Mya McGowan (4-12) 0.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER.

What’s Next?
Cal’s final non-conference game against Saint Mary’s was cancelled on Monday due to inclement weather in the bay area. So the Golden Bears are returning to northern California for their final home series of the season, although they will be the home team in enemy territory. The 2026 Big Swing will be held at Stanford’s new softball stadium instead of Viking Field at West Valley College. Cal will still be considered the home team despite playing in the “away” teams stadium. After that, the Bears will play their final series of the 2026 regular season against Pitt on the first weekend in May.

Tickets for Big Swing can be purchased here. All games will be streamed on ESPN+. Go Bears!

Cal Defensive Back Hezekiah Masses On Draft Strengths, What the Bears Did for His Career

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:37:48 GMT

Hezekiah Masses kept his Pro Day assessment simple, happy to be working out on familiar ground.

“Solid day out here, man. Just happy to be on my home turf. Come way out, hit the Cal turf and just practice on my turf. Just felt good just moving around with the guys.”

The combine wasn’t the end of the process for Masses. He wanted more reps and more opportunities to be seen.

“The combine is just part of the process, but the process is not done at the combine. Pro Day is still here and I just want to still move around with my guys.”

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He posted a 34-inch vertical, though he felt there was more in the tank.

“I jumped like a 34. I could have did way better, but it was decent.”

Conversations with scouts after the workout were productive, and Masses was candid about both his strengths and what he needs to clean up.

“Always good talking to scouts, just hearing what they feel about me, what I need to improve on, what my strengths are on the field. Definitely ball skills, I’m good when the ball’s in the air, it’s mine. My IQ on the field, I’m always in great position. And some weakness, I told them too, I need to improve on tackling.”

His second 40-yard dash at the combine came in a tenth faster than his first, and Masses explained exactly why.

“The first one, the 40 just felt so long. I kind of stopped at the 37 or something like that, just kind of raised up. But the second one I just ran through the line and maintained my technique. I did that and did way better.”

When it comes to what Cal did for his pro prospects, Masses was grateful across the board.

“Cal did a lot, man. Ain’t nothing I can ask for. They got me bigger, stronger. Thank Coach Novak, thank Coach TB and Coach AB. They just prepared me the right way on the field and off the field.”

On draft projections, he’s staying patient.

“No guesses, man. You never know. We just going to wait until April and see.”

Going through the process alongside fellow Cal DBs Paco Austin and Dru Polidore has made it more enjoyable.

“It’s great, man. I feel like DBU, I feel like me and Paco were the best duo. We don’t really get our name out there as much as maybe we should, but it was great always working out with those guys and just being able to move around with them.”

And while he hasn’t had deep conversations with last year’s Cal draft class, the lines of communication stay open.

“We follow each other on social media, always texting here and there, always communicating with each other.”

DBD 2026-04-22: Earth Day

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:14:48 GMT

Cal Running Back Jaydn Ott Returns for Pro Day, Reflects On Journey To and From Berkeley

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:24:48 GMT

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Jaydn Ott made clear from the jump that returning to Memorial Stadium for Pro Day meant something beyond just the workout.

“Thank you to Coach Rivera and Coach Tosh for letting me come through. It means a lot. I am an alumni of the school and so it’s good to be back, see a lot of my old teammates and be around the building with the guys.”

Being back on the field brought a familiar feeling.

“It was nostalgic, man. Looking up onto the hill and feeling the sun on me on this field. It was great.”

Ott had already done Oklahoma’s Pro Day the week prior, but came back to Cal specifically to improve on two drills where he felt he’d left something on the table.

“During training I was hitting a lot better numbers on my three cone and my 5-10-5, and so I wasn’t happy with it. I came out here and tried to work on that.”

The effort paid off.

“We got about two-tenths of a second better.”

He also got some throws in with current Cal quarterback Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele.

“I got to play with him a little bit during spring ball in 2025 and it was just cool. Throwing with Jaron is always fun.”

On his 40 time, Ott thought the fastest reading didn’t quite get the headlines.

“I think it was faster. You get a range of times from all the NFL teams and I guess the 4.46 is what stuck. They were saying like 4.40 to 4.45 and stuff, so got to round down.”

A recent meal with head coach Tosh Lupoi left Ott encouraged about where the program is headed.

“I’m excited for the whole team, man. I think he’s going to be really good for the culture, for the team around here. He’s going to take a big stride this year and even more so in the next.”

On his own draft prospects, Ott kept it grounded.

“I’m putting it all in God’s hands. If I do, I do. If not, man, it’s all good.”

He did feel the All-Star games helped his case.

“Most definitely. I got to show off my pass protection skills that I’ve been working on.”

Ott reached out to Cal himself to make this Pro Day happen, a reflection of the relationships he still holds here.

“I’m still really close with a lot of the people here, especially on the staff. These guys took care of me and I’m in constant communication with them anyway. I just decided, hey, let me reach out and see if I can get better numbers in those two drills and do some position work.”

His year at Oklahoma was a learning experience, even if things didn’t go as planned.

“Being in Oklahoma, it was cool, it was different. I was raised in California, stayed here pretty much my whole life, so it was cool to experience something else for a change. Things didn’t go as expected but I learned a lot through it all and it was good to be back out here.”

To the Cal fans who followed his journey and welcomed him back, Ott had a genuine message.

“I appreciate Coach Tosh and Coach Rivera and all the coaches welcoming me back, and especially the staff. Norm [Mo], Denis [Hallin], Andrew [McGraw], seeing all my people. To the fans, I’m just happy to be back. I appreciate all the support. Even when I left, there was a lot of support from Cal fans and it doesn’t go unnoticed. It means a lot.”

And if his name gets called on Sunday night, there’s no question which school he’ll be representing.

“I would definitely say Cal. I’m an alum here.”

DBD 2026-04-21: Rome

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 08:52:49 GMT

Cal Baseball: Bears Take Series From Louisville

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 04:00:51 GMT

The California Golden Bears’ winning streak was once again snapped by the San Jose State Spartans, but a much more impressive streak was kept alive as Louisville came to Berkeley over the weekend.

Without hesitation, let’s dive into how Cal’s FIVE-GAME winning streak in the ACC was formed, something they have never done before, and how the Bears and Cardinals matched up at Stu Gordon Stadium over the weekend.

Game 1, Friday 4/17/2026: California 8 – Louisville 5

Kicking off the series on Friday night under the lights at Stu Gordon Stadium, the California Golden Bears and Louisville Cardinals faced off for the second series since Cal joined the Atlantic Coast Conference. With the two teams drawing a crowd of 888 fans out to Berkeley, CA, Oliver de la Torre got the opening start for the Golden Bears against Wyatt Danilowicz, a Senior who posted a 2.70 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 33.1 IP last season, where he was also named to the 2025 Academic All-ACC Team. De la Torre was coming off a seven-inning complete game against Pitt, in which he allowed just one run on three hits while striking out four, and looked to keep his streak of going five innings per start alive since February 27^th.

Joshua Hanson against Louisville (via @CalBaseball on Instagram)

With a first pitch at 6:06 PM, de la Torre retired the first Cardinals batter before allowing a base hit to Zion Rose and a two-run home run to Bayram Hot, getting Louisville on the board early against the Bears. Cal offense against Danilowicz was completely flat to start this game, as the Bears did not manage to get a runner on base via a hit until the bottom half of the 5^th, whereas the Cardinals added two more runs in the top half of the 4^th on a leadoff home run from Tague Davis and a sac-fly-RBI from Kade Elam to make it 4-0.

The Bears were finally able to claw back offensively in the bottom of the 5^th as Lawson Olmstead got the rally started for Cal with a leadoff single while Carl Schmidt followed with a double down the left field line to put runners in scoring position for Cade Campbell – who hit a line drive base hit through the left side of the infield to bring home Olmstead and get California on the board for the first time in this game. Ethan Kodama and Jacob French would then both deliver with RBI singles of their own, giving Cal two more runs to cut the deficit within one and make it 4-3 Louisville heading into the 6^th.

