PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland State softball team returns to action this weekend in Henderson, Nev., playing five games over three days at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic hosted by UNLV.

Coming off an opening weekend that featured quite a few highs and several lows, the Vikings' record stands at 3-3. PSU started out with a 11-2, five-inning loss to Nebraska, a team that received votes in one of the two major preseason polls, before bouncing back to knock off nationally-ranked BYU, 4-3, in eight innings. The Cougars entered the year 16th in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and 20th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll.

Portland State then won consecutive games over Nevada and San Jose State, before dropping games to No. 18/20 Stanford and Cal State Northridge.

The Vikings will open up their trip to Henderson by facing Cal State Northridge again. The Matadors held on for a 4-3 victory over PSU last Sunday at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix. First pitch on Friday is at 11:15 a.m. Portland State later faces No. 18/19 Stanford at 3:45 p.m.

On Saturday, the Vikings take on Nevada at 9 a.m., and defending national champion UCLA at 3:45 p.m. The Bruins are ranked first in both polls.

Portland State closes out the tourney by facing Cal Poly at 9 a.m., on Sunday.

All five games will be played at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park, located at E Russell Rd and Galleria Dr., Henderson, Nevada, 89122.

A live internet audio broadcast and live stats will be available for all five games. Each broadcast will start ten minutes prior to first pitch, except for Friday's game, which will begin at approximately 11:25 a.m.

THE SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 18
11:15 a.m. – Portland State (3-3) vs. Cal State Northridge (3-2)
3:45 p.m. – Portland State (3-3) vs. No. 18/19 Stanford (4-1)

Saturday, Feb. 19
9:00 a.m. – Portland State (3-3) vs. Nevada (1-4)
3:45 p.m. – Portland State (3-3) vs. No. 1/1 UCLA (5-0)

Sunday, Feb. 20
9:00 a.m. – Portland State (3-3) vs. Cal Poly (1-4)

REWINDING PSU SOFTBALL: The Vikings left the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe last weekend with a 3-3 record. Their best victory came against No. 16/20 BYU, when PSU rallied in their last turn at bat for a 4-3 victory in the eighth inning. The Vikings were getting no-hit through seven innings and the game was tied at 1-1. The Cougars scored on a two-run home run to go in front 3-1 and appeared to have the momentum. But the Vikings' bats awoke for four hits and three runs with Karmen Holladay getting the game winning hit to right center. It was Holladay's first hit as a Viking. The Vikings, which opened with a 11-2 loss in five innings to Nebraska, then won two more games after their victory over Brigham Young. PSU earned a 6-3 win over Nevada behind Anna Bertrand's 16 Ks, and then they defeated San Jose State, 5-3. The Vikings then fell 12-4 to No. 18/20 Stanford. PSU got to within 6-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Arielle Wiser belted a two-run home run, the Vikings' first of the year, but the wheels came off in the top of the seventh as they committed three errors that led to Stanford scoring six unearned runs. In their final game of the tourney, PSU spotted Cal State Northridge three runs in the bottom of the first and never could quite come all the way back. The Vikings got two solo home runs in the game, one by Sadie Lopez and another on a pinch-hit blast by Lacey Holm in the top of the seventh.

ON DECK: Following their trip to "The Silver State," the Vikings will head to Sacramento to play four games at the PCSC Crossover Tournament. Portland State will play twice on Saturday, Feb. 25, and twice the next day. There will be no live audio for the games, but live stats could possibly be available.

FOLLOW THE VIKINGS THIS WEEKEND: All five of PSU's games at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic will feature a live internet audio broadcast and live stats. Assistant Media Relations Director Ryan Borde will call the action. The final four broadcasts will all start ten minutes prior to first pitch, while Friday's opener against Cal State Northridge should start around 11:25-11:30 a.m.

