Cal Adds a Baseball Player to Its Softball Team

Olivia Pichardo, the first female to play Division I baseball, will play softball for Cal

Olivia Pichardo | Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

Cal did something intriguing on Monday when the Bears signed a college baseball player to their softball team.

Olivia Pichardo has been a college baseball player.  In fact, she was the first woman to play in a Division I baseball game when she was a pinch-hitter in 2023 while playing for Brown. She swung at the first pitch she saw and grounded out to first.

She played in six games during her five seasons at Brown after arriving in 2022 as a walk-on.

Pichardo played in one baseball game for Brown in 2023, one game in 2024, and three games in 2025.  She was 0-for-4 at the plate.

Then, in April 2026, the right-handed Pichardo became the first woman to pitch in a Division I baseball game, throwing two pitches and retiring the only batter she faced on a groundout for the final out of Brown’s 16-4 victory over Cornell. She finished her college baseball career with an ERA of 0.00.

On Monday, Call announced that she has joined the Golden Bears’ softball team for the 2027 season.

Pichardo is from Queens, New York, and has never played organized softball, so it remains to be seen how she will fare in her new sport as a grad student.

"We are really excited to welcome Olivia to our program," Cal head coach Steve Singleton said in a statement provided by Cal. "She is an elite athlete for our game who brings a great combination of speed, strength, arm strength and bat speed to a new sport. Her experience playing baseball her entire life will bring some intangibles to our team that will be helpful for the group. Her story is one that is fun to be a part of and we see her ability translating on the field this year."

Pichardo was a member of the U.S. Women's National Baseball team for four years.

"I'm super excited to start my softball career playing in the ACC at Cal," Pichardo said in statement provided by the school. "I'm excited to have the Bay Area as my new home and help brings some wins to a brand new ballpark with a great group of girls."

Cal’s renovated softball field is expected to be ready for the 2027 season.

The Bears played their home games in Sacramento and Saratoga, California, this past season, when Cal finished with a 15-37 record.
 

Looking to use additional year of eligibility to meaningfully contribute to powerhouse @D1Softball Program after 4 years of Varsity Baseball at Brown University, becoming first woman in D1 Baseball. @D1Softball1 @SBRRetweets @SoftballRecruit

L/R
Outfield
85mph arm
5’7” 160lbs pic.twitter.com/jztyl6abfg

— Olivia Pichardo (@_OliviaPichardo) May 8, 2026