Hall of Fame
One of the top power hitters in school history, Jillian Russell starred on the left side of the infield at California from 2009-12. She was a NFCA Third-Team All-American as both a junior and senior while switching positions and became the second player in league history to be chosen the PSAC Athlete of the Year in three-consecutive seasons. Russell was an All-PSAC West First-Team selection at shortstop from 2009-11 before shifting to third base as a senior. The Ontario native broke a decade-old school record with 47 career homers and tied for the second-most RBI in program history with 170. Russell posted a .348 career average after tallying 209 hits, which ranks among the top-10 all-time in school history.
As a freshman, she hit at a .324 clip with eight homers and started 43 games at shortstop for a team that placed first in the PSAC West standings and finished with 35 overall victories. In 2010, Russell paced the team and tied for fourth in the league with 11 homers and helped California advance to PSAC Championship for the first time since 2004. The Vulcans closed the year with a 37-14 record after advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals in the second year of the tournament format. She tied the single-season school record and ranked second in the PSAC with 14 homers as a junior in 2011 while becoming the program’s first NFCA All-American in seven years. Russell also paced the team with 53 hits for a .366 average and a career-high 50 RBI, as California finished first in the PSAC West standings for a third-straight year. After starting over 130 career games at shortstop, Russell moved to third base as a senior and again belted 14 homers to rank third in the conference. She also finished second in in the league with 49 RBI and fifth in the PSAC with a career-best .397 average. Russell broke the school’s all-time home run record on the final day of March in 2012 before belting a single-game school record three homers in the next doubleheader. She became the first Cal player to repeat as a NFCA All-American in over a decade and the first to earn All-America status at multiple positions. The Vulcans finished with 33 victories in 2012 and earned hosting rights in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.
Russell earned her bachelor’s degree in justice studies in 2012 and completed a master’s degree in social science with a concentration in applied criminology in 2014. She is one of three softball inductees into the Athletic Hall of Fame this year, the most in program history.
updated April 20, 2024