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The Cardinals did immediately respond to those three runs from Cal with another leadoff homerun from Tague Davis against de la Torre, but the Bears came back out in the 6^th and got hold of a lead that they would never lose in this matchup. Daniel Murillo led off the inning by getting hit by a 3-2 pitch, while Olmstead followed with a walk to knock Danilowicz out of the game after putting two runners on for Carl Schmidt, who launched a three-run home run to deep center against Jake Schweitzer, to give the Bears a 6-5 lead.

De la Torre returned out to the mound for the 7^th and after giving up a leadoff hit that was turned into an out after George Baker tried extending a single into a double against the arm of Kodama in RF, and a one-out hit the Alex Alicea before getting Crain and Rose out and ending his night with 7.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, and 3 Ks – pitching back-to-back seven-inning starts for the Golden Bears. Cole Clark replaced de la Torre in the 8^th and worked through an error and a base hit to give Cal another chance at the plate before handing the ball off to Ethan Foley for his first career save opportunity.

Cal added two more insurance runs in the bottom of the 8^th on a Joshua Hanson two-run home run to deep left field to make it 8-5, and Foley came in to close it out in the 9^th, retiring all three batters he faced and earning the save as California took game one in this three-game series against a team that went as far as the College World Series just last season. Game 1: California. WP: Oliver de la Torre (3-4, 7.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K). LP: Jake Schweitzer (1-1, 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, BB, K).

via @CalBaseball on Instagram

Game 2, Saturday 4/18/2026: California 6 – Louisville 5

Getting right back into action for game two at Stu Gordon Stadium, California and Louisville squared off for a Saturday afternoon at the ballpark with a first pitch at 2:06 PM, and the Cardinals’ Ethan Eberle facing off against California’s Gavin Eddy. Last season, Eberle made 20 appearances for the Cardinals while starting in 10 of those games and ended up striking out 59 batters in 62 IP. He earned 2025 ACC All-Freshman Team honors, Academic All-ACC Team honors, and was also named to the 2025 NCAA Nashville Regional All-Tournament Team after pitching 6.1 shutout innings against Wright State, where he had struck out 11 Raiders.

Gavin Eddy returned to the mound for his usual Saturday start after going 5.0 innings against Pitt last weekend, where he earned a win while going 5.0 innings and allowing six hits and three runs. Louisville was able to strike first in this game against Eddy in the top half of the 2^nd as Lucas Moore led off the inning with a single to right and advanced to third on a botched play at second by Jacob French while trying to get Moore out on a stolen base attempt. Jimmy Nugent then grounded out, which allowed Moore to score and give Louisville a quick 1-0 lead in the game.

Thanks for reading Write For California! This post is public, so feel free to share it.

After starting quiet at the plate to start the game, California got some momentum going in the bottom of the 3^rd against Eberle, as Hideki Prather got a it started with a one-out single to left while Jett Kenady continued to stay hot at the plate with an RBI-double to tie the game before Daniel Murillo followed with a two-run shot to deep center field to give Cal a 3-1 lead. The Cardinals retook the lead in the top half of the 5^th against Eddy as Nugent led off the inning with a home run to left, and Ben Slanker and Kade Elam each followed with a single to allow Zach Davis to bunt them over into scoring position for Griffin Crain. Crain singled through the third base side to bring home the tying run, and Zion Rose then hit a sac-fly-RBI to bring the leading run home before Eddy got out of the inning with three runs of damage and two runners left on base.

BUT that was of no concern for the Golden Bears, as Daniel Murillo gave Cal the lead right back on his second home run of the afternoon, another two-run home run to left, this time with Jacob French on first after a bunt-base-hit, and Cal took a 5-4 lead that they would never lose in this afternoon game on Evans Diamond.

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Eberle worked through five innings for the Cardinals before being substituted by Peter Michael. Michael would give up one insurance run to Cal on a wild pitch that would allow Murillo to score from third and give the Bears a 6-4 lead heading into the 8^th, while Gavin Eddy, on the other hand, had pitched his best game this season. Eddy went 8.0 innings and allowed seven hits and three earned runs while striking out seven, and Mike Neu handed the ball off to Ethan Foley for another save opportunity in back-to-back games to try and secure an ACC-series win at home.

Foley gave up a single to Nugent to lead off the top of the 9^th before getting a fielder’s choice and strikeout to get two outs in the inning, but Zach Davis singled to right to bring home Nugent and show that Louisville was not done yet – only they were for Saturday, as Crain followed with a ground out to third in the next at bat that ended the game and gave California the series win against the Cardinals. Game 2: California. WP: Gavin Eddy (6-2, 8.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, 7 K). LP: Ethan Eberle (3-3, 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, BB, K).

Game 3, Sunday 4/19/2026: California 5 – Louisville 8

With the Golden Bears sealing their second straight ACC series win on Saturday night, Freshman Otto Espinoza looked to lead California to something they had never done since joining their new conference across the country, and that was sweep back-to-back ACC opponents. Last year, the Bears’ only sweep came against Stanford, and they did not win another series until Boston College came to Berkeley to close out the regular season.

Cal struck first on Sunday afternoon in front of a crowd of 858 fans as the Bears were all over Louisville starting pitcher Colton Hartman, plating home four runs in the bottom of the first on a Jett Kenady RBI double, a Daniel Murillo RBI-single, a Carl Schmidt base hit for an RBI, and finally a Joshua Hanson sac-fly-RBI to left before Hartman’s afternoon was over after just .2 IP and four earned runs.

Otto Espinoza against Louisville (via @CalBaseball on X)

Espinoza worked through the first two innings with no damage before the Cardinals flew in with two runs in the top of the 3^rd, as Davis Tague launched a two-run home run to right, and knocked Otto out of the game in the 5^th after he worked his way to two outs in the inning but gave up a base hit to Tague and hit Bayram Hot with a pitch in the next at bat to end his afternoon. Trent Roach came in from the bullpen, and the Cardinals hit back-to-back RBI hits to Crain and Nugent, and Louisville had tied the game at 4-4.

Cal Men's Basketball Lands Transfer Guard Jordan Ross

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:20:33 GMT

Credit: Jordan Ross via IG

Cal Men’s Basketball continues to shape its roster for the 2026-27 season. G Jordan Ross, who spent two seasons up Highway 24 at Saint Mary’s, transferred to Georgia last year before announcing his commitment to the Golden Bears today.

Ross started 60 games across the last two seasons for the Gaels and Bulldogs respectively, going all 35 as SMC made the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2025. Ross eventually came off the bench by the end of last year with Georgia, sitting behind former Cal G Jeremiah Wilkinson.

Ross averaged 6.7 ppg on 42% shooting from the floor and 31% from three, his highest three point mark in three college seasons. Cal is looking to find its depth after losing Justin Pippen, Dai Dai Ames and DeJuan Campbell this season.

The Bears have now landed Michael Cooper, Nojus Indrusaitis and Ross as backcourt transfers. Ross also joins his former Bulldog teammate Jake Wilkins at Cal.

Write for California Spring Meet Up

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 21:43:29 GMT

Spring Ball officially came to a close on Saturday afternoon in Strawberry Canyon, but that doesn’t mean we stop talking about the California Golden Bears! We’re fortunate to announce a fun meetup event thanks to our friends over at Laughing Monk Brewing in San Francisco. On Saturday April 25th, come join us starting at noon for some brews, food, community and Cal Football talk.

Come meet the community and staff, and be part of a football conversation hosted by Rob Hwang, Andy Johnston and Nam Le.

So make sure to RSVP below, and come talk ball!

RSVP here!

The Novel: Spring Game 2026

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:15:40 GMT

I. The Intro

At one point on Saturday, I found myself wondering the last time it was like this.

I mean, there were spring games -- I’d written about a lot of those over the last fourteen years and three coaches -- but a lot of the time, they were offense versus defense scrimmages, not true split-roster, intra-squad affairs.

Sometimes we just didn’t have the depth. Sometimes there was a disdain for the whole thing in general, in the way these “showcases” (read: practices) went. On one occasion, there wasn’t even traditional football of any kind -- in Dykes’ first year, the media release afterward reported that “the Cal defense was a 28-24 winner over the offense”, when a “44-yard field goal attempt on the game’s final play that Benjamin Calder sailed wide, [giving] the defense its final three points in a contest that was scored using a modified scoring system that awarded points to the defense.”

