Complete Release in PDF Format

Portland State Vikings (7-21) vs. No. 19/17 Washington Huskies (29-7)
March 25 • Hillsboro, OR • Gordon Faber Recreation Complex Field No. 4

Next Up
The Portland State Vikings (7-21 overall) will take on the No. 19/17 Washington Huskies (29-7) this Wednesday for a non-conference game at the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. PT. It has been moved up an hour due to inclement weather in the forecast. The game has also been moved from Field No. 4 to the turf field inside Hillsboro Stadium. 

Follow the Vikings
Live stats for the game will be available as well as a live audio stream, 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
If inclement weather comes into play, fans can check GoViks.com and Portland State social media for an updated game status. 

The Huskies
     Washington enters play this week nationally ranked. The Huskies are No. 19 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll and No. 17 in the ESPN.com/USA Softall poll. They are 29-7 overall this season and 2-3 in Pacific-12 Conference play after winning their series finale with UCLA, 6-2, Monday night. The dropped the first two games of the series to the Bruins after splitting a rain-shortened two-game series with Arizona State to open conference play. Washington is 27-4 in non-conference play and 7-0 on the road. 
     The Huskies are hitting .338 as a team this season and are holding opponents to a .267 batting average. They have out-scored opponents 289-134 this season and have hit 47 home runs. They are slugging .567 as a team with an on-base percentage of .445. Washington has stolen 44 bases in 51 attempts. Defensively, the Huskies have committed 33 errors in 36 games. 
Kylee Lahners leads the team with a .438 batting average. She has 42 hits on the year with 35 runs scored. Lahners has tallied eight doubles and nine home runs and driven in 32. She leads the team with an .802 slugging percentage and a