Clippings

Cal has been getting all sorts of press in the Bay Area this week. Several newspaper articles and a spot on ABC 5 news. Read (and see) what people are saying about Cal Softball.

ABC 5 News feature with Jamia and Elia Reid and Frani Echavarria

Contra Costa Times article

San Francisco Chronicle article

San Jose Mercury News article

Modesto Bee article

Hunting Gators

Ever wonder what a non-batting pitcher does while the team is hitting? Marissa Drewrey made the most of her time while the rest of the team was in the batting cages this morning. Trainer Vanessa Morales and Drewrey went off on an alligator hunt. There was a small swampy lake about a half mile from the softball field that was reported to have baby alligators. After a little bit of searching, the two found what they were looking for. A baby alligator on the shore. He made the quick retreat the moment the girls found him, but not before he could be captured on film.
Marissa later informed the team that the alligator was named Arika.
CLICK HERE to see pictures of Arika the Alligator.
Marissa and the rest of the team will hunt a different set of Gators later this evening, taking on Florida at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.

Friday practice

It was another crazy day of battling the weather in Florida. Record-levels of rain continue to fall throughout the state. The rains tapered off about 10:30 a.m. with a window of clearing that was supposed to hold until 5 p.m., Cal's scheduled practice time. In order to make sure that the team got to practice, the whole schedule was pushed up three hours (on very short notice). So, instead of going to lunch and to the laundromat, the team instead headed to the softball stadium and to practice.
An hour in the cage and an hour in the field gave the Bears their first normal practice since Tallahassee. Gone were the days of practicing in indoor batting cages or in parking lots and hotel tennis courts. The Bears had the field, learning to adjust to the humid conditions they will be playing in this weekend.
After practice, the team went to an early dinner at the Olive Garden before heading back to the hotel to unwind, their last free night before the Super Regional officially begins.
CLICK HERE to see an online album of pictures from practice.

Attack of the killer toad

You would think it was a killer toad if you'd heard Val Arioto scream. As she was taking her swings in the batting cage at the Florida Gators field toady, she started yelling and screaming, sunning away from the turf plate. Ends up some of the Florida wildlife, namely a toad, had decided it was his turn in the cage. The team scurried away from the creature, with Assistant Coach Julie Meyer nominated to be the one to de-toad the batting cage. It took awhile to catch the elusive creature, but Coach Meyer was bound and determined and ultimately saved her team from the horrible four-inch little toad.

Disney World

After cranking out practice Thursday morning, the team headed off to the Magic Kingdom. The team had six hours at the place where dreams come true. The rains held off all day, so everyone had a great and totally dry time, until the team trip down Splash Mountain. That was more than a little damp. The Bears took over two whole boats and rode the ride together.
The crowds were light, the lines quite short (less than ten minutes for Pirates of the Caribbean, Thunder Mountain, the Haunted Mansion) with Fast Track options on the big rides allowing everyone to do the entire park in the six hours. Except Space Mountain. The jewel of the park is closed until winter. It was mildly disappointing, but its hard to be disappointed for too long while wearing mouse ears and eating caramel apples (a favorite of Coach Ninemire).
Parts of the team had been able to go to Universal Studios on Wednesday, but the rains shortened that trip and made it somewhat miserable. The trip to Disney, however, was a full team effort and was a great time for one and all. It really was the Happiest Place on Earth.
The bus left Disney, and Orlando, at 7 p.m., heading up to Gainesville. The bus will get in sometime around 10 p.m. Practices at Florida start Friday. Back to the business of softball.
But before that, click here to see an Online Photo Gallery of pictures from the Magic Kingdom.

Thursday morning practice

Practicing on the road is always a challenge, especially when one is 113 miles from the field you are playing on and dealing with record-breaking rain totals. However, when one is trying to make it to the College World Series, one finds a way.
The team did a light practice Tuesday and then a full practice Wednesday night at an indoor batting cage. Originally they had planned to do all of their practices at UCF, but due to the torrential rains, that field was no longer an option. So it was practice at the hotel on Thursday morning. A big open area behind the restaurant and three vacant tennis courts became the Bears practice facility. The weather allowed a window of opportunity for the team to be outside.
The pitchers had a chance to throw, the hitters took their cuts with whiffle balls off the tee on the tennis court. More importantly, the practice gave the team a chance to remember the important number one goal of the trip: winning two and heading to Oklahoma City.

The week between

Congratulations, Golden Bears. You've just won the Tallahassee Regional. Now what are you going to do? Just like the commercial says, they're going to Disney World, or at least Orlando, Florida. The Bears headed south to Orlando to spend the week between the Regional and the Super Regional. Or most of the team.
Cal Berkeley's finals officially started the day the team left for Regionals. It's been an interesting week as they players tried to balance the student and athlete aspects of their lives. Most of the team, with the help of assistant coach Tammy Lohmann, managed to make arrangements with the professors about taking finals in advance, or allowing someone to proctor the exams on the road. For five of the players, however, exams could not be rescheduled or scheduled remotely. Val Arioto, Shannon Houston, Jamia and Elia Reed, and Frani Echavarria flew back to Berkeley to take their finals on campus, leaving Sunday night after the game and returning to Orlando on Wednesday.
Finals for all of them are now officially over, and the relief was very noticeable on the weary students.
The squad did an indoor practice Wednesday night, overtaking an indoor batting cage in Orlando to try to get back into the swing of things. They spent about two hours running drills and taking swings, trying to get back into softball and also trying to adjust to playing night games.
What does Thursday, the final day in Orlando hold for the Bears? They're finally going to Disney World! (weather permitting). It looks dry right now and it looks like the trip will be on. Thursday night, the team leaves Orlando and will head on to Gainesville where the focus intensifies on the business at hand. Until then, its off to the Magic Kingdom for a well-deserved day of mental rest and fun.