Cal softball battling COVID-19 issues ahead of Arizona series

Arizona softball is scheduled to host Cal for a four-game series this weekend, but “scheduled” is the key word there. The Golden Bears have missed the last two weeks of Pac-12 play because of COVID-19 problems and don’t appear to be in the clear just yet.

They announced Monday that their home game vs. Santa Clara on Wednesday will not be played due to “recent COVID-19 developments” within the Cal program.

Should Cal be unable to make the trip to Tucson, the Wildcats could try to find a replacement opponent for this weekend, but head coach Mike Candrea conceded Sunday that “this time of the year it’s awfully hard” to find one.

Washington could be a match (though that’s pure speculation at this point). The Huskies have a bye this week and only played two of four games against Arizona in March due to inclement weather in Seattle.

It’s also possible the Wildcats could do what ASU did this past week and take the week off and scrimmage instead. The Pac-12 switched to four-game series this season in order to squeeze in as many games as possible in case others have to be cancelled.

Arizona hasn’t had any games cancelled due to COVID-19 this season, but has had six games called off due to weather.

The Wildcats swept Utah at home this past weekend to improve to 31-8 overall and 9-5 in the Pac-12. The Bears are 16-12 and 3-6, respectively. Cal’s last game was vs. Utah on April 11.