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Portland State Vikings (6-19) vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (7-15)
March 21-22 • Hillsboro, OR • Gordon Faber Recreation Complex Field No. 4

This Week
The Portland State Vikings (6-19 overall) open Big Sky Conference action this week against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (7-15). The Vikings will play a doubleheader on Saturday, March 21 starting at 1 p.m. The series finale will be Sunday, March 22 starting at 12 p.m. Saturday will also mark the first ever games for the Vikings at their new home, the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex Field No. 4 in Hillsboro, OR. 

Follow the Vikings
Live stats will be available for every game against the Thunderbirds. A live audio stream will also be available with former Portland State Head Coach Teri Mariani calling the action. Links for both can be found on the Vikings' schedule page on GoViks.com.

Social Media
Stay informed with Portland State softball on social media. Follow PortlandStateSB on Twitter and "Like" facebook.com/PortlandStateSB to stay in touch with all PSU stories and to find pictures and other great information. Check out Instagram.com/PortlandStateSB for the best in photos.

Rain Out Procedure
With the Vikings' move to Hillsboro, they will have immediate access to a turf field if the weather makes Gordon Faber No. 4 not playable. If inclement weather comes into play, fans can check GoViks.com and Portland State social media for an updated game status. 

The Thunderbirds
     Southern Utah enters play this weekend 7-15 overall this season after splitting a midweek doubleheader with Utah Valley Wednesday. The T-Birds dropped their first four games of the season before picking up a 3-1 win over Cal State Bakersfield. They then went 1-6 over their next seven games. Southern Utah is 5-5 in its last 10. 
     Southern Utah is hitting .250 as a team this season while opponents are hitting .278. The Thunderbirds have just 25 extra-base hits (19 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs) for a .313 slugging percentage. Despite being out-hit this season by opponents, SUU has a higher on-base percentage than their foes thanks to 83 combined walks as a team. They have stolen 21 bases in 26 attempts and have committed 36 errors in 22 games, which led to 22 unearned runs. 
     Sara Park leads the team with a .368 batting average with 25 hits. She has scored 10 runs and has driven in six. Katilin Williams is hitting .286 and has hit three of the team's four home runs. She also has three doubles and a team-leading 10 RBIs. 
     The Thunderbird's pitching staff has a combined ERA of 5.06 this season after allowing 80 earned runs over 142 1/3 innings as a staff. The staff consists of three pitchers who have each thrown at least 41 innings this season. 
     Hanna Wynn boasts a team-best 3.94 ERA with a 2-3 record. She has allowed 21 earned runs over 48 innings and has allowed 55 hits while walking six and striking out 13. 

Up Next
Following this weekend's Big Sky action, the Vikings will host the Washington Huskies for a single game on Wednesday, March 25 starting at 6 p.m. Portland State will then head out on the road for a three-game conference slate at Weber State (March 27-28).

News & Notes
Smith Leading the Way
Junior IF Ashley Smith continues to make an impact for the Vikings offensively and defensively. Smith leads the team with seven multi-hit games including a pair of three-hit games at the Wolf Pack Classic. She has hit safely in 13-of-20 games this season and is hitting a team-best .367. Smith, who has led off for the Vikings six times this season and each of the last five games, is hitting .400 (8-for-20) with four runs scored and a pair of doubles in the leadoff spot. 

Nelson On the Rise
Sophomore Shae Nelson improved her batting average by nearly 30 points at the Wolf Pack Classic (3/13-15). She hit safely in four-of-five games tallying five hits, a run scored, and a pair of RBIs. 

Plate Discipline 
Portland State has walked 78 times over the first 25 games of the season (3.1 walks per game). The Vikings walked a total of 84 times in all of 2014 (1.9 walks per game). The Vikings are on pace for 181 walks this season, which would break the single-season record of 150 set in 2007.  

Tough Loss
Sophomore LHP Meagan Hendrix threw a career-high nine innings in a loss to Wisconsin (3/6) at the USF Under Armour Showcase. She allowed just two unearned runs on three hits. She walked five and struck out four.
 
Tying it Late
Senior OF Aubrey Nitschelm hit her second home run of the season in the Vikings' 2-1 loss to Wisconsin (3/6). Nitschelm tied the game with a solo home run to right center with one out in the bottom of the seventh to send the game into extra innings. 

Pinch Hitting
The Vikings hit just .045 (1-for-22) as a team in pinch hitting situations in last season. In 2015, the Vikings are 6-for-20 (.300) with three coming from sophomore Jenna Stanford, including a pinch hit home run. 

Clutch Hitting
Sophomore UT Shae Nelson has come up with some big hits hit season. She is hitting .400 (8-for-20) with two outs. Five of her nine RBIs have come with two outs this season, which leads the team.   

Hot Hitter
Junior IF Ashley Smith extended her hitting streak to seven games before having it broken last time out against Villanova (3/8). She went 12-for-22 (.545) with four runs scored, two RBIs, and a stolen base over the stretch.

She's Heating Up
Senior IF Brittany Hendrickson put on a hitting clinic at the Long Beach Louisville Slugger Invitational (Feb. 27-March 1). She started the weekend going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored, and three RBIs against Seattle (2/27). She hit safely in four of the five games and improved her batting average by 90 points to a mark of .349. Her 4-for-4 performance was the first four-hit game for a Viking since Alicia Fine's 4-for-4 day against Southern Utah last April. 

When it Scores, It Wins
Portland State is a perfect 6-0 this season when scoring six-or-more runs in a game. The Vikings are 0-19 when scoring fewer than six runs. 

You Get a Walk, And You Get a Walk
Portland State hitters combined for a season-high 14 walks in a 10-6 win over Boise State (2/14). Junior OF Lexi Goranson walked four times in the game, scored a run, and drove in two RBIs, all on walks. Two others, Rayleen Pallan and Shae Nelson, each walked three times in the game.

One for the Books
Sophomore OF Jenna Stanford came into the game against Utah Valley (2/14) hitless for her career in limited action. She picked up her first career hit against the Wolverines in a big way. She came off the bench in the top of the fifth inning and hit a pinch hit, three-run, home run to put the Vikings up 10-0. 

Pinch Hit Homer
Sophomore OF Jenna Stanford's pinch hit home run was the first by a Viking since Kayla Norrie hit one in April of 2011. Norrie's home run also came against Utah Valley. 

Complete Game Shutout
Junior RHP Kristen Crawford threw the first complete game shutout of her Portland State career against Utah Valley (2/14). Crawford allowed three hits and two walks over five innings of the Vikings' 10-0 win. She also struck out two. 

Finding the Power
Sophomore C Alex Flores blasted her first two career home runs of the season at the Kajikawa Classic. She hit a three-run shot against UTEP (2/7) followed by a two-run home run against San Jose State (2/7). 

Crawford Making Her Mark
Junior P Kristen Crawford made her mark on the Portland State pitching staff right away picking up a pair of wins at the Kajikawa Classic. She went 2-0 with a 1.91 ERA allowing just four earned runs over 14 2/3 innings. 

The Pressure's On
The Vikings applied the pressure to opponents on the base paths at the Kajikawa Classic going 10-for-12 in stolen base attempts. Junior OF Lexi Goranson went 4-for-5 on the base paths. 

Streaking to Start 2015
Junior OF Lexi Goranson finished the opening week with a four-game hitting streak. She hit .500 (6-for-12) with three runs scored, four stolen bases and a 1.100 OPS over the streak. 

Getting on Base
Senior IF Brittany Hendrickson reached base safely the first nine games of the season. Dating back to the end of 2014, Hendrickson reached safely in 14 straight games.