So, that no one could recall previous spring games with any confidence, is because time has grown a strange fruit in Strawberry Canyon. The new coach is an old one, and around him on Saturday were the unmistakable reminders of that past: Jeff Tedford, Marshawn Lynch, and Lorenzo Alexander. In whatever the Cal Bears do going forward in this era, their DNA will be unmistakably born from out of that one, in some form.

And then, what is new: everything else. There isn’t just optimism around the program right now for optimism’s sake. Even if the game attendance suggested it is nascent at this stage, there’s real reason to believe something is happening, with every major indicator right now flashing Yale Blue and Gold. Fundraising. Recruiting. Socials. Visibility.

It’s not always going to go smoothly – and it didn’t on Saturday – but when you are led by those who have already seen the glory and splendor themselves, stuff like your quarterback throwing a pick-six to open the game, or the field mic cutting out all afternoon, matters a little less. They aimed for 10,000 in attendance and overshot the estimates by a good number.

That’s fine. This is a journey.

II. Interpretive Framework

In which your writer explains some principles that underlie these observations, which are the result of having sat through a lot of spring practices, games, scrimmages, showcases and otherwise, with the intention of contextualizing everything below.

1. It is best to approach the results of any practice looking for trends, and to avoid overreactions. This is not zero sum.

2. We are seeing only a little bit, and by design. Focus on personnel; who is flashing in these settings. Those will lead you to finding the impact players for the fall.

3. Defenses are normally ahead in camp; offense takes a little more time to gel. I focused more on the offense at this practice, because a) I expect the defense to be good under Tosh, and b) it’s an easier thing to form conclusions about live.

4. Saturday’s game was apparently not broadcast at large, so there may be some errors, omissions below, or things I’m not able to speak as confidently on without rewatching or did not form real insight into. Those have been noted accordingly, where possible. At the time of writing (mostly, the godless hours of Sunday morning), official stats have not been released.

***

III. Cal 21, Cal 15

Gold Team: 21 (Marques Groves-Killebrew pick six, Dominic Ingrassia rushing touchdown, Adam Mohammed rushing touchdown)

Blue Team: 15 (Cooper Perry from Brousseau, Trevor Rogers from Jaron, 2-point conversion good from Xander Jones)

As part of the agreed-upon terms of competition, the winning staff and roster will be eating steak and lobster at some point, while the losing staff and roster will have hot dogs and beans.

Quarterbacks: You already know.

Jaron (Blue): If you knew that his first drive ended with a tipped ball that Marques Groves-Killebrew turned into a pick-six, and read the statline only, you might worry. But it should go without saying that Jaron is the least of our concerns, and particularly in this context, when he was without most of the (presumed) first-team skill players that he’ll line up with in the fall: Adam Mohammed, Ian Strong and Chase Hendricks were all Gold Team members. He still flashed the same ridiculous arm talent we’ve known already, best seen in the extra two-minute drive for the Blue Team at the end, when Jaron accounted for the game’s final score with a gorgeous fade to Trevor Rogers in the right end zone. (”You can do things like that when it’s spring ball,” was the PA quip.) Besides a notably larger frame he’s growing into, he did look to be processing the field a lot faster, working through progressions and to the back side more decisively than he did a year ago. There were a few missed throws that were audacious to even attempt, only possible to miss closely because of his talent.

If you’re judging based on the spring game alone, QB2 is probably Dominic Ingrassia (Gold), who in my opinion, played the best out of the remaining guys, taking a long keeper touchdown among a solid and productive couple of drives.

Running Backs: We got a real one, and it’s not just him.

Adam Mohammed (Gold): Whatever the reasons are as to why he and Washington didn’t work out, we should thank our lucky stars -- #24 is not only as advertised, but worthy of the old running back tradition. Fast, strong, explosive, versatile – he broke off a kickoff return, lined up out wide on offense, ran wheel routes, ran in tight alleys to the short side of the field, ran between the tackles, and punctuated his day with a long run down the left sideline and an eventual touchdown. For my money, the player who left the strongest impression all afternoon, showcasing as a complete back, ready for a full load of carries -- he had only 148 total at Washington over two years -- and without any hyperbole, I think Justin Forsett is his floor. His ceiling…

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Carter Vargas (Blue) played only one or two drives to open the day with Jaron and flashed some solid burst in that stint. Anthony League (Blue) took most of the carries behind him and made a strong case to be a part of what I think will be a three-to-four-back rotation, headed by Mohammed. The last piece of that is likely to be Ashton Emory (Gold), who ran hard and made some solid headway when he got time.

Tight Ends: Buy your Taimane Purcell stock now.

Taimane Purcell (Gold): It’s pronounced Ty-mah-nee, I learned. Given the way the true freshman played above his years, I think we’ll all know it before long. He’s carrying ~240 pretty effortlessly, flashed reliable hands and run after catch ability, and validated some of the whispered praise I’d been hearing in a big way. Whoever is in charge of 808 area recruiting internally is crushing at evaluation. Lock him in the two deep immediately.

John Tofi (Gold) has also forced his way into the tight end conversation by consistently being in the right place, blocking hard. Between him, Purcell, Mini, Dorian Thomas, and Rico Walker, Cal has one of the legitimately deepest tight end rooms in the time I’ve written about the Bears. The rest of the group, for brevity’s sake, had a pretty workmanlike day at the office (Dorian Thomas did catch an in-breaker for 19 yards and a first down on Jaron’s first drive), but the freshman was the one raising eyebrows.

Receivers: Massively improved from last year.

Cooper Perry (Blue): Among a bunch of receptions on the day was an early crossing route and run after the catch for 32 yards when playing with Jaron, and a later 34-yard touchdown pass from Brousseau, with consistent effort after the catch, even if it was just a few extra yards. Will be a front-line option for the offense this fall.

Ian Strong and Chase Hendricks (Gold): The former was pretty quiet playing with the other QBs, but did have a contested pass he ripped out of the air in front of the DB and ran after the catch for 23 yards, and that will become quite familiar to the wider audience in the fall. The latter was definitely more productive on the day, but didn’t hit any explosive plays of his own. A part of why both came to Cal was to catch balls from Jaron, so I expect they’ll make more noise when he’s the one throwing to them specifically.

Trevor Rogers (Blue): Showed up with a strong afternoon – multiple catches for the Blue team and the aforementioned closing touchdown, capping off a spring where he needed to really start making moves, and did. All of this bodes well for his odds of contributing this fall. Whoever coached him in high school is probably beaming right now.

Cole Boscia (Gold): Rob shared that from his time watching fall camp in 2025, he felt Boscia was ready to be a contributor before an untimely injury. Boscia started living up to that late last year – SMU most memorably – and looks on track to continue as a rotation player. By my unofficial tally, he led the Gold team in receptions and has remained reliable, sure-handed, and productive, even among an improved wide receiver room.

Quaron Adams (Blue): His usage – crosses, gadgets, etc – last year was particularly important in a skill position group that lacked explosiveness, and he looks like he’ll continue getting on the field in that capacity, based on his usage on Saturday. The good news is they’ll be able to be more intentional about how they get to feature him.

Mark Hamper (Blue): A guy I was hoping would show out in more force on Saturday, but did make a couple of catches. What most people in attendance will probably remember is the ones he did not come down with, which were often tough situations to be in in the first place. My opinion is that having him back was a solid, sensible decision, with the idea he may thrive more in a contributor role than as a star, and that may still be the case. Struggles acknowledged, I’m not selling the stock yet.

Offensive Line: Hard to evaluate at live speed, but a higher floor than last year to start

This post could have been twice as long, if we had the film available to watch – what gives, ACC Network? In any case, only a couple of pressures given up and a relatively clean day of work on penalties; generally, I think the floor of the group has risen in Anae’s second year. It will still take more time for them to really peak, because the transfer portal class was built around young guys who they plan on developing anyway (Jimothy Lewis, Jacob Arop, etc), supplementing the couple of veterans they’ll build around (Tyson Ruffins, Sioape Vatikani, etc). The good news is compared to last year, nobody stood out in a way anyone sitting on their couch could be upset about, let alone consistently, as it was at times.

