PORTLAND, Ore. – Having won eight straight league games, the Portland State softball team will host North Dakota tomorrow in a non-conference doubleheader at Erv Lind Stadium. First pitch is set for noon.

The Vikings and Fighting Sioux have never played before. North Dakota, a member of the Great West Conference, is scheduled to play a pair of games at Oregon State today.

Portland State is coming off a four-game sweep of Seattle and has won a season-best eight straight games. The Vikings, who are 21-15 overall, have moved into a tie for first place in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference Mountain Division with a 9-3 record. They are tied with Northern Colorado, whom the Vikings travel to play this weekend.

Junior C Lacey Holm continues to pace the Vikings offensively, batting .373 with three homers and 29 RBIs. Junior CF Jenna Krogh is hitting .357 and senior SS Arielle Wiser has seen her batting average jump 48 points over the past two weeks to .347.

Sophomore 2B Carly McEachran has also been on a tear lately, raising her batting average 78 points to .293 over the past 12 games. McEachran leads the team with four home runs and a .545 slugging percentage, while also hitting five doubles and four triples. She has driven in 18 runs, third best on the squad.

The Vikings continue to get solid pitching from their 1-2 duo of senior Nichole Latham and sophomore Anna Bertrand. Latham leads the PCSC in wins with 12 and has posted a 1.97 ERA and 72 strikeouts over 117.1 innings of work. Bertrand is second in the conference in strikeouts with 123 and is 9-8 with a 3.16 ERA over 115.1 innings.

North Dakota has lost four straight heading into their doubleheader with the Beavers. The Fighting Sioux are 12-30 overall and 1-15 on the road.

Sophomore OF Kayelee Schoeny leads the squad with a .373 batting average and 21 runs scored, while sophomore 1B Kenna Olsen is hitting .338. North Dakota has hit 31 home runs, getting nine from sophomore C/UTL Brittany Baker and six apiece from freshman P/IF Caralyn Chewning and freshman IF Amanda Johnson.

In the circle, three pitchers have pitched the bulk of the innings, but sophomore righties Michelle Frank (6-10, 4.46 ERA, .282 BA against, 105.0 IP) and Emma Gronseth (3-12, 5.72 ERA, .289 BA against, 94.1 IP) have seen the most action.

The Fighting Sioux have six Oregonians on their roster and two players from the state of Washington.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE VIKINGS: Tuesday's doubleheader against North Dakota will feature live stats and live audio through GoViks.com. Teri Mariani will bring you both games. Links for everything can be found under the LIVE EVENTS tab on the front of GoViks.com.

ON DECK: Following Tuesday's games, Portland State hits the road for a critical PCSC Mountain Division series at Northern Colorado. The Viks and Bears are tied for first place with 9-3 records. PSU and UNC play two games on Saturday and two on Sunday, with first pitch both days scheduled for 11 a.m. PT. Portland State will also get in a pair of games at Colorado State on Monday, May 2, with first pitch set for 12 p.m. PT. All six of the Vikings' contests in Colorado can be heard on GoViks.com, with Teri Mariani calling the action.

BACK ON TRACK: After opening their conference slate by losing three of four at home to Utah Valley on April 9-10, the Vikings have bounced back with eight straight victories. What makes it even more impressive is that all eight wins have come on the road. PSU swept four games from Idaho State, April 16-17, then took all four contests at Seattle this past Friday and Saturday. Seattle had just come off splitting a four-game series with Utah Valley, putting PSU, Seattle and UVU in a three-way tie for second place. But Anna Bertrand, Nichole Latham and Karmen Holladay teamed up to allow just 14 to the Redhawks over the four games and PSU outhit SU, 44-14, and outscored them 29-6.

LOOKING AT THE PCSC STANDINGS: The Vikings have thrust themselves back into contention for a second straight PCSC Mountain Division title with eight straight wins. PSU and Northern Colorado currently hold down the top spot at 9-3, followed by Utah Valley (7-5) and Seattle (5-7). Idaho State and Weber State are tied for fifth at 3-9. In the Coastal Division, San Diego (11-1) has won 11 straight after opening their league schedule with a loss. The Toreros have a three-game lead over Loyola Marymount (8-4). Sac State and Saint Mary's, both of whom are 6-6, are tied for third, followed by Cal State Bakersfield (3-9) and Santa Clara (2-10). The Vikings were the unanimous choice to win their division in the preseason polls, followed by UNC, while Saint Mary's was tabbed as the favorite in the Coastal Division. San Diego was slated for fourth and LMU was picked for second.

WISER'S RECORD SETTING DAY: Senior shortstop Arielle Wiser set a new Portland State record with five hits in the opener at Seattle on April 22. Wiser concluded the contest 5-for-5 and also tied the PCSC single game record for hits in a game. The only other players to accomplish the feat in the nine-year history of the league were a pair of former Santa Clara athletes. Jesica Clee did it against San Jose State on March 3, 2004, while Shannon Linedrud tallied five hits versus San Diego on April 30, 2005. Wiser's previous career best was three hits, which she had done eight times, including twice this year. Wiser has been on a tear since conference play started, batting a team-best .463, and she has not struck out in 44 plate appearances over 12 games. Her torrid play has helped put her career batting average at .302. Wiser batted .327 as a freshman and .307 as a sophomore, before having a down year last spring with a .238 average. Only one other player during PSU's DI era (1999-present) has concluded their career hitting over .300 and that was last year's league co-MVP, Brandi Scoggins (.326).

SCHEDULE CHANGES: Portland State's scheduled date with Oregon State on Tuesday, May 10, has been changed to a doubleheader. The two games will still take place at Erv Lind, and first pitch is still set for 5 p.m., but could be changed. Stay tuned to GoViks.com for updates.

SENIOR DAY IS APPROACHING: Portland State's four seniors are just two weeks away from playing the final home games of their careers. Four-year seniors Brandi Campos, Nichole Latham and Arielle Wiser, along with transfer Susan Winningham, will be honored before the doubleheader on Saturday, May 7, against Weber State.