Click here to view the complete game notes (PDF)

THIS WEEK: The PSU softball team (27-16, 12-4 PCSC) hosts Weber State (12-34, 3-13 PCSC) in a four-game league series this Saturday and Sunday, with first pitch set for noon on both days.

GAMES 44-47
vs. Weber State (12-34, 3-13 PCSC)
Saturday, May 7  •  12:00 p.m. PT  •  Doubleheader
Sunday, May 8  •  12:00 p.m. PT  •  Doubleheader
Portland, Ore.  •  Erv Lind Stadium

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

PSU-WSU SERIES INFO
Overall: PSU leads 4-1  
In Portland: First Meeting  
Streak: PSU 4
Last PSU Win: PSU 14, WSU 6 (5); PSU 3, WSU 2 (May 1, 2010; at WSU - Doubleheader)
Last WSU Win: WSU 2, PSU 0 (8) (1982, Neutral site)

HOW TO FOLLOW THE VIKS THIS WEEK: All four games this weekend will feature live audio and live stats through GoViks.com. Longtime PSU softball coach Teri Mariani will call the action over the Internet. Links for everything can be found under the LIVE EVENTS tab on GoViks.com.

SENIOR DAY: Portland State's four seniors will be honored between games one and two on Saturday as they play their final conference home series this weekend. Brandi Campos, Nichole Latham and Arielle Wiser have been with the program all four years and have a 116-96 overall record and 58-18 PCSC record. At Erv Lind Stadium, the Viks have gone 39-21, 28-8 PCSC with these three outstanding players. The fourth senior is Susan Winningham, who transferred to PSU after playing two years at Clackamas Community College.

BERTRAND EARNS SECOND STRAIGHT PCSC PITCHER OF THE WEEK AWARD: Anna Bertrand earned her second straight Pacific Coast Softball Conference Mountain Division Pitcher of the Week when the league office announced its weekly winners this morning. Bertrand went 3-0 with one save and a 1.45 ERA over five appearances last week. She helped the Vikings go 6-1 and her complete-game performance in game two on Sunday at Northern Colorado helped the Viks to a 10-2, five-inning victory, which propelled them into sole possession of first place in the PCSC Mountain Division. Bertrand worked 19 1/3 innings last week, holding the opposition to a .183 batting average and allowing just four earned runs with 21 strikeouts. On April 26, Bertrand came on in relief in game one against North Dakota, earning the save after pitching three scoreless innings. She also earned two wins in the Vikings' pivotal 3-1 series victory at Northern Colorado this past weekend. She finished with a 2.10 ERA, giving up seven hits, while striking out nine. Then yesterday, Bertrand earned her sixth straight win by working 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief in PSU's 12-4 victory at Colorado State. She tallied six Ks and scattered four hits. Bertrand has now won three Mountain Division Pitcher of the Week honors this season and seven over her career. On the season, PSU players have won seven weekly pitching awards and three Mountain Division Player of the Week honors. her of the week honors.

GOING AFTER ANOTHER TITLE: The Vikings took over sole possession of first place in the PCSC Mountain Division with their 3-1 series win at Northern Colorado this past weekend. At 12-4, PSU holds a one-game lead over Utah Valley (11-5) and a two-game lead over UNC (10-6). Portland State can clinch the division title with four victories over Weber State this weekend. If they lose at all, they'd need Utah Valley to also lose the same number of times because the Wolverines hold the tiebreaker after defeating the Vikings, three games to one, earlier this season. In the Coastal Division, San Diego (14-2) must win at least two of the four games at Loyola Marymount (12-4) to win their half of the PCSC. For a complete look at the championship scenarios, please go to page seven of the PDF of the game notes.

BACK ON TRACK: After a disappointing PCSC-opening weekend in which they went 1-3 at home versus Utah Valley, the Vikings have bounced back by winning 11 of their last 12 conference games. PSU swept four games from Idaho State and four more from Seattle, before taking three of four at Northern Colorado this past weekend. Their hot play has taken them back to the top of the PCSC Mountain Division standings after they were in fourth place through the first weekend of league action.