Defensive Line: Deep enough to be flexible, with something you ain’t seen yet

Generally played well in generating some pressure and disruption – run and pass game both – with some particular standouts coming from the terrifying quick Jericho Johnson (Blue) and Jayden Wayne (Gold) off the edge. There’s a lot of veteran depth here as a group, with a special helmet sticker for the returning Nate Burrell (Gold), who picked off a pass and got to live that elusive dream of all big men, rumbling for a few yards the other way.

It’s #44 who’s the real key to this thing, though. Cal has not had the luxury of a lineman that fast and athletic since BRETT JOHNSON, and he wasn’t 345 (listed).

Defensive Backs: Worthy of the tradition.

With most of my attention gravitating to the offense, I’d say my impressions of this group are generally good. The whisperings out of camp have been positive on defense overall, and while it’s become a legacy to have to scout, plug, and then play new DBs at Cal – something they were definitely cognizant of this spring, as our Thomas Dunn shared:

I don’t see a dropoff coming either. The major highlight was the Marques Groves-Killebrew (Gold) interception, but a really solid day overall for a unit that didn’t really even run all their normal coverage playbook or full personnel (a few guys were in no-contact jerseys, including Aiden Manutai (Gold)). Niles Davis (Blue) jumped with a long return on special teams and hustled down the field to stop Adam Mohammed from getting into the end zone. The depth guys at corner were competitive in their one-on-one situations, too.

One last note here: I’ve described a lot of running after the catch made by our skill position players, but I want to be clear that was not due to some zero-sum of bad tackling. Credit it to an improvement in skill talent, rather than a deficiency in the secondary, where there were no major busts, and notably, consistent effort in impacting the run game.

Linebackers: Okay, hot take?

If you want someone who raised his profile dramatically at the spring game on defense, it’s AJ Tuitele (Blue) – still adding weight, I would assume – who played fast and disruptive, shooting gaps and being a terror to all sides of the field. Aaron Hampton (Gold - stuffed League on 4th and 2 early) and Kamar Mothudi (Gold - at least one TFL) also grabbed a couple flash plays, and while the rawness of the unit still shows at times – both Tuitele and Mothudi are stepping into their first major playing time – the athletic ceiling, length, and general ranginess is much higher. If you want to buy stock in an agenda that you’ll look smart about for saying early, I think…I’d buy some and say we upgraded.

Specialists: Don’t look yet.

Chase Meyer missed two field goals from 42 and 52 for the Blue team, which were the only two attempted on the day.

My apologies to the punt units, which I missed while taking notes and chatting.

Practice closed with a designed 2-point conversion ran in by Xander Jones (Blue), the younger brother of BJ Jones (Gold). Joaquin Ruiz has more on their story here.

V. Uhh, we made a book.

Avi, Rob – it was just both their birthdays, by the way. If you’re actually reading, make sure you wish them a happy birthday in the comments – and I spent a good chunk of last summer compiling, editing, and putting together stories from the community’s experience around College GameDay, which we knew needed to be preserved in some form.

What that became was Calgorithm, Vol. 1: A People’s Anthology of the 2024 season, a 297-page hardcover book that we are immensely proud of, because it really represents this community in its totality, memes and all. We have a story from the guy who stormed the field after the Auburn game and spent the night in an Alabama jail cell. We have a story from a Calgorithm member who found himself on the phone with ESPN, pitching #FightForCalGameDay. We have an overarching narrative that spans decades of our fandom, from the days of California Golden Blogs, til today. We have a foreword written by five national level college football voices: Bill Connelly, Kyle Bonagura, Ashley Adamson, Ryan Nanni, and Jessica Smetana. We have given copies to Rich Lyons, Ron Rivera, and Tosh Lupoi with the confirmation at least one has really read it, and an acceptance into the Bancroft archives (and allegedly, the Library of Congress, but that’s a story for later).

In our first run, we were only able to make 200 of them, and those copies are all accounted for.

Because managing this project isn’t our day jobs, we’re finally ready to collect interest from the W4C community around this project, so we can potentially, shop it out to publishers in some form, or something else. You can register your interest here, to receive further updates.

Besides – with the way things are going, I’m pretty sure we’re not done yet.

As for me, I’m still writing whenever I feel like it – some of my Cal stuff here made it into the book – over at my own blog, which you can find here. A subscription of $1 a month is mostly symbolic, but deeply appreciated.

VI. Conclusion

Ron said a few days ago in a press conference, about feeling good that this team was better than last year.

And I find it easy to agree, now that I’ve gotten to see it myself. A really good team is being built here, one that aims to compete now – because it has to – but there’s the sense that the peak is really going to be 2027 for this core, of which Jaron is at the center. With Tosh working another job and preparing for the College Football Playoffs, they built a smart framework for a roster from the increased NIL funding, without the depth being quite where they’d want it to be yet. Given that constraint, the evaluation and assembly has not missed at all, and watching nearly impact player brought in hitting immediately, showed what happens when we’re able to access the next tier of talent.

And it is just beginning – win, and there will be a lot more.

DBD 2026-04-20: 420 Day

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 08:48:08 GMT

Cal's Spring Game Stokes Excitement as Golden Bears Continue to Put Together Puzzle Pieces

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 10:15:43 GMT

A new era of Cal football is upon us, but it’s got a familiar first day of school feel for those that have been around the program for a few decades. An underrated benefit of Coach Tosh Lupoi’s return home is the environment around little things like the spring game, which comes off natural under of the leadership of someone who has put blood, sweat and tears into this place.

Xavier Jones, brother of Cal ILB BJ Jones, closing out the game with a TD. Xavier is apart of Golden Buddies and is navigating his journey with Autism

The teams were not set up in 1’s vs 2’s, and that was on purpose per Coach Lupoi.

. “We didn’t want to do a so called ‘ones and twos’ because we don’t know who that is,” stated Coach Lupoi after the game. “We drafted the teams, myself, Marshall Cherrington, Norm (Mo) Ron Rivera, put that together, drafted the teams, Gold had their pick, Blue had their pick, back to back to back, we assembled the teams.”

While the hardcore fans might bemoan not getting a preview of the JKS to Ian Strong connection, the mix of players catching balls from different QBs every series, kept things varied and allowed some insights into these combinations.

It was difficult to parse anything definitive from the game itself, but some takeaways were there for the taking.

The running back room is something to get excited about this year. Returning redshirt freshman Anthony League showed out in the first half, running with vision and authority. Transfers like Adam Mohammad took a moment to come on, before breaking off a 50+ yard run in the fourth quarter.
There’s some competition behind JKS. Colorado State transfer Jackson Brousseau connected with Oregon transfer Cooper Perry for a 34 yard touchdown pass. Perry looked strong all game, making multiple strong catches. EJ Caminong seemed comfortable. Novato native Dominic Ingrassia fooled everyone on the field and in the press box running in a 37 yard keeper for a TD that nobody saw coming.
With all the positivity surrounding the regime change in Berkeley, there are some questions around the continuation of “DBU”. It must have been comforting to this lot to see the first score of the game come from a 95 yard return for touchdown off of a red zone interception at the hands of Marquis Groves-Killebrew, a high school stand out that had a few productive stops before his 2025 was cut short by injury.
Returning defensive players Aaron Hampton and Nate Burell both made impact plays on the ball. They seem to be adapting nicely. They will look to expand and grow their roles under this new staff.
AJ Tuitele had a bit of a stand out game as well, showing violence getting stops before skill players could make it across the line of scrimmage.

The Big Picture

We’ve got a long way until Cal hits the field for fall camp and eventually opening week against UCLA. It’s far too early to make any meaningful conclusions about the football acumen of the team but there is clearly a concerted effort by this team to be more than just a group of individuals.

In a day and age of college athletics that almost puts a “mercenary” label on certain sectors, both the coaches and players within the Cal program have consistently emphasized the connection and power of unit pillars of the program.

DC Michael Hutchings expanded in his post Spring game press conference that connections between opposites sides of the ball and people within all corners od the building is simply a prerequisite.

Cal did what they had to do in beginning to build the foundation for the future. Xavier Jones running in the touchdown to end the day was a nice cherry on top for a feel good day that got the fanbase back in the swing of things.

Fall camp beckons in August, as this new era of Cal Football approaches its debut. In the meantime, the staff will hit the road in recruiting as they look to “blitz the bay.”

