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CSUN Invitational • Feb. 28 - March 1 • CS Northridge • Northridge, CA

vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-5); Friday, Feb. 28; 9:00 a.m. PST
vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-5); Friday, Feb. 28; 11:30 a.m. PST
vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-5); Saturday, March 1; 9:00 a.m. PST
vs. CS Northridge Matadors (7-8); Saturday, March 1; 11:30 p.m. PST
vs. CS Northridge Matadors (7-8); Sunday, March 2; 11:30 p.m. PST

First Pitch
This Week: After an early season bye week the Portland State softball team is back in action this week at the Cal State Northridge Invitational in Northridge, CA. The Vikings will open the invitational with three games against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-5 overall) before playing the CS Northridge Matadors (7-8) twice to close out the weekend. The Vikings will look to snap a seven-game losing streak after a disappointing start to the season.

Follow the Vikings: Live stats will be available for all five games at the CSUN Invitational. Log on to GoViks.com for more information.

Easton Desert Classic Recap: The Vikings had a tough weekend at the Eastern Desert Classic going 0-5 with a trio of one-run heartbreaking losses. The Vikings got off to a fortuitous start by having travel problems resulting in them "sleeping" in an airport and having to open the weekend with little to no sleep. They started the weekend with a 5-4 loss to BYU. The Vikings were up 4-3 going into the bottom of the seventh inning but could not get the final three outs as the Cougars scored a pair to win by one. They then lost to Nevada 6-2 to finish out the first day. The Vikings blasted five home runs against Hawai'i, including three in a seven-run top of the fifth, but again could not get the final three outs and Hawai'i came back to win 13-12. The Vikings then lost a marathon, nine-inning, game to Seattle, 6-5. Portland State dropped its final game of the week to Chattanooga 9-3 to fall to 2-8 on the season.

Looking at Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights enter play this week with a 5-5 record after going 2-3 at the Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, FL. The Knights are hitting .299 as a team with 52 runs scored on the season. They have hit seven home runs and 11 doubles for a .418 team slugging percentage. They are successful on the base paths going 16-for-17 in stolen base attempts on the season. Defensively, the Knights have given up eight errors in 10 games.
     Alexis Durando leads the team with a .481 average and a .600 on base percentage. She is second on the team with a .667 slugging percentage. She has 13 hits on the season and has scored nine runs. Loren Williams is second on the team with a .459 average and leads the team with 17 hits and 11 runs scored.
     The Rutgers pitching staff is anchored by Alyssa Landrith who is 2-3 with a 2.40 ERA. She has allowed 12 earned runs in 35 innings while walking 12 and striking out 36. Opposing batters are hitting just .200 off her. Dresden Maddox is 2-0 on the season with a 3.57 ERA in 15 2/3 innings.

Looking at Northridge: The Matadors are 7-8 on the season after going 2-3 at the Cathedral City Classic. They defeated New Mexico 5-2 and UNLV 4-2 at the Classic but fell to Texas A&M, Long Island, and Oklahoma State. Northridge is hitting .293 as a team with 13 doubles, two triples, and nine home runs. They have scored 53 runs while allowing 91 in 15 games.
     Kaitlin Toerner leads the team with a .483 average. Taylor Glover is hitting .391 with a team-high 10 runs scored. She has driven in 10 and is 4-for-5 in stolen base attempts. The Matadors are 11-for-14 as a team in stolen bases. Eighteen different Matadors have started at least one game with one official at bat. They have committed 17 errors in 15 games and have a .957 fielding percentage.
     Brianna Elder has thrown 42 2/3 innings for Northridge and is 6-3 with a 3.00 ERA. She has allowed 20 earned runs while giving up 45 hits. She has walked 20 and struck out 35. Opponents are hitting .246 off her but have hit nine home runs.  As a staff, the Matadors have a 4.52 ERA. Seven players have seen time in the circle this season.

Up Next: The Vikings continue their non-conference road schedule next week when they head to Stanford, CA to take part in the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic. Portland State will have a rematch with BYU before playing Stanford for two games. They will close out the Classic with UC Davis and North Dakota State.

News & Notes
Nitschelm Heats Up: Junior RF Aubrey Nitschelm has not only secured herself a starting job in the outfield this season but a spot in the middle of the Vikings' order. Nitschelm leads the team with a .345 batting average with a team-high 10 RBIs. She has a .517 slugging percentage and leads the team with a .457 on base percentage for a .974 OPS. Over the last five games, Nitschelm has raised her average over 130 points from .214 to .345. She hit .467 over the last five games, going 7-for-15 with a double, home run, three runs scored, three walks, and six RBIs. She also has a 1.289 OPS.

Chicks Dig The Long Ball: Portland State hit five home runs in a 13-12 loss to Hawai'i (2/15) at the Easton Desert Classic. Not only did the Vikings hit five home runs, they hit five home runs by five different players, three in one inning. The Vikings are on pace to match their season total of 45 home runs a year ago which was second-most in program history.

