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GAMES NO. 25 & 26
vs. Utah Valley (7-17)
Saturday, April 9  •  12 p.m.  •  Doubleheader
Portland, OR  •  Erv Lind Stadium

GAMES NO. 27 & 28
vs. Utah Valley (7-17)
Sunday, April 10  •  11 a.m.  •  Doubleheader
Portland, OR  •  Erv Lind Stadium
   
SERIES INFO
Overall: PSU leads 5-2   
In Portland: First Meeting   
Streak: PSU 1
Last PSU Win: PSU 4, UVU 3; at UVU 4/17/10
Last UVU Win: UVU 3, PSU 1; at UVU 4/17/10

COVERAGE
Live Audio: GoViks.com
Play-By-Play: Teri Mariani
Live Stats: GoViks.com

THIS WEEK: The PSU softball team hosts Utah Valley this weekend for a pair of doubleheaders in the PCSC opener for both schools. Saturday's games will get underway at 12 p.m., while Sunday's first pitch is slated for 11 a.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE VIKS THIS WEEK: All four games this weekend against Utah Valley will feature live stats and live audio through GoViks.com. Teri Mariani will call the action on the live audio feed. Links for everything can be found by clicking on the LIVE EVENTS tab on the front of GoViks.com.

PSU-UTAH VALLEY SERIES NOTES: The Vikings and Wolverines have met up seven times, with Portland State holding a 5-2 advantage. Last year, the team's split a pair of doubleheaders on Utah Valley's home field. On April 16, the Wolverines took the opener, 3-2, to hand the Vikings their first conference loss of the year. PSU rebounded to take game two, 7-2. The next day, Utah Valley took game one, 3-1, while the Vikings took the rubber match, 4-3. Those two losses to the Wolverines were PSU's only conference losses all year as they finished 18-2. This weekend's games will be the first time Utah Valley has played at Erv Lind Stadium. Prior to last season, the Viks had taken all three previous meetings. PSU knocked off UVU, 4-3, on March 18, 2005, at the Capital Classic in Sacramento, then won by scores of 13-0 and 8-0 in 2006. The 13-0 game on March 25 at the Utah Softball Tournament ended in five innings, while the 8-0 game on April 1 at the University of Nevada Tournament was called after six.

SCOUTING UTAH VALLEY: The Wolverines, who play at Utah today, have lost three straight and are 7-17 on the year to rank second in the PCSC Mountain Division. After starting out the season just 1-12, Utah Valley won six of its next eight before its current three game losing streak ... the Wolverines are 1-9 in road games ... UVU ranks second in the PCSC with a .272 team batting average and 18 home runs. Pitching wise, two players have a combined 5.36 ERA ... Offensively, senior OF Meghan Yocum (.429, 4 HR) and junior 1B/DP Amanda Perez (.353, 6 HR, 23 RBIs) lead the way. In the circle, freshman Josi Summers (5-9, 4.33 ERA, 76.0 IP, 52 Ks) and senior Kyli Flanary (2-8, 6.37 ERA, 78.0 IP, 34 Ks) split the time ... last season, Utah Valley went 28-31 overall and 13-7 in the PCSC Mountain Division to finish second.

STAYING HOME: After six weeks and 22 games away from home, the Vikings finally got a chance to play a game at Erv Lind Stadium when they hosted No. 15 Oregon for a pair of games on March 23. Now after 16 days off, the Vikings remain home to host Utah Valley for four games this Saturday and Sunday.

A VERY LONG BREAK: When the Vikings take on Utah Valley this Saturday, it will be their first game in over two weeks. The Vikings had 16 days off between their games against Oregon on March 23 and this weekend's upcoming doubleheader. It is the second longest break in school history after the 2009 squad went 17 days without playing during March. 

THE .500 MARK: At 12-12, this year's team is just the third squad in the Vikings' NCAA DI history (1999-present) that has a .500 winning percentage or better through 24 games. The 2006 team was 14-10 at this point, while in 2009 the Vikings were 12-12. Both of those teams went on to win the PCSC title and advance to the NCAA tournament. Prior to losing four straight games, two at Oregon State and two at home against Oregon, PSU's record stood at 12-8. That was the team's best start since the 1997 squad was 15-5 through 20 games.

HOMER HAPPY: With 14 home runs already this season, the Vikings are on pace to break last season's total of 19. PSU didn't hit its 14th homer of 2010 until April 30, which came in their 45th contest. Lacey Holm leads the team with three, while Karmen Hollady, Sadie Lopez, Carly McEachran and Arielle Wiser each have two bombs. Also, Crysta Conn and Danielle Lynn each have hit one.

STARTING THEM ALL: Four Vikings have started all 24 games at the same position this year with three of them being infielders. Shortstop Arielle Wiser, second baseman Carly McEachran and third baseman Crysta Conn have started every game this year, while center fielder Jenna Krogh has also started all 24 games.

IMPROVED OFFENSIVE NUMBERS: Heading into the 2011 season, Head Coach Tobin Echo-Hawk wasn't sure where the offense would come from. The Vikings lost three of the top four hitters from a year ago and welcomed in several new faces this spring. But so far, the Vikings have greatly surpassed the numbers they put up through the first 24 games of 2010. PSU is hitting .268, compared to .240 through the first 24 games of play a year ago, and has tallied 23 more runs, 21 more runs batted in, 10 more home runs and six more triples. The slugging and on-base percentage numbers are significantly improved as well, as PSU is slugging .394 and has an on-base percentage of .325, compared to a .309 slugging percentage and .305 on-base percentage last spring. Last year, PSU had just three players hitting over .250 through the first 24 games, while this year there are six over that mark. All of it adds up to an 12-12 record, compared to last year's 9-15 mark.

THE PITCHING IS BETTER TOO: Just like the offense, the Vikings' pitching has been better through the first 24 games of the season compared to last year. Anna Bertrand and Nichole Latham have a combined 2.65 ERA and have held opponents to a .246 batting average, while last year through the first 24 games the Vikings' pitching staff had a 4.13 ERA and opponents were hitting .257.