You may just get to see them in your backyard in the coming months. Just like you got to head back to the friendly confines of California Memorial Stadium to close out the spring season.

Women's Basketball Adds Guards Carly Amborn from Stanford, Shannon Dowell from Missouri

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:02:29 GMT

After adding a couple of frontcourt players on Wednesday, Coach Smith yesterday announced the addition of two backcourt players to bolster the roster for next season.

Images courtesy Cal Women’s Basketball on X

Shannon Dowell started 29 games for the Missouri Tigers last year. The 5’ 10” combo guard averaged 14.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and recorded five double-doubles on the season. Dowell started her college career at Illinois State, where she averaged 17.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 2024-25. In the official press release, Coach Smith praised Dowell’s aggressive approach to the game and her versatility;

“She truly is a triple-threat option that has shown the ability to attack the glass and get others involved on the offensive end of the court. Having played in the SEC last season, she will be an impact player right away and be ready for the ACC."

Carly Amborn is a four-star recruit from Larkspur and earned multiple North Coast accolades during her 2024-25 senior year. She played sparingly for Kate Paye at Stanford last year, totaling 59 minutes across 16 games. Amborn’s mother, Pam Nelson-Campbell, was a three-time tennis All-American for the Golden Bears in the mid-90’s. On joining the Bears, Amborn praised Coach Smith’s team culture;

"I cannot wait to continue my family legacy here. Cal truly feels like home. Coach Charmin is the ultimate leader and I am incredibly excited to play for someone who cares so deeply and believes in her players on and off the court. I feel so lucky to join this team."

With the four additions this week, Cal currently has 14 players on the roster.

Returners(7): G Lulu Twidale, F Taylor Barnes, G Mjracle Sheppard, G Gisella Maul, G Anastasia Drosouni, F Naya Ujukwu, G Sofia Bowes
Freshman Incoming(4); F Jovana Jevtovic, F Zara Russell, G/F Anna Lagonikaki, G Ruby Perkins
Portal Incoming(3); C Albina Syla, G Carly Amborn, G Shannon Dowell

Rosters can have up to 15 players, so there is one spot remaining. Or, they may choose to keep it open and add a non-scholarship player before the season starts.

Welcome to Berkeley, Carly and Shannon!

Cal Position Groups Preach "Brotherhood" as they Acclimate to the Golden Bears and Tosh Lupoi's Standard

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:03:19 GMT

Credit: Cal Athletics

With all the roster turnover happening and money flying around in this day and age of college athletics, the ability to be a “team” can get lost in the shuffle. One or two bad eggs can derail a season, forcing you to look in the mirror as you spent a lot of NIL dollars for not a ton of return.

As Cal Football wraps up Spring Ball this week, there’s been consistent themes among the position groups when they get to the post practice media banner.

Despite the battles they go through on the field, where they want to leave no doubt about who won reps, they’re building camaraderie off it as Tosh Lupoi expresses his desire to be “the most connected team in the country.”

Finding their Soul in the Bay

Across multiple days of position group scrums, Cal players came together to discuss how their acclimation to the Bay Area has been both a journey yet worthwhile.

One of those adjustment areas, is the food scene.

ILB Tristan Jernigan among others are from the South and as they look for a taste of home, it took some adventuring. Jernigan, a Tupelo, Mississippi native, noted the different backgrounds that have come together to bring the best out of one another.

Enter Y’s Choice in Oakland. A place cited by more than three players, has become a spot to relax, refocus and enjoy each other for who they are.

“I love soul food, coming from the south. Y’s Choice and Rob Ben’s, Marshawn Lynch’s spot. I eat them on the weekends because I’m on a diet. I work with that, eat good on the weekends.” - Cal ILB Tristian Jernigan

In a game that’s fast paced, its the things that slow you down that may end up paying dividends down the line for the Golden Bears.
Home Away from Home

You remember the day you left home to head to college. Whether it was a couple of miles down the road, moving across the country or heading internationally, its an adjustment.

Not everyone is fit or ready for change.

Now add in the expectations to be a D1 football player where you are viewed to perform and it can be a lot.

Freshman TE Taimane Purcell touched on how having people from Hawaii on the team and the coaches emphasizing taking care of yourself off the field has assisted his transition to Berkeley.

On the other side, Edge rusher Justin Beadles, who was been at an array of schools, values the balance of how these coaches demand the best but also check in on the person as well.

“I’ve had some good head coaches …. Tosh is a great coach, great role model. He checks in, he can tell when you’re down. He’s the same guy everyday.” - Cal Edge Justin Beadles

In acknowledging where Cal is and where they’re expected to go under this revamped recruiting outlook, you still need to take the baby steps required to succeed.

As the team continues to iron out their installs before the Spring Game on Saturday, the work behind the scenes is currently setting Cal up to be more than just a group of individuals who want to win.

DBD 2026-04-17: acquisition

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:01:06 GMT

Cal Football Lands Commitment from SoCal DL Miles Schirmer

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:51:12 GMT

Cal Football Head Coach Tosh Lupoi wasn’t lying when he said the Bears would be cooking with gasoline.

The Bears have landed 2027 DL Miles Schirmer out of Corona Centennial High School, brother of current Cal freshman DL Lucky Schirmer.

Schirmer was a part of a Cen10 team that made the CIF Open Division Southern California Regional Championship Game, before going to down to eventual state champion Santa Margarita.

He joins a group of siblings who are pledged to the Bears, including WR Charles Davis (brother of freshman Niles Davis) and Gunnar Perry (brother of Oregon transfer WR Cooper Perry).

In an interview with On3, Schirmer mentioned the opportunity to play with brother was one he couldn’t pass up.

Schirmer is rated as a higher three star recruit.

You can view Schirmer's film here.

Cal Baseball: San Jose Spoils Bears’ Winning Streak for the Second Time This Season

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:45:47 GMT

Coming off their first sweep in ACC play of the season, the California Golden Bears returned home for a midweek out-of-conference matchup against the South Bay’s San Jose State Spartans (14-21) at Evans Diamond at Stu Gordon Stadium. The Golden Bears also entered Wednesday night with a four-game winning streak after snagging a midweek win in San Francisco last Monday before departing for Pitt, while the Spartans made the drive up to the East Bay after going 2-6 in their last eight games.

Meeting for the second time this season, California’s 2026 OOC schedule was made up entirely of California-based universities/colleges, The last time the two Bay Area division I public universities squared off, the Spartans put a stop to Cal’s 11-game winning streak with a two-out bases loaded walk-off single to win 3-2 and kickstart California’s descent into midseason mediocrity, as UNC, Boston College, UCONN, and Wake Forest would all go on to beat up on the Bears.

Cole Clark against the Spartans on Wednesday night (via Darrell Lavin)

With a change of pace to the midweek rotation that we usually would see of Trent Roach or Otto Espinoza, who has seen a prevalent elevation to the weekend staff, Mike Neu is continuing to use the OOC games as a means to test out the freshmen arsenal in Cal’s pitching staff – this time handing the ball to the 6’7” right-hander out of Dallas, TX, Jett Wright. Wright entered the game with eight prior appearances for the Golden Bears, having last pitched 2.0 shutout innings of relief in SF against the Dons. Wright’s game against SJSU on Tuesday night was his first career collegiate start.

San Jose’s Luka Pintar got the start for the Spartans in what would be his ninth appearance on the season and fifth start overall. Last year, the San Jose-native spent his freshman season down in San Diego with the Aztecs, where he appeared in 14 games and started in one while striking out 15 batters in 23 IP. In his sophomore year with his hometown university, Pintar has dialed in his control and already struck out 22 batters compared to the 12 walks he has allowed, but his ERA sat at 6.68 entering Tuesday night with 33.2 IP under his belt.

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Kicking off with a first pitch at 6:00 PM, the Spartans and Bears were quiet at the plate as far as runs go, until San Jose set themselves to score against Wright in the 3^rd after getting two runners in scoring position on a pair of walks and a wild pitch. After getting the first out recorded of the inning, Neu went to the bullpen and brought in Spalliero, who surrendered a two-RBI double to JC Osorio-Agard before getting Rohne Klein to ground out on a 1-3 putout that allowed one more run to score before Cal got out of the inning down 0-3.

