Softball Schedule Page
PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland State Head Softball Coach Tobin Echo-Hawk has released the Vikings' 2012 schedule, which features 55 games and includes eight contests against teams that made the NCAA tournament last year.
Portland State, which made the NCAA tourney itself in 2010, will be tested right out of the gate as three of their first five games – and six of their first 10 – will come against squads that reached the national tournament a year ago.
The Vikings will open their season for the fourth straight year at the Kajikawa Classic, long considered one of the top preseason tournaments in the nation. Portland State will play five games at the "Kaj" in Tempe, Ariz., from Feb. 10-12. Their first game is on the 10th against San Diego State. The Aztecs, along with two other Viking opponents, Georgia Tech and Stanford, were NCAA tournament participants in 2010.
From there, Portland State will play five games at the Lousiville Slugger Desert Classic in Henderson, Nev., Feb. 16-19. Three more NCAA tourney teams – BYU, Long Beach State and Texas Tech – are on the Vikings' schedule. PSU will also face Hawai`i, which was ranked in the top 25 for much of last season.
"We are going to be tested early going up against some of the top teams in the country," said Echo-Hawk, who is 93-71 in four years on the Park Blocks. "As a team, we have always embraced being challenged and playing the best. It will only prepare us for what we will face when we get into conference play."
The Vikings will also partake in three other preseason tournaments. They play in the PCSC Crossover Tournament hosted by Saint Mary's, Feb. 24-26, the Highlander Classic hosted by UC Riverside, March 1-4, and the SpringHill Suites Invitational hosted by Boise State, March 16-18.
PSU's first home date at Erv Lind Stadium is March 12, when they take on North Dakota in a doubleheader. Two days later, the Vikings welcome in national power Alabama for a single game at 6 p.m. The Crimson Tide reached last year's Women's College World Series and were ranked third in the country in the final NFCA poll. They have made the WCWS seven times in the program's 15-year history.
On April 30, Portland State travels to Utah Valley for a doubleheader which will open Pacific Coast Softball Conference play for both schools. The Vikings also have a league road trip to Northern Colorado, April 14-15. While in The Centennial State, PSU will play a single game at Colorado State on April 16.
Home conference matchups include Idaho State, April 6-7, Seattle, April 21-22, and Weber State, April 28-29.
In all, Portland State will play 18 home games over 10 dates.
The Vikings also take on NCAA tournament team Oregon in a doubleheader in Eugene on April 18, as well as playing at Oregon State on April 4, and hosting the Beavers in the final regular season game on May 2.
Portland State is looking to reach the PCSC Championship Series for the third straight year. They have won the PCSC Mountain Division title both seasons since the league expanded to 12 teams and split into two divisions in 2010. This year's best-of-three series will be played May 11-12, at the site of the Coastal Division winner.
Last year, the Vikings swept Coastal Division champion Loyola Marymount in the PCSC Championship Series to advance to the NCAA tournament for the second time in four years under Echo-Hawk. PSU finished the year 34-18.
PSU returns 11 letterwinners, six starters and two pitchers from a year ago.
