| Date | Opponent | Site | Broadcast | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 27 | Cal | Melissa Cook Stadium | ACCNX | 6:00 PM ET |
| March 28 | Cal | Melissa Cook Stadium | ACCNX | 1:00 PM ET |
| March 29 | Cal | Melissa Cook Stadium | ACC Network | 1:00 PM ET |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team returns to action this weekend as the Irish host the Cal Golden Bears for the first time in South Bend for a three-game ACC series. First pitch on Friday’s series opener is set for 6 p.m. while Saturday is at 1:00 p.m., both on ACC Network Extra. Sunday’s series finale is set to be broadcast nationally on ACC Network at 1 p.m.
Notre Dame and Cal have previously met 10 times on the diamond, all neutral site matchups with all but two coming in early season matchups. The two programs did clash twice in the NCAA Tournament in 2017 at the Auburn Regional. The Irish have only beat Cal once all-time, back on February 17th, 2008 at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona.
Notre Dame is coming off a competitive series against Clemson last weekend. The Irish run-ruled the Tigers 11-3 in six innings last Saturday, but fell in two low scoring matchups on Friday and Sunday. Notre Dame is currently 3-6 in ACC play, 11th in the conference.
The Irish have made substantial progress this season, improving on numerous statistical categories. Those include batting average, runs per game, on base percentage, stolen bases per game, earned run average and WHIP, to name a few.
| 2025 | 2026 | |
| Batting Average | .265 | .283 |
| Runs/Game | 3.71 | 4.52 |
| On base percentage | .351 | .374 |
| SB/Game | .69 | 1.13 |
| ERA | 4.81 | 3.89 |
| WHIP | 1.69 | 1.59 |
Local product Ava Zachary will look to continue her strong play towards the top of the Notre Dame lineup. The Irish second baseman leads the team with a .368 batting average and .574 slugging percentage. The Penn High School graduate has reached base safely in 15 consecutive ball games dating back to late February.
In the circle, Notre Dame was solid a week ago and will aim to continue its success. The Irish are in the top-five of the conference in strikeouts this season with 187, 79 of those coming from sophomore southpaw Brianne Weiss. Weiss leads the team and sits among the top of the elite arms in the conference. She also has a team-best six wins in the circle for Notre Dame.
Slinging it
📺 ACCNX | @BrianneWeiss06 pic.twitter.com/sXldRZuTvE
— Notre Dame Softball (@NDsoftball) March 21, 2026
The Irish will play 16 of their final 23 games of the season at Melissa Cook Stadium, including three this weekend. Admission is free to all Notre Dame regular season softball games. Friday night includes a freshman and sophomore poster giveaway as well as autographs from select football players on the patio outside the main gates from pregame up until first pitch. On Sunday, kids will be invited to run the bases after the game.