Cal was able to claw back for two runs in the bottom half of the 4^th as Jacob French stayed hot at the plate and led the inning off with a base hit through the right side, and Daniel Murillo crushed a 3-2 fastball to deep left field for his seventh home run of the season to bring the Bears within one. The Spartans did not let that one run lead stand for too long, as they added those two runs right back in the 5^th on a one-out solo shot from Jake McCoy and an RBI double to right from Rocci Caballero to make it 5-2, BUT Cal snatched those two runs right back in the bottom half of the inning on back-to-back sacrifice flies to the corner outfielders to make it a 5-4 ball game and send Luke Pintar out of the game.

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SJSU then began to establish its too-big-to-fight lead in this game in the 6^th, as Rowles led off the inning with a double down the right field line on the first pitch of the at-bat, and McCoy traded places with him on an RBI-double of his own. Cal’s Jett Kenady then made a throwing error later in the inning that would allow McCoy to score from second, as Murillo gunned down Neil Jansen, who was trying to extend to second from first on the bad throw from the freshman shortstop. The Spartans added one more run on another longball, this time from Rocco Caballero in the top of the 7^th off of Cole Clark to take an 8-4 lead, but as Cal had been trying all game, the Bears clawed back for two more runs in the bottom half of the inning with a lead off HBP on a 3-2 count to Kalen Applefield who scored on a double from Hideki Prather, who then scored on a double by French to bring the Bears back within just two runs against the Spartans.

But sadly, that was just not enough for the Golden Bears in this midweek matchup that could have expanded their winning streak to five games. San Jose State added an extra insurance run in the top of the 9th on another extra base hit RBI, this time from Alex Fernandes, to make it a 10-6 lead, and Cal could only put up one run on the lone effort from a Jacob French solo shot home run to end up coming up short and losing 7-10.

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San Jose State takes both ACC-travel-friendly matchups that Cal had planned for their OCC schedule, and California sits at 18-17 as they look to the weekend, as they will face off against 21-16 Louisville in Berkeley for an ACC series. Louisville sits at 6-9 in conference play while the Golden Bears have struggled their way to 4-11.

All games will be streamed on ACCNX/ESPN+, with Friday’s game starting at 6:05 PM, Saturday at 2:05 PM, and Sunday at 1:05 PM.

Golden Nuggets: Artemis II, Noodle Wars, and Some Book Recommendations

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 19:01:12 GMT

Hello and welcome to Golden Nuggets, our weekly recap article where we try to highlight all the fun, funny, or interesting things you might have missed roughly over the last week across Bear Territory (the whole damn world of course). Think of it like a cheat sheet for small talk about Cal. (Sorry about missing the last two weeks and giving you no Cal-related water cooler topics!)

The unaltered Earth Rise 2026 image that I had to hack into the NASA Servers to get.

The Main Course: Artemis II

Last week, the whole world watched as the Artemis II mission launched into space to go take a look around the moon before returning to Earth late last week as part of NASA’s mission to return to the moon (and beyond in the years to come!) Step 1 of course is checking out the neighborhood, visiting a few open houses, calculating how far it would take you to get from your new place to California Memorial Stadium, etc. I assume that’s what the astronauts were up to up there.

As part of the mission, the UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory was selected as a participant to track the mission, assisting NASA in data capture and analysis so that we can learn as much from the mission as possible! In the years to come, we’ll probably learn a bit more about what all they find throughout the process. UC Berkeley, the Berkeley Labs are also helping in future missions, landing probes on the far side of the moon to learn more about how radios work over there. Read more about that project here.

The biggest finding out of the whole thing though?

Well would you look at that, the whole damn world AND moon are Bear Territory.

Hot Links

Steve Kroner at the SF Chronicle took a look at Cal Football’s incoming transfer class (Always Read Steve Kroner)
UC Berkeley is in the process of repatriating cultural items taken from the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians in Southern California
The Noodle Wars have come to Berkeley
Turns out, a lot of the “California Exodus” was a myth! Check out some of the findings here.

Small Bites

UC Berkeley History Professor David Henkin has a new book out focused on baseball fandom!
UC Berkeley Associate Professor Tom McEnaney also has a new book out looking at the history and origins of Punk Rock at 924 Gilman
UC Berkeley put together a handy list of talking points so you can talk about how great the campus is
Tosh Lupoi went on the Papa and Silver Podcast
URSINE UPDATE: Watch this Mother Bear try to keep control of her cubs. Maybe they should all join Oski’s Cub Club.
An Albany beer company is…solving the climate crisis with craft brews?
Lacrosse celebrated Senior Day!

The Week in e-Commerce

As we quickly descend into Spring, then Summer, then back to Spring, then Winter, and back to Spring, its probably time to get your lawn and garden back in order, and its important that you stay safe while you do that! No one needs an errant rock or gravel thrown into your face while weedwhacking, so protect your eyes!

Get a pair of these Cal Branded safety glasses here (legal disclaimer these are probably best suited for the lab rather than the yard but I’m coming up empty on e-commerce this week since I bought the other thing I was going to show off and my other find is incredibly cursed.)

Golden Bear Honors

Fryderyk Lechno-Wasiutynski (Men’s Tennis) was named the ACC Player of the Week
Luke Buddie (Men’s Track and Field) was name ACC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Despoina Drakotou (Women’s Water Polo) was named MPSF Newcomer of the Year and Second Team All-Newcomer Team
Claire Weinstein (Women’s Swimming) was named ACC Freshman of the Year
Yamoto Okadome (Men’s Swimming) was named ACC Co-Men’s Swimmer of the Year
Dave Durden (Men’s Swimming) was named ACC Coach of the Year
Alek Klos (Women’s Soccer) was named the Loker Hicks Transfer Scholar-Athlete of the Week
Men’s Gymnastics had 10 bears named to the MPSF All-Academic Team
Valentina Savva (Women’s Track and Field) was named the ACC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week

Cal Pros Recap

Football

Marshawn Lynch is going to be on Euphoria!

Golf

Collin Morikawa finished -9 and T7 at the Master’s this past weekend while Max Homa finished -8 and T9, meaning they’ll both be back next year for the tournament. Collin also nailed 5 straight birdies in the final round.

Basketball

Marta Suarez was drafted by the Golden State Valkyries. Shaq has Jaylen Brown and Victor Wembanyama as his MVPs this season.

And so we find ourselves again at the end of another beautiful, perfect, Golden Nuggets. Thanks again for reading and hope to see you next week!

DBD 2026-04-16: merger

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:00:47 GMT

Cal Women’s Basketball adds 2 players for 2026-2027 season

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 02:06:28 GMT

Cal Women’s Basketball HC Charmin Smith added some size to the front court to replace the departure of Sakima Walker. Junior Albina Syla joins the Bears from Rhode Island via the portal and Jovana Jevtovic comes in as a freshman from Ivanjica, Serbia.

Albina Syla played in all 33 games for Rhode Island this past season, and was a key part of their run to their first ever A-10 Tournament Championship and an NCAA Tournament ticket. The 6-foot-5 center is originally from Vantaa, Finland, and averaged 13.7 points and 10 rebounds during the A-10 Tournament run, where she was named the tournament’s most Outstanding Player.

"I'm excited to bring someone with the size, length and skillset that Albina has to Cal," [Cal HC Charmin] Smith said. "She became a dominant force for her team last year in just her sophomore season and showed a lot of touch around the rim and a relentless effort to rebound the ball. I can't wait to see her grow even further and make an impact here in Berkeley."

Jovana Jevtovic joins the Bears as a freshman from Sopron Basket, a pro team, in Sopron, Hungary. Jevtovic, listed at 6-foot-4, led the Serbian U-20 team in the 2025 Eurobasket to their first championship game in Division B. She helped them to promotion to Division A, and was namsd the MVP of the tournament with averages of 16.3 points, 10 rebounds and 1.3 assists.

“Even though she is a freshman, Jovana is coming to Cal with a ton of experience playing against pro-level competition,” [Cal HC Charmin] Smith said. “Playing in professional women’s leagues in Europe these last few years has prepared her for the physicality of DI women’s basketball and I expect her to be an important piece of what we’re trying to accomplish here.”

Welcome to Berkeley, Jovana and Albina!