BERTRAND, HOLM SWEEP PCSC WEEKLY HONORS: Picking up right where they left off last year, the Portland State Vikings swept the Pacific Coast Softball Conference Mountain Division Player and Pitcher of the Week awards to open the 2011 season it was announced Tuesday. PSU junior catcher/designated player Lacey Holm was named co-player of the week, while sophomore righty Anna Bertrand earned the pitcher of the week honor. Last spring, the Vikings won 12 weekly awards, easily the most of any of the 12 PCSC squads. Holm, who shared the honor with Northern Colorado's Erin Wilkinson, open the year by hitting .444 (4-for-9) with five RBIs over six games at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona. She appeared in all six games, but came off the bench over the final three games after suffering a knee injury in the third contest of the year against Nevada. In three pinch-hit at-bats, Holm went 2-for-2 with two runs driven in and a walk. Her RBI on a catcher interference in the eighth inning against No. 16/20 BYU on Friday tied the game at 3-3 as Portland State rallied for a 4-3 victory. She also hit a two-run single in PSU's 6-3 win over Nevada and had a pinch-hit RBI-single against San Jose State on Saturday as Portland State came out on top, 6-3. Holm closed out the weekend with a pinch-hit solo home run on Sunday in the top of the seventh inning versus Cal State Northridge. Bertrand led the Vikings' pitching staff, going 2-2 and racking up an impressive 39 strikeouts over 26 innings of work at the Kajikawa Classic. She held opposing hitters to a .204 batting average and finished with a 2.50 ERA and averaged 10.5 Ks per seven innings in five appearances. The reigning PCSC Mountain Division Pitcher and co-Freshman of the Year, Bertrand matched her career-high with 16 strikeouts in her first start against Nevada. She tossed a three-hitter and gave up just two earned runs to get the victory. She also earned the decision in PSU's 5-3 win over San Jose State, striking out five, while tossing 3.2 scoreless and hitless innings of relief. On Sunday against No. 18/20 Stanford, Bertrand struck out eight, but defensive miscues cost the Vikings in a 12-4 loss. She also tallied seven Ks against Cal State Northridge on Sunday. For Holm, this was her second career honor, while Bertrand garnered the fourth of her short time at Portland State.

PSU AND RANKED TEAMS: For the eighth straight season, Portland State defeated a ranked team when they rallied for a 4-3 victory in eight innings over No. 16/20 BYU on Feb. 11. The Vikings have now knocked off at least one ranked every season from 2004 on. Since they moved to a full-time DI schedule in 1999, the Vikings have defeated a ranked foe every year except 2003. The most wins PSU has against ranked opponents in a season is two, set in 2001 and 2007.

THE VIKINGS AGAINST TOP-RANKED TEAMS: For the fourth straight season, Portland State will face a team that is ranked No. 1 in either of the two polls when they take on No. 1 UCLA this Saturday. In 2008, the Vikings lost 8-2 to top-ranked Alabama at the Husky Softball Classic. In 2009, PSU dropped a pair of games to No. 1 Washington, 11-1 and 8-2. Those two contests were also at the Husky Softball Classic. Last year, Portland State went 0-3 against No. 1 Washington, losing once in Seattle at the Husky Softball Classic and twice in Portland. Since the Vikings began playing a full-time Division I schedule in 1999, they are 0-12 against teams that hold the top spot in the polls. They are 0-9 against Washington, 0-2 against UCLA and 0-1 against Alabama.

FACING THE DEFENDING CHAMPS: In addition to UCLA being ranked No. 1, the Bruins are the defending national champions. For Portland State, this will be the fifth time since 1999 that they have taken on a defending national champion. They have also played California in 2003, UCLA in 2004, Arizona State in 2009 and Washington in 2010.

VEGAS, BABY, VEGAS: For the 13th-straight year, Portland State will play in a tournament hosted by UNLV. The Vikings have made the trek to Las Vegas every season since they started playing a full slate of DI games in 1999. Last year, the Vikings played in the Eller Media Stadium Classic, while they appeared in the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic every year from 2006-2009. The Vikings actually like playing in Las Vegas so much they made two trips to the area in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Since 1999, Portland State is 31-43 in tournaments played in Las Vegas, but the are 22-18 since 2006.

PSU-CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE SERIES NOTES: The Matadors now lead the all-time series with PSU, 8-2, after their 4-3 victory on Feb. 13. Cal State Northridge won the first seven meetings between the two schools until the Vikings took both games last year at the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament hosted by UCLA. The Viks took the first game, 7-1, on Feb. 19, and then defeated the Matadors two days later, 12-6. PSU collected nine hits in the first contest and 14 in the second. Cal State Northridge took two games from PSU in 2008, but before that the Vikings and Matadors did not play each from 1991-2007.

PSU-STANFORD SERIES NOTES: Stanford took over the lead (8-7) in the all-time series with PSU after their 12-4 victory on Feb. 12 at the Kajikawa Classic. These two also played in the first round of the 2009 NCAA tourney on Stanford's home field with the Cardinal earning a 10-3 victory. Stanford was ranked fifth in the country in that game and was the No. 8 seed in the tourney. PSU is 1-8 against Stanford since jumping up to DI competition, with their lone victory coming in Palo Alto in 2007. In that game, PSU blanked the 13th-ranked Cardinal, 3-0.