Setting the Table: Freshman 2B Shae Nelson has settled into her role as leadoff hitter for the Vikings this season. Nelson went on a five-game hitting streak earlier this season and is currently riding a three-game streak. Nelson is 11-for-17 (.647) when leading off an inning this season. Nelson is hitting .333 with eight runs scored and a .400 on base percentage since being moved to the leadoff spot.

Solid in the Field: The Vikings have played solidly in the field this season committing just six errors in their first 10 games for a .978 fielding percentage. The fielding mark is up from a year ago when the Vikings had a .956 fielding percentage and committed 1.3 errors per game. 

Plate Discipline: The Vikings have been more disciplined at the plate this season improving their 2.09 walks per game last season to 2.70 this season.

Going Streaking: Three Vikings: Aubrey Nitschelm, Brittany Hendrickson, and Shae Nelson have tallied five-game hitting streaks this season. Hendrickson and Nelson have hits in eight of the Vikings' 10 games this season while Nitchelm has hit safely in seven games including the last five.

Conn off to a Hot Start: Senior 3B Crysta Conn got off to a hot start to her senior year, going 8-for-16 (.500) over the first five games. She hit safely in four games, three straight, with four multi-hit games. She slugged .750 with a double and a home run and has driven in four over that span. Conn has a team-high five multi-hit games this season. 

Fine Reaches Century Mark: Junior SS Alicia Fine has now started in 103 games over her career, all at short stop. She made every start at short as a sophomore and has started all five games as a junior. 

Hendrix Gets First Win: Freshman LHP Meagan Hendrix picked up the first two wins of her career at the Kajikawa Classic. Hendrix has had some good moments and some not so good moments in the circle. She combined for her first career shutout, a 10-0 win over New Mexico in five innings, but has also given up four home runs, including a grand slam.

Bliss Out For Season: Sophomore C Lauran Bliss will miss the remainder of the season after sustaining injuries to both of her wrists in a collision at first base against Indiana (2/7). 

Beware of the Long Ball: The Portland State pitching staff has performed well at times this season but has been stung by the long ball. The Vikings have given up 14 home runs in 10 games including four grand slams. Portland State had given up just three grand slams over the previous two seasons.

Season Notes
Power Bats: The Vikings had a power explosion a year ago resulting in 45 home runs. The total was the second best in program history, four shy of the all-time mark of 49 set in 2006. The Vikings hit 26 solo home runs, 12 two-run home runs, six three-run home runs, and a grand slam. PSU hit just 27 home runs in all of 2012. 

Triple Crown: Junior 1B Brittany Hendrickson won the Portland State "Triple Crown" a year ago by leading the Vikings in batting average (.350), home runs (9), and runs batted in (42). Hendrickson had a trio of five-RBI games in 2013 against UC Riverside (3/2), East Carolina (3/8), and North Dakota (5/4).

Preseason Poll: Despite being the defending Co-Regular Season Big Sky Champions and Big Sky Tournament Champions, Portland State was selected to finish fourth in the Big Sky Coaches' Preseason Poll. Idaho State was selected first followed by Sacramento State and Southern Utah.

Big Sky Tournament: The 2014 Big Sky Softball Tournament will be played May 8-10 at the home of the regular season champion. It will be a four-team double-elimination tournament.

Inaugural Big Sky Season: The Vikings finished in a tie for first in the inaugural Big Sky softball season in 2013. PSU and ISU finished with identical 14-4 conference records. The Bengals won the right to host the conference tournament after taking the season series, 2-1, in Pocatello. 

Inaugural Big Sky Tournament: Portland State rolled through the inaugural Big Sky tournament in 2013 going 3-0 to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Vikings run-ruled Southern Utah, 8-0, behind home runs from Brittany Hendrickson and Aubrey Nitschelm. Hendrickson's home run was the first ever at the Big Sky Tournament. PSU then defeated host team Idaho State thanks to a two-run homer by Sadie Lopez in the top of the seventh to win 5-3. The Vikings then blanked Southern Utah again, this time 4-0, to win the conference tournament.

Three Straight: The Vikings made it to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season in 2013, fifth time in the last eight. The Vikings fell in the first game of the tournament to #11 Washington 2-1 despite a one-hitter from pitcher Anna Bertrand. The Vikings then fell, 5-0, to Minnesota to be eliminated from the tournament. 

First-Year Head Coach: Barb Sherwood is in her first season as head coach at Portland State. Sherwood spent the last five seasons as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Virginia Tech. Sherwood added first-year assistant coaches Tory Yamaguchi (Indiana, '07) and Kelly Melone (Texas, '09) to her staff.

Weekly Roundup
Opening Weekend: The Vikings went 2-3 over their first five games of the season at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. Portland State opened the season with a 6-2 loss to Colorado State. The Vikings bounced back with their first win of the season with an 8-6 win over Indiana later in the day. PSU run-ruled New Mexico the following day, 10-0 in five innings, behind a four-RBI day from Aubrey Nitschelm. The Vikings dropped their final two games against a pair of Pacific-12 opponents. They lost to Utah 10-3 before falling to No. 24 California 8-3.