Cal Men’s Basketball adds Pitt Guard Nojus Indrusaitis

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 01:42:38 GMT

Mark Madsen added more shooting to the wing spot for the upcoming season. Nojus Indrusaitis joins the Bears from Pitt, where he averaged 9.1 points, 3.1 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game. The Lithuanian guard shot 38.7% from beyond the arc on the season.

The Chicago native played his high school basketball at Brewster Academy, the same high school that former Cal guard Joel Brown attended, before committing to play at Iowa State for his freshman year. Nojus Indrusaitis was the New Hampshire Gatorade player of the year in 2024, and won the gold with Lithuania at the 2022 FIBA U-16 Eurobasket in North Macedonia.

Welcome to Berkeley, Nojus!

No.1 Cal Rugby hosts BYU in postseason 2nd round this Saturday

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:24:32 GMT

Last Saturday, Cal Rugby opened its 2026 postseason with the expected 88-5 win over San Diego. Head coach Jack Clark opted to hold out most of his starters for this contest, and it made little difference.

Of course, Cal earned this easy first-round match by going undefeated during the regular season to get the West top seed in the 2026 D1A National Collegiate Championships. California Golden Bears are also the defending national champions. Bears won the program’s 29th rugby 15s national title in 2025, which also ended the uncharacteristic long championship drought dating back to 2017.

Cal (14-0) will host their entire postseason journey up until the National Championship final on May 2nd, 2026, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Bears will host BYU (33-19 winner over Cal Poly last Saturday) in the second round this Saturday at noon PT. Cal Bears defeated the BYU Cougars 64-21 in Berkeley back on February 24th. BYU (9-4) then lost to the other West Coast teams that are alive in the playoffs: Arizona and SMC as well as Navy.

Should the Golden Bears triumph, they will then host the winner between Saint Mary’s College (60-10 winner over Colorado State) and Arizona (41-35 winner over Grand Canyon) on April 25th.

Cal graduated last year’s captain Charlie Walsh as well as Tom Dixon, Dom Paga, Ieremia Ieremia, and Joe Kirsten from the starting 15s in the 2025 championship final win over Life. Bears also lost another starter in Bryan Bogne to a season-ending injury before the 15s season this spring.

Plenty of young talent and a couple of transfers were more than ready to meet the challenge to help Cal Rugby to an undefeated regular season despite a very challenging schedule. Cal was also initially counting on senior Miles Malone to fill a forward position after Malone missed all of 2025 to injury; unfortunately, the injury bug struck Malone again just a few matches into the season.

Going forward for the rest of the playoffs, the Cal lineup should resemble the one that won the regular season finale at St. Mary’s.

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Cal fans who have watched some of Cal Rugby over the last couple of years will recognize the creative brilliance of the two half-backs: Solomon Williams and Rand Santos. These two get the offense started in the middle of the field. Both Williams and Santos are on the nominees list for the 2026 Rudy Scholz Award to the nation’s top collegiate rugby player.

Photo Credit: Alex Ho (via CalBears.com)

Experienced newcomers Brice Muller and Ryan Wenstrom (grad transfer from Cal Poly) are the impact transfers who became lineup fixtures. There is a ton of speed in the Cal back row from both the experienced (Max Threlkeld, Masi Koi, Oliver Newall) and the less-experienced (Michal De Beer, who came on as a sub in the championship final last year, and Nate Comiskey).

This year’s Cal side is particularly creative in its offense. Watching the SMC and Navy matches, I saw more surprise short kicks that turned into tries than any other season that I can recall off the top of my head.

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Conversely, Cal is also more prone to give up a quick try to its opponents. Surprisingly, Cal gave up 51 points to host Arizona in its closest win this year - a 57-51 win on Valentine’s Day in Tucson. Bears won a close 52-45 win over the eventual East top seed Navy, where there were moments when the Midshipmen were scoring a bit too easily. The win at SMC was close until a second-half that was dominated by the Bears.

There is enough parity in collegiate rugby now that even though No.1 Cal is the clear favorite to win the title, it is far from a guarantee, unlike the 1990’s and early 2000’s when Cal won 19 titles in 21 years.

It is obviously much easier to call those teams dominant with the hindsight of their success. Cal rugby, one of the 5 fully-endowed programs in Cal Athletics, may go on another impressive national title run. But first, they need to get through the 2026 postseason.

The Cal-hosted matches will be live-streamed on ESPN+. The D1A National Championship final will likely be streamed on the online platform, The Rugby Network, again (but I have not yet seen the official announcement).

ROLL ON YOU BEARS!

Cal Softball: Offensive Explosion Falls Short Against Wolfpack

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:00:27 GMT

RALEIGH – Two teams descended upon Dail Softball Stadium in Raleigh, NC for a three game series with major implications for the ACC tournament. The California Golden Bears (13-30, 3-15 ACC) and the North Carolina State Wolfpack (25-17, 6-8 ACC) entered the series with diametrically opposing records; the Wolfpack having been more successful in their out of conference games than the Bears. In conference play however, both teams have struggled to win in the top-heavy Atlantic Coast Conference. Going into their first game on Friday, NC State and Cal were sitting in the 12th and 13th spots in the ACC standings respectively. With only a few more weeks left in the regular season and easy opponents few and far between, picking up wins here will be crucial for determining who is included as one of the twelve teams called on to travel to Charlottesville for the conference tournament.

The Golden Bears and Wolfpack did not disappoint over the weekend offensively, both fighting for every run scored. Both teams combined for a total of fifty runs, with their final two games each being decided by one run leads.

Friday, Game 1: Cal 8 - 14 NC State
While scoring wasn’t hard to come by, game one between Cal and NC State featured pitching struggles for both sides. Eight total pitchers entered the circle for both teams, with Cal sending out five and NC State sending out three as both rotations struggled to find the strike zone. The Bears were first to take advantage after the first two batters in the lineup—Kayla Lee and Gator Robinson—were walked by Wolfpack starting pitcher Rylee Wyman. Maddie Rey knocked a single into left field on the following at-bat, sending Lee home to give Cal a 1-0 advantage to start the campaign.

In the bottom of the frame, head coach Steve Singleton gave sophomore pitcher Layna Gerhard the starting nod for the blue & gold. North Carolina State wasted no time taking back the lead from the Bears. The Wolfpack recorded a single, a fly out, and a five pitch walk before scoring two quick runs off an RBI double and RBI single. Another walk after that spelled the end of Gerhard’s day in the circle as Kiki Mashhoud was called in to relieve her–although Gerhard would return later in the game. The Wolfpack picked up one more from a sacrifice fly before Mashhoud closed out the inning with the score 3-1 in favor of NC State.

In response, Golden Bears catcher Anya German clawed back a run in the following inning by going yard to left field, necessitating a pitching change for NC State. Despite threatening with runners at second and third, the Bears couldn’t bring in anymore in the second, and the Wolfpack capitalized in the bottom of the frame with a 2-RBI double to go up 5-2. Kiki Mashhoud was pulled midway through the bottom of the second after throwing 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, and was relieved by Tamya Waiters.

Both sides had a silent third inning before Cal came back on the attack in the fourth. With only one out, the Bears loaded the bases on a single and a pair of walks. Once again Rey stepped up for Cal, clearing the bases with a double into center field to bring home three. A short while later, a fielding error by NC State’s Kendall Simmers while trying to catch Emma Jackson stealing second resulted in Rey scoring herself. German added another run to her total with an RBI double, giving the Golden Bears a 7-5 advantage.

The Wolfpack however would not back down the rest of the game, scoring nine runs across the next three innings. NC State regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a 2-RBI double and a solo home run to make it 8-7, and tacked on five insurance runs from an RBI walk with the bases loaded followed by a grand slam in the fifth. The Wolfpack added one more in the sixth, while the Bears failed to score in either inning. In the final inning for Cal, German unloaded again, launching her second home run of the evening into deep right. But the Golden Bears could not follow up with additional runs, giving North Carolina State the game one victory, 14-8.