PSU–NEVADA SERIES NOTES: PSU owns a 20-13-1 advantage in the series with Nevada after earning a 6-3 victory at the Kajikawa Classic on Feb. 11. Anna Bertrand pitched PSU to the win, matching her career-high with 16 Ks. Sadie Lopez and Carly McEachran led the Viks with two hits apiece, while Crysta Conn and Lacey Holm each drove in two runs. Prior to last Friday's game, these two last played in 2009 at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic in Las Vegas, where the 18th-ranked Wolf Pack earned a 11-2 win in six innings. Nevada also took two games from PSU at the 2008 Husky Softball Classic in Seattle and had won three straight in the series until this year. Prior to that, the Vikings were on a five-game winning streak, including a 2-1 victory in the 2006 NCAA Corvallis Regional.

PSU-UCLA SERIES NOTES: One of the most storied programs in college softball, UCLA has won all five meetings with the Vikings. The Bruins have been ranked no lower than sixth in any of the previous five contests and enter Saturday's game ranked first in both polls. Last season, the fourth-ranked Bruins defeated PSU, 11-0, in six innings on Feb. 21. That game was played on UCLA's home field, Easton Stadium, and it was the Viking's first ever trip there. UCLA was ranked No. 1 in 2001 when they earned a 20-0 win and in 2004 when they blanked PSU, 5-0. The Bruins were third in the country in 1999 when they defeated PSU, 13-5 in six innings, and sixth in 2008 when they claimed a 7-4 win.

PSU-CAL POLY SERIES NOTES: The Mustangs hold a 15-8 lead all-time against PSU after sweeping a pair of games last spring in Los Angeles at the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament. Cal Poly took the first game, 1-0, in eight innings on Feb. 19, then won the second, 6-0, the next day. Anna Bertrand suffered the loss in the first contest despite holding the Mustangs to one hit and no earned runs. She struck out nine in 7 2/3 innings. These two also met up in the 2009 NCAA tournament in Palo Alto, Calif., with the Mustangs earning a 5-0 victory to eliminate the Vikings. Cal Poly has won four straight and 11 of the past 13. The Vikings' last victory came on March 26, 2004, a 5-4 win at Cal Poly.

PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF: Sophomore Anna Bertrand picked up right where she left off last season, racking up 39 strikeouts over five appearances last weekend. In what turned out to be a remarkable freshman campaign, Bertrand tallied 218 Ks, which was the second highest single season mark in PSU history and the sixth best in PCSC history. She averaged 10.5 Ks per seven innings and matched her career high of 16 Ks against Nevada in her first start of the season. Bertrand had six double-digits strikeout performances a year ago, including recording 16 against Idaho State on April 24, in Portland. Her efforts last weekend vaulted her from ninth all-time at PSU in strikeouts to eighth as she surpassed Kristin Jacobs, who had 239 Ks from 1990-91. Bertrand now has 257 in her career and needs 12 more to take over the seventh slot and 15 more to move up to sixth all-time.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: Portland State was the unanimous pick to win the PCSC Mountain Division when the coaches poll was released on Jan. 31. The Vikings received 72 points and all 12 first-place votes and also earned four votes to win the PCSC Championship Series and advance to the NCAA tournament. Loyola Marymount (4), Saint Mary's (3) and Sacramento State (1) of the Coastal Division garnered the other votes to win the series. Following PSU in the Mountain Division poll was Northern Colorado (49), Utah Valley (48), Seattle (44), Idaho State (26) and Weber State (13). PSU was also the favorite to win their division last year and they did that by streamrolling to a 18-2 league record.

SEEKING ANOTHER TRIP TO THE TOURNEY: The Vikings enter the 2011 season looking to make their third trip to the NCAA tournament in the past six seasons. PSU advanced to the national tourney in 2006 and 2009, and then fell one victory shy of going last season.

SUCCESS STARTS AT THE TOP: Portland State's softball team has experienced great success in two seasons under Head Coach Tobin Echo-Hawk. The Vikings have a 62-56 overall mark and 33-7 conference record under Echo-Hawk, who was an assistant with the program for two seasons before being promoted to the top spot on Sept. 12, 2008. Echo-Hawk was the 2009 PCSC Coach of the Year after leading the Vikings to the conference title and a trip to the NCAA tournament. In 2010, she was voted as the PCSC Mountain Division Coach of the Year after guiding PSU to a 18-2 league mark. The 18 league wins set a school record and also matched the 2007 Loyola Marymount team for the most wins in PCSC history.

