May 15, 2011

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NCAA Tournament Bracket
Selection Sunday Viewing Party Photos

BERKELEY - With its best conference record since 2005 in hand, the No. 5/6 California softball team earned its 26th consecutive postseason bid and will travel to the Louisville Regional. In the grand state of Kentucky, the Bears will first face off against Jacksonville State. Also in the Regional will be host Louisville and Illinois-Chicago.

Cal (39-10) plays Jacksonville State (39-19) on Friday, May 20 at 2 p.m. PT. Louisville (36-18) and Illinois-Chicago (25-22) follow with a 4:30 p.m. PT match. See below for ticket prices.

The Bears are one of 64 teams who will be competing at 16 regional sites in the first round double-elimination Regionals. The top 16 teams were seeded in order, and the remaining teams were placed in regional brackets to create balanced competition and avoid conference match-ups, when possible. The regional winners will advance to super regional competition for a best-of-three series at eight campus sites.

The eight teams that win the Super Regionals will advance to the WCWS, an eight-team, double-elimination tournament. The championship final will be a best-of-three-series. The WCWS will be conducted June 2-8 at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

California is playing in its 26th consecutive NCAA tournament, the second-longest streak in the nation.

The Bears have played in 10 NCAA Women's College World Series, making their last appearance in 2005. The Bears won the National Championship in 2002 and made three consecutive title game appearances from 2002-04.

The Bears React
Frani Echavarria: "We're going to the other side of the country for the third time since I was a freshman. Since us upperclassmen have already been in that environment, I think we will be able to set a good example for our younger players. Our younger players have definitely stepped up all season. I think it's going to be a good tournament for our team this year."

Jolene Henderson: "The seeding is all a wildcard, but every time we get something, it's a good surprise. We're excited. Taking second in the Pac-10 shows a lot from our team. Our team has overcome a lot of adversity and it's a big deal for us."

Diane Ninemire: "I thought it was a very good seeding for us. I think that is a reflection of our outstanding play towards the end of the year, winning 15 of 17 games. We've played at Louisville before so we're aware of the atmosphere. It's a great place to go play softball. I think all the teams that are there are outstanding teams. We're going to have to continue playing the same way we have been recently."

Alex Robben: "I'm really excited. It's good to finally be a part of the Cal program in the postseason. I'm excited we're doing somewhere different. I've never been to Kentucky."

Lindsey Ziegenhirt: "I was really excited when Cal came on screen. A lot of really good teams had already gone. It will be really interesting to see who comes out of the brackets. Louisville is going to be great. Last time I played in Kentucky, we won a 16 and under national championships, so I'm excited to go back and see what happens. It was a good show."

Cal Quick Facts
Overall Record: 39-10
Pac-10 Record/Finish: 15-6/Second
27th NCAA appearance
26th straight NCAA appearance
Record against ranked teams: 12-6

Noting the Bears
-Cal finishes in second in the Pac-10 Conference, marking the highest finish since 2005, when the Bears tied for first
-The Bears took five of the seven Pac-10 series, including three complete-series sweeps
-In each of the past three years, Cal has advanced to Super Regional play

The NCAA Tournament
-64 teams named to field
-16 Regional sites across the country with four teams at each
-Regionals are double-elimination with the top team advanced to Super Regionals
-One team at each of the 16 Regional site advances to the eight campus Super Regionals

NCAA Regional Schedule
Friday, May 20
Game 1 - California vs. Jacksonville State - 2 p.m. PT
Game 2 - Louisville vs. Illinois-Chicago - 4:30 p.m. PT

Saturday, May 21
Game 3 - Winners Game 1/Game 2 - 11 a.m. PT
Game 4 - Losers Game 1/Game 2 - 1:30 p.m. PT
Game 5 - Loser Game 3/Winner Game 4 - 4 p.m. PT

Sunday, May 22
Game 6 - Winners Game 3/Game 5 - 11 a.m. PT
Game 7 - If necessary - Rematch of Game 5 - 1:30 p.m. PT

Ticket Information
Berm (General admission)
$7 - Single Session
$20 - All Tournament

Reserved
$10 - single session
$25 All-Tournament Pass

Students with ID
$5 single session
$15 - All-Tournament Pass

Please call 502-852-5151 for tickets