PSU Game Notes | Live Stats

Kajikawa Classic • February 7-10 • Arizona State University • Tempe, AZ
vs. San Jose State Spartans (0-0); Thursday, Feb. 7; 4 p.m. PST
vs. Boise State Broncos (0-0); Friday, Feb. 8; 8:30 a.m. PST
vs. Stanford Cardinal (0-0); Friday, Feb. 8; 1 p.m. PST
vs. Bradley Braves (0-0); Saturday, Feb. 9; 8:30 a.m. PST
vs. Kentucky Wildcats (0-0); Sunday, Feb. 10; 7:30 a.m. PST
vs. Indiana Hoosiers (0-0); Sunday, Feb. 10; 12:30 p.m. PST

First Pitch
This Week: The Portland State softball team gets its 2013 season underway this Thursday-Sunday at the Kajikawa Classic hosted by the Arizona State Sun Devils in Tempe, Ariz. The Vikings open their season with the San Jose State Spartans on Thursday.

Follow the Vikings: Follow all the action from Tempe live online via Live Stats at GoViks.com. 2013 features a redesigned more interactive Live Stats experience for fans.

Kajikawa Classic: The Vikings have make the Kajikawa (KAH-gee-cow-uh) Classic their annual pilgrimage to start the season each of the last four seasons. PSU has gone 9-13 at the classic. PSU's best record at the classic was a 3-2 mark in 2011 with a win over #16 BYU. That was the last time that a Viking team defeated a ranked opponent. It will be the second straight season that the Vikings have started with six games at the classic.

Season Openers: Portland State is 2-2 under Head Coach Tobin Echo-Hawk in season openers but has dropped their last two, both to Nebraska. The Vikings defeated McNeese State in 2009 and Ohio in 2010.

The 2013 Vikings
After dominating the Pacific Coast Softball Conference for the better part of a decade, the challenges for the 2013 Portland State softball team will be a little different as it begins the inaugural Big Sky Conference softball season.

The Vikings will move from the league where they were a charter member and where they won four conference championships and made four appearances to the NCAA Tournament.

Portland State, along with Idaho State, North Dakota, Northern Colorado, Sacramento State, Southern Utah, and Weber State will make up the Big Sky Conference for 2013.

The Vikings are coming off their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and their first tournament win since 2006. Portland State finished 15-5 in the PCSC Mountain Division capturing its third straight division championship. Portland State defeated Saint Mary's College in the PSCS Championship Series to earn the conference's automatic berth for the second straight year.

Portland State returns senior pitcher Anna Bertrand, who was the unanimous PCSC Mountain Pitcher of the Year in 2012, and sophomore shortstop Alicia Fine who was named the PSCS Mountain Division Freshman of the Year. Fifth-year Head Coach Tobin Echo-Hawk is 121-96 overall and 64-16 in conference play entering the season.

The Vikings return 12 letterwinners and eight starters from a year ago bringing back a supply of both talent and experience. They also welcome seven incoming freshmen and a junior college transfer to the team for the 2013 season.

THE OUTFIELD
The outfield is probably the biggest area of competition for the Vikings this year with seven or eight players rotating through on any given day. Portland State returns two starters to the outfield in junior Becca Bliss and senior Sadie Lopez. Bliss, who played the majority of 2012 in right field, will be making the transition to center to fill the void left by Jenna Krogh.

“We've moved Becca Bliss over to center and she's doing a great job of taking over that leadership role,” Echo-Hawk said. “Sadie Lopez is probably the most consistent, both offensively and defensively that we have.”
The Vikings will also have returners Aubrey Nitschelm and Brittany Hendrickson getting some time in the outfield. New additions to the outfield are freshmen Brianna Celaya, Lexi Goranson, Candice Orozco and junior transfer Sadie Petersen.

“You can throw Candice and Aubrey into the mix as well. Brit is kind of the x-factor for us,” Echo-Hawk Added. “She is one of the strongest arms that we have. It's really going to be a constant battle throughout the season and come will down to who is the most consistent offensively.”

THE INFIELD
As you move around the horn, first base is where you will see the most competition. Senior Alexa Morales saw the most time at first base last year of any returner, but only played the position in 14 games last year. Freshman Melissa Masters and Hendrickson will be pushing Morales in a three-way competition for the starting job. 

“They all have things that they're good at and things that need improvement,” Echo-Hawk said.” “Like the outfield, it's probably going to come down to who is the most consistent offensively. Brit is typically one of our better offensive players but Melissa has been doing a great job. Defensively they're all pretty evenly matched.”

Returning starters around the rest of the infield bring a lot of stability, experience, and leadership to the 2013 Vikings. Senior Carly McEachran has second base locked while sophomore Alicia Fine returns for the Vikings at shortstop. Junior Crysta Conn started 50 games at third base for the Vikings in 2012 and will be a mainstay there again this season. McEachran and Conn were both PCSC All-Mountain Division honorable mentions last year while Fine earned first team and Freshman of the Year honors.

Fine is the Vikings' top returning hitter after batting .336 with 11 double, five home runs, and 31 runs batted in. Her slugging percentage of .555 was second on the team and her .336 on base percentage was third.

“Carly pretty much has second base locked down,” Echo-Hawk added. “She is one of the most aggressive infielders that I've ever had. It doesn't matter whether it's a practice or a game she's laying out and getting dirty. She's emerged as that vocal leader and has matured as a player. It's nice to have her be the one on the infield that takes charge and gets them going in the right direction.