SUPER SENIOR: Vikings senior Arielle has played in all 176 games during her career, starting 175 of them. All 175 starts have come at shortstop and she has started 163 straight games dating back to her freshman season. Wiser already ranks first all-time at Portland State in sacrifice hits with 34 and also can join the top 10 in five other categories this year. She has 150 hits in her career and needs 11 more to join the top 10. Also, she can join the top 10 in runs (she has 85 runs and needs two more), doubles (she has 18 and needs five more) and at-bats (she has 527 and needs 76 more). Wiser had a successful first weekend, batting .300 (6-for-20) with three RBIs and three runs scored. She also hit PSU's first homer of the year, a two-run shot against No. 18/20 Stanford.

LATHAM LOOKING TO MOVE UP: Senior right-handed pitcher Nichole Latham will look to move up in several career categories in the PSU record book this season. Latham was the 2009 PCSC Pitcher of the Year and earned first team All-Mountain Division honors last season. In the record book she ranks second in saves (4), fifth in strikeouts (317) and strikeout ratio (5.11), sixth in appearances (101) and winning percentage (.552/37-30), ninth in games started (65) and tenth in wins (37) and innings pitched 438.1). She needs two more wins to tie Michelle Hext (39-49) for the number nine spot and three more innings pitched to tie Ronda Haun (441.1 IP) for ninth in that category. Also, with two more appearances she'll be tied for fifth all-time and with four more she'll be tied for fourth with Hext.

BIG-TIME FIRST HITS: A couple of Vikings came through in the clutch for the their first career hit in the green and black. Junior transfer Karmen Holladay singled in the winning run against No. 16/20 BYU on Feb. 11 for her first hit at PSU. Holladay had been hitless in her first five at-bats as a Viking until she laced a single into the right center gap to give PSU a 4-3 victory in eight innings. Freshman Becca Bliss also had a big first hit, driving in a run with an infield single against Cal State Northridge on Feb. 13. Two other newcomers – junior transfer Jenna Krogh and freshman Kayla Norrie – also had their first hits at PSU last weekend.

SPEED AT THE TOP: For the first time in her three seasons as PSU's head coach, Tobin Echo-Hawk has a true leadoff hitter in the speedy Jenna Krogh. A junior transfer from Colorado State, Krogh went 6-for-20 in her first weekend with the Vikings, with most of her hits infield singles. She did show some pop swinging away, tallying a double and a triple. She also stole a base and tied for the team high in runs scored with four.

BIG POP FOR A SMALL PLAYER: Take one look at Vikings sophomore left fielder Sadie Lopez and the last thing you'll think of is power hitter. But the 5-foot-5 Lopez hit PSU's first two doubles of the season last weekend in Tempe and also belted a solo home run to record a team-leading three extra-base hits. Lopez finished the Kajikawa Classic with a .316 batting average (6-for-19) and three RBIs.

THE BATS COME AROUND: Portland State's offense started off the 2011 season slow with just five hits against Nebraska in the season-opener. They then had no hits through their first 21 at-bats against BYU, before going 4-for-4 in the eighth inning to earn a come-from-behind victory. Counting their final four games and those final four ABs against BYU, the Vikings hit .293 (34-for-116). PSU's best showing at the plate came against San Jose State when they went 13-for-32 for a .406 average.

IT HAD BEEN AWHILE: When the Vikings started the year 3-1 at the Kajikawa Classic, it marked the first time since 1998 that they had won three of their first four games. PSU also was 2-1 for the first time since 2000.

WINNING IN EXTRA INNINGS: The Vikings picked up their first extra-inning victory since late in the 2009 season when they defeated No. 16/20 BYU, 4-3, in eight innings of Feb. 11. The last time the Vikings had won in extra innings came on April 26, 2009, at Saint Mary's. In that game, PSU came out on top, 3-2, in eight innings. Last year, PSU was 0-2 in extra-inning affairs.

PINCH-HIT HOMERS: The Vikings didn't go very long in between pinch-hit home runs as Lacey Holm hit one on Feb. 13 of this year after ex-Viking Maddie Taylor connected for one on April 10, 2010, against Northern Colorado. PSU went 24 games between the two pinch-hit homers.