Freshman Haley Woods had quite a start to her collegiate career at California.

In her first seven games, the freshman infielder was hitting .500 with eight RBI. Then, in a loss to Cal State Fullerton, her season was over after being hit by a pitch that broke her wrist.

AROUND THE BASES

GAME TO WATCH Missouri at Oklahoma, Wed., 5, 7 p.m. ET: The Sooners open their Big 12 home schedule during a two-week stand in Norman. Oklahoma is off to a strong start (27-4), and coach Patty Gasso is one win away from her best showing in nine seasons at OU. PLAYER TO WATCH Florida State senior 2B Brandi Stuart: The All-America candidate broke No. 17 Florida State's all-time RBI record on Tuesday, driving in No. 137 in a 6-2 win over Maryland. She is second on the team with a .354 average, and leads the 'Noles with 21 RBI and five homers. WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT HOT: Northwestern pitcher Brie Brown, who improved to 4-0 on the season for the No. 22 Wildcats. NOT: No. 24 Ohio State, which went 1-4 in the at the Chevron Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii last weekend.

The Golden Bears were at a turning point in their season. But the defending national champions reacted true to their character: grinding through the challenge.

"We're not a bunch of All-Americans," Cal coach Diane Ninemire said. "(The players) are a bunch of blue-collar players that are scrappy."

Cal went on 15-game winning streak after Woods' injury before losing to Iowa 4-3 in the Sacramento Capital Classic on March 22. Now, the sixth-ranked Golden Bears (27-7) face the second half of the season, a grueling stretch against mostly Pac-10 opponents. Only one double-header vs. Sacramento State is a non-conference matchup before the NCAA Regionals, which begin May 15.

But Cal is used to the competition. In fact, the parity of the Pac-10 has neutralized any added pressure a national championship can add to a team's shoulders.

"I don't think there's any added pressure," Ninemire said. "If we won (titles) like UCLA and Arizona, they have more targets put on their backs than us. But you can walk away from the Pac-10 and be .500. It's a marathon."

And the marathon continues this week as Cal hosts three of the nation's top teams at Levine-Fricke Field: No. 3 Washington, top-ranked UCLA and No. 21 Oregon State.

One of the question marks heading into the new season was who would replace their two All-Americans, pitcher Jocelyn Forest and third baseman Candace Harper, as Cal returned only five seniors this season.

The Golden Bears' young pitching staff has answered the call so far this season, replacing Ninemire's go-to player in Forest, who was last year's Most Outstanding Player in the WCWS. Jen Deering, a senior right-hander, returned this season as the most experienced pitcher. Two right-handed sophomores, Cassie Bobrow and Kelly Anderson, and freshman Kristina Thorson round out the rotation, which has a combined 0.96 ERA.

"They are not overpowering, they are not artists, but they keep batters in the park, and that gives us a chance every time," Ninemire said.

Ninemire gives as much credit to Courtney Scott for the staff's success, calling the senior catcher the catalyst behind it all and saying many underestimate the catcher's juggling act of executing four different things from four different types of pitchers. Scott is also second on the team with 20 RBI.

Offensively, Veronica Nelson is leading the way at the plate for the Golden Bears. The senior infielder has a .383 batting average with eight home runs and 24 RBI. One of the most dangerous hitters in the nation, Nelson set an NCAA record last season with 108 walks and already has 56 in 2003.

"We get players that want to work hard," Ninemire said. "You just have to get geared up and you can't lay low. You have to go right at it every game. They do that, and that's the way we're going to win games."

And while they might not share the burden alone, the defending champions will go right at it down the stretch, and maybe right to another title.

Joy Russo is a staff editor at ESPN.com. She can be reached at joy.e.russo@espn3.com.