ROLLIN' ALONG: Not only has Porltand State won 11 of its past 12 league contests, but the Vikings have also gone 14-1 since losing three of four to Utah Valley. PSU won a DI era school record 10 straight games from April 16-26, before losing game one of a doublheader at Northern Colorado on April 30. They then took the final three games of the series with the Bears and easily defeated Colorado State, 12-4, on Monday afternoon in Fort Collins. The Vikings are batting .375, while holding the opposition to a .189 batting average over the past 15 games. Several players have posted spectacular numbers during the current run, including Jenna Krogh batting .500, Danielle Lynn hitting .486, Lacey Holm hitting .444 and Carly McEachran with a .422 mark. Crysta Conn (.394) and Arielle Wiser (.347) have also been swinging well. PSU has also outscored their opponents, 108-30. In the circle, Anna Bertrand (1.63), Nichole Latham (1.96) and Karmen Holladay (0.00) have teammed up for a 1.61 ERA and five shutouts.

HOMER HAPPY: With 26 home runs already this season, the Vikings have already surpassed last season's total of 19. PSU didn't hit its 19th homer of 2010 until May 9, which came in their 54th contest. Carly McEachran hit her team-leading fifth homer at Northern Colorado this past Saturday, while Lacey Holm delivered her fourth bomb on Sunday against the Bears. Also, Crysta Conn, Karmen Holladay and Danielle Lynn have each hit three.

LOTS OF TRIPLES: The Vikings have also been racking up triples in 2011, with 15 already, five more than they had all of last season. That total is the most by a Viking team in their NCAA DI era and the most since the 1997 squad hit 21. PSU's previous best in their DI era was 14 in 2006. Jenna Krogh hit her PCSC-leading fifth triple at Colorado State on Monday, while teammate Carly McEachran is right behind her with four. Last year, the Vikings didn't record their first triple until their 19th game and didn't tally their 10th triple until game number 48.

SACRIFICING FOR THE GOOD OF THE TEAM: Portland State has hit three sacrifice flyouts in each of its last two games and now has 16 on the season, giving them the school single season record. The record book only goes back to 1999 as sac bunts and sac flies were kept as one category prior to then. This is only the second time that the Vikings have tallied double-digit sac flies in a season after they hit 10 in 2007.

PCSC LEADERS: The Vikings will go into their final weekend of conference play leading the PCSC in batting average with a .302 mark. PSU has never finished the season leading the conference in that category. They also lead the league in triples and sac flies, while ranking second in slugging percentage and third in on-base percentage. In conference-only games, they are hitting a league-best .349, which is 39 points higher than the next best team, Northern Colorado. In the circle, the Viks lead the PCSC in shutouts, strikeouts and batting average against, while ranking second in ERA and fewest runs allowed.

HITTING STREAKS: Heading into this weekend, Jenna Krogh is riding a seven-game hitting streak, her second longest of the season. Earlier this year, Krogh hit safely in 10-straight games from Feb. 12-27. Over her current streak, Krogh is batting .565 (13-for-23) and has tallied five multi-hit performances.

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 43 games of 2010. PSU is hitting .306, compared to .234 through the first 43 games of play a year ago, and has tallied 86 more runs, 88 more RBIs, 16 more home runs and 10 more triples. The slugging and on-base percentage numbers are significantly improved as well, as PSU is slugging .444 and has an on-base percentage of .361, compared to a .311 slugging percentage and .301 on-base percentage last spring. Last year, PSU had just two players hitting over .250 through the first 43 games, while this year there are eight over that mark. All of it adds up to an 27-16 record, compared to last year's 19-24 mark.

THE PITCHING IS BETTER TOO: Just like the offense, the Vikings' pitching has been better through the first 43 games of the season compared to last year. Anna Bertrand, Karmen Holladay and Nichole Latham have a combined 2.32 ERA and have held opponents to a .223 batting average, while last year through the first 43 games the Vikings' pitching staff had a 3.04 ERA and opponents were hitting .248.

BACK TO HER DOMINANT WAYS: While Anna Bertrand has continued to stand out in her second season at Portland State, the sophomore righty has been even more dominant over the past few weeks. After suffering a loss in game two against Utah Valley on April 10, Bertrand's record was 5-8 and she had a 3.61 ERA. Since then, she has won seven straight decisions, going 7-0 with a 1.66 ERA and holding opponents to just a .166 batting average.