The slugfest concluded with Cal recording 9 hits on 29 at-bats, with Anya German having a big night by going 3-4 with 2 home runs, a double, and 3 RBIs. Maddie Rey went 2-4 with a double, a single, and 4 RBIs, and Emma Jackson went 1-1 with a triple. Emma Jackson and Gator Robinson each stole a base, and Robinson, Kayli Counts, and Sophia Everett each recorded an error. WP: Morgen Talley (11-6) 4.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. LP: Layna Gerhard (5-3) 1.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB.

Saturday, Game 2: Cal 4 - 5 NC State
Unlike the previous game, game two against the Wolfpack was much less explosive, resulting in a lower scoring affair for both sides. Singleton called on Mya McGowan–the only member of Cal’s pitching rotation who didn’t throw the day before–to start the game out in the circle. NC State got off to a hot start after keeping Cal off the bases in the first, scoring off a 2-run home run. However McGowan settled in from there and kept the game within reach for the Golden Bears down the stretch.

In the bottom of the third, a sacrifice fly added to NC State’s 3-0 lead. The Bears bats began to show signs of life in the next frame, with German and Kyndal Todd reaching on a fielder’s choice and a single respectively. Jackson responded by bringing home Cal’s first run with an RBI single, to cut the lead to 3-1. The Wolfpack were able to respond in the fourth, bringing in another with an RBI single. After holding North Carolina State to only four runs, Mya McGowan was called back from the circle, having thrown 5.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, and Kiki Mashhoud was sent in to relieve her.

In the bottom of the sixth, NC State added another run to their total thanks to a fielding error, backing the Bears into a four run corner. However, Cal did not give up. In the top of the seventh, Anaya Togia hit a rocket to deep center field to cut the deficit to three and give the Bears some momentum. McGowan and Everett followed up taking by walks and then advancing to second and third on a wild pitch. Later in the inning with two outs down, Rey slapped a double to center to bring home McGowan and Everett, pulling Cal within just one hit of tying things up. Rey stole third, but was unfortunately stranded sixty feet away as the final out was called.

California got 6 hits on 27 at-bats in the second contest of the series, with Maddie Rey going 1-4 with a double and 2 RBI, Emma Jackson going 2-3 with a pair of singles and an RBI, and Anaya Togia going 1-2 with a home run. Rey recorded 1 stolen base, and Kyndal Todd and Carly Raven were each hit by a pitch. From the field: Gator Robinson was credited with an error, while Cal turned a 5-4-3 double play in the first inning.

WP: Rylee Wyman (6-7) 6.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
LP: Mya McGowan (4-10) 5.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
SAVE: Morgen Talley (1) 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K

Sunday, Game 3: Cal 9 - 10 NC State
The rubber match between the Golden Bears and the Wolfpack saw the lead change hands four times in the first two innings, before ending in another last-minute seventh inning comeback for Cal cut heartbreakingly short. Mya McGowan was again given the starting nod from Singleton to follow up on her seventy-seven pitch outing in game two.

California kicked off the series finale by taking a quick 1-0 lead after Togia picked up right where she left off the night before. Togia knocked an RBI single into center field, bringing home Raven. However, NC State responded just as fast, tying the game with an RBI single of their own before adding another three from a 2-RBI single and a run scored on a passed ball. The Golden Bears came roaring back in the top of the second, dropping four runs on the Wolfpack to go up 5-4. Everett opened up the rally with an RBI single, advancing McGowan (who reached on a single) all the way home. A fielding error by NC State shortstop Carly Short kept the inning alive and brought Everett home, giving Rey and Togia the opportunity to tally their own RBI singles.

North Carolina State shot out in front again in the bottom of the second, first tying things up at five each with an RBI single, then breaking the game open with the second grand slam of the series to put the Wolfpack firmly in the lead. The grand slam spelled the end of Mya McGowan’s day. Coach Singleton pulled McGowan after 1.1 IP, 6 H, 9 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, and called in Tamya Waiters to relieve her. After scoring one more run on an RBI walk with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, both teams’ bats went silent, stretching all the way to the top of the sixth. In the fifth inning, Kiki Mashhoud was called on for her third appearance in as many games to relieve Waiters. Waiters finished her outing with 2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K.

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Down by five and rapidly running out of time, Cal picked up a pair of timely runs in the sixth. Everett began the inning with a double to right center, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. D’Auna Johnson brought Everett home with an RBI single on the very next at-bat, and Rey hit an RBI sacrifice fly to bring home Johnson, bringing Cal within three. In the final frame, the Golden Bears again picked up two runs. Anya German reached first thanks to a throwing error pulling NC State’s first baseman off the bag, bringing Mya McGowan to the plate. Despite sitting on a 0.034 batting average to that point, the freshman did not back down from the clutch moment. With one cinematic swing, McGowan turned on the sixth pitch of her at-bat, launching her first career home run–a 2-run bomb to deep left field–to bring the Bears within one run. Unfortunately, North Carolina State’s pitcher Morgen Talley would not give up any more runs, sitting down the next three Cal batters in order to complete the sweep for the Wolfpack.

The Golden Bears put together 11 hits on 32 at-bats, with Mya McGowan going 2-4 with a home run, a single, and 2 RBI, Anaya Togia going 3-4 with a trio of singles and 2 RBI, and Sophia Everett going 2-4 with a single, double, and an RBI. Carly Raven, Maddie Rey, Jackson, and Everett each stole a base, while Jackson, Togia, and Gator Robinson were each credited with an error. From the field: Cal turned a 4-6 double play in the fourth, and a 6-4-3 double play in the fifth. WP: Morgen Talley (12-6) 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. LP: Mya McGowan (4-11) 1.1 IP, 6 H, 9 R, 4 ER, 2 BB.

What’s Next?
Although the Bears will be back in their home state this weekend, Cal won’t be playing in the Bay Area. The team will be traveling down south for some softball in SoCal; first with a visit to CSU Northridge for a game against the Matadors on Thursday, April 16th. The Golden Bears follow up their mid-week game with a double header against a familiar foe: #8 UCLA in Los Angeles, CA. Games will be available for streaming on ESPN+ and B1G+ respectively. Go Bears!

Cal Inside Linebackers Coach Bob Gregory on His Long History in Strawberry Canyon

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:17:40 GMT

Cal inside linebackers coach Bob Gregory has seen Cal from multiple vantage points over the decades, and came back to find the essentials still intact.

“I think it’s different in a lot of ways, but still Cal to me. This is still the University of California. We still got great academics, still got great culture here. The pieces of the puzzle on the field are different. We had some unbelievably great players who were here before. I think we can get that back.”

On how college football itself has changed, he didn’t mince words.

“Oh jeez, everything’s different. Recruiting, NIL, portal, the pace and tempo of the game. Almost every aspect is different.”

The on-field game in particular has shifted dramatically.

“Much more faster offenses, more spread offenses, less two backs, one back. Really almost every aspect of the game is speeded up.”

Three practices into spring ball, Gregory likes what he’s seen from a linebacker room that has been largely rebuilt through the portal.

“We only been at it for three practices. I like our guys. They play with a tremendous amount of effort. I think they’re smart players and we’ll just keep growing as spring goes on.”

The identity he’s hoping to build in the room comes down to a few core things.

“I certainly hope that we’re a very tough, physical and smart team. If you can play hard and you play smart and you have fun, you got a chance on Saturday afternoons.”

His early read on defensive coordinator Michael Hutchings has been positive.

“He’s great. Brings a wealth of experience from the NFL. Got a great personality, motivator. The kids are gravitating toward him.”

On the scheme, Gregory kept it flexible.

“We run a 3-4. We have two inside linebackers. We’ll do both, we got 3-4 concepts and 4-2-5 concepts. Got a little bit of everything.”

The inside linebacker role today looks similar to what it was decades ago in terms of responsibility, with one notable addition.

“I’m not sure if that role has changed all that much, other than the tempo of the game and having an earpiece. We have the green dot now, and it’s going to be an inside linebacker who has it on defense, very similar to the NFL. In terms of the job description, it’s really the same. You got to rush the passer, you got to play zone, you got to play man, you got to know your defense. That part hasn’t changed, but the speed of it certainly has.”

Asked to describe Tosh Lupoi as a player back in their first stint together, Gregory made it short and fitting.

“About the same as a coach. Energy, played very hard, worked very hard. Had a passion for the game.”

DBD 2026-04-15: triplets

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:00:29 GMT