“Alisha had a great freshman season last year at short,” Echo-Hawk added. “Defensively I actually think she is getting better. Offensively she's one of the most consistent hitters we have. At third base Crysta has been pretty consistent offensively and defensively and has been there for the past two years. I don't really see that changing any time soon.”

The newest addition to the Vikings' infield will be mid-year transfer freshman Lauran Bliss behind the plate. Lauran Bliss, no relation to Becca Bliss, transferred from Texas Tech after spending the fall with the Red Raiders. A native of Keizer, Ore., Lauran Bliss was a four-year letterwinner at South Salem HS.

Laruan Bliss will be able to step right into the catcher roll since junior catcher Kayla Norrie hurt her knee during the fall and will have to sit out this season.

“It was nice to be able to add Lauran to our roster,” Echo-Hawk added. “She has a lot of experience behind the play and knows some of the players from playing summer ball. She's done a great job. She communicates well and has great understanding of the game. She has a quick release and pretty strong arms which will help us tighten up the defense.”

With Norrie's injury during the fall, Nitschelm has spent some time behind the plate for the Vikings and will be able to give Lauran Bliss a bit of a break.

PITCHING STAFF
Portland State returns arguably one of the best pitchers in program history with senior Anna Bertrand. Bertrand went 23-13 with a 1.79 ERA in 2013. She was the unanimous PCSC Mountain Division Pitcher of the Year and was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I Pacific Region second team for the second consecutive season.

“Anna is Anna. She wants the ball every single game,” Echo-Hawk said. “The nice thing about his year is that we can give her a little more rest and keep her a little sharper, especially towards the end of the season.”

One of those pitchers who will be called on to spell Bertrand this season is sophomore Raya Johnson who pitched well last season when given the opportunity. Johnson went 4-9 overall with a 3.78 ERA. In PCSC play however, she went 3-1 with a 1.75 ERA, and an opponent batting average of .188.

“Raya has been looking good going into this season. If she can pick up where she left off last season and be a little more consistent I think the Anna, Raya, one two punch is pretty solid. And then you throw Karyn (Wright) and Melissa into the mix, and it's even better.”

The addition of freshmen Karyn Wright and Masters to the pitching staff adds depth that the Vikings just did not have last season. The Vikings started the season with three pitchers and ended the season with just Bertrand and Johnson getting innings.

THE SCHEDULE
The Vikings will leave the Pacific Coast Softball Conference for the 2013 season after spending the past nine seasons as part of the league. The Vikings went 28-25 overall last season, 15-5 in PCSC play. They won the PCSC Mountain Division and the PCSC Championship Series making their third trip to the NCAA tournament in the past four seasons.

The Big Sky will sponsor softball for the first time in 2013 and consists of former PCSC members Idaho State, Northern Colorado, Sacramento State, Portland State, and Weber State along with conference newcomers North Dakota and Southern Utah. Portland went 11-3 last season against Big Sky opponents.

“We're excited about the move to the Big Sky Conference,” Echo-Hawk said. “There are some familiar opponents but it's going to be a tougher conference than we've had in the past. Competition wise, one through seven, it's probably the most evenly matched conference we've had in a long time.”

The top four Big Sky teams at the end of the season will play in the inaugural Big Sky Softball Tournament hosted by the regular season champion May 9-11 in a double-elimination style tournament.

“Adding the Big Sky Conference tournament with four teams going instead of two in the PCSC adds another dynamic that our team isn't used to,” Echo-Hawk added. “Hopefully we can create a good environment where they know that every game counts. We've done a good job of that the past couple of years.”

In non-conference games the Vikings will face 10 NCAA tournament teams from a year ago for a total of 18 games. They will also face six of the nine softball members of the Pacific-12 conference. Portland State will host doubleheaders with both Oregon (April 16) and Oregon State (April 30) this season for the first time since 2009.

The Vikings begin the 2013 season against San Jose State Feb. 7 at the Kajikawa Classic hosted by Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz.

News and Notes
Preseason Poll: The Portland State softball team enters the 2013 season as the favorite to win the inaugural Big Sky Softball Championship as selected by conference coaches. Portland State finished first in the coaches' poll with 35 points including five first-place votes. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team in the preseason poll.

Double the Bliss: With the addition of mid-year transfer Lauran Bliss, the 2013 Vikings will have double the Bliss and double the fun. Lauran Bliss joins junior Becca Bliss on the roster though there is no relation between the two.

2012 PSCS Championship Series: The Vikings claimed their second straight PCSC Championship series with a sweep of the Saint Mary's Gaels in Moraga, Calif. The Vikings took the first game 6-1 thanks to a four-run sixth inning capped by a Becca Bliss three-run home run. It was tougher going in the second game but pitcher Anna Bertrand led the Vikings to the series sweep with a complete game three-hit shutout of the Gales. Brittany Hendrickson drove in the only run of the game with a single to right field scoring pinch runner Aubrey Nitschelm from second.

Vikings' 2014 NLIs: Head Coach Tobin Echo-Hawk announced the signing of seven players to National Letters of Intent for the 2014 season on Nov. 11. The 2014 recruiting class consists of Amee Aarhus (Camas, Wash./Camas HS), Mackenzie Bourbanis (Tacoma, Wash./Fife HS), Celena Carrisosa (Tracy, Calif./Merrill F. West HS), Alex Flores (Hillsboro, Ore./Liberty HS), Kelsie Gardner (Salem, Ore./South Salem HS), Meagan Hendrix (Puyallup, Wash./Emerald Ridge HS), and Jenna Stanford (Portland, Ore./Lincoln HS).