Chelsea Spencer (born May 15, 1983) is an American, former collegiate All-American, professional four-time All-Star, softball player, who is currently the head coach at California.[1] She played college softball as a shortstop for the California Golden Bears in the Pac-12 Conference, and helped them to the 2002 Women's College World Series national title and two runner-up finishes in 2003 and 2004.[2][3]

Chelsea Spencer
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamCalifornia
ConferenceACC
Record117–87–2 (.573)
Biographical details
Born (1983-05-15) May 15, 1983 (age 41)
San Leandro, California
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley (BS)
Playing career
2002–2005California
2005New York/New Jersey Juggernaut
2006–2008Philadelphia Force
2009Rockford Thunder
2010Tennessee Diamonds
Position(s)Shortstop
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2006Alameda HS (JV HC)
2008Holy Names (GA)
2007–2010Chabot Community College
2011–2012Michigan State (asst.)
2013–2018Oregon (asst.)
2019–2020Texas (asst.)
2021–presentCalifornia
Head coaching record
Overall117–87–2 (.573)

Playing career

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After graduating from Arroyo High School in San Leandro, California, Spencer played softball at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) and started at shortstop from 2002 to 2005. During her time at California, she helped the Golden Bears to 4 straight Women's College World Series berths and a Pac-10 Title. Spencer graduated from UCB with a degree in American Studies in 2005.[4]

Spencer was drafted twenty-second overall in the 2005 NPF Draft by the New York/New Jersey Juggernaut of the National Pro Fastpitch league and played for several teams from 2005 to 2010, and won a title in 2009.[5]

Coaching career

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Texas

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On July 10, 2018, Spencer was announced as an assistant coach for the Texas Longhorns softball team.[6]

California

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On May 20, 2020, Spencer was announced as the new head coach for the California Golden Bears softball team.[7][8][9][10] She is the first openly LGBT head coach to lead the Cal program. [11]

Statistics

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California Golden Bears
YEAR G AB R H BA RBI HR 3B 2B TB SLG BB SO SB SBA
2002 75 228 23 57 .250 32 3 0 15 81 .355% 16 29 1 1
2003 69 200 20 48 .240 25 2 1 3 59 .295% 7 25 4 4
2004 66 190 31 62 .326 36 8 0 9 95 .500% 19 25 17 19
2005 67 191 37 52 .272 25 2 0 9 67 .351% 19 25 15 18
TOTALS 277 809 111 219 .270 118 15 1 36 302 .373% 61 104 37 42

Head Coaching Record

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College

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
California Golden Bears (Pac-12 Conference) (2021–2024)
2021 California 17–20 3–11 8th
2022 California 28–27–1 8–16 T–8th
2023 California 35–21–1 9–14–1 6th NCAA Regional
2024 California 37–19 9–13 7th NCAA Regional
California Golden Bears (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2025–present)
2025 California 0–0 0–0
California: 117–87–2 (.573) 29–53–1 (.355)
Total: 117–87–2 (.573)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

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References

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  1. ^ "2004 NSCA Division I All-America Teams". Nfca.org. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  2. ^ "2020 Golden Bears California Record Book" (PDF). Calbears.com. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  3. ^ "California WCWS Stats". Ncaa.org. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  4. ^ "Chelsea Spencer Bio - The University of California Official Athletic Site". CalBears.com. Cal Athletics. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  5. ^ "Chelsea Spencer". Calbears.com. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  6. ^ "Softball announces Chelsea Spencer as new assistant coach". TexasSports.com. Texas Longhorns Athletics. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  7. ^ "Welcome Home: Former Cal All-American Chelsea Spencer Named Softball Head Coach". CalBears.com. Cal Athletics. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  8. ^ "California Berkeley Hires Chelsea Spencer As New Head Softball Coach". FloSoftball.com. FloSoftball. May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  9. ^ "Former Cal All-American Chelsea Spencer Named Program's Head Coach". SoftballAmerica.com. Baseball America Enterprises. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  10. ^ "Chelsea Spencer named Cal head coach". justinsworldsb.com. Justin's World of Softball. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  11. ^ "Texas assistant coach Chelsea Spencer leaves the Longhorns to lead Cal's softball program". Retrieved May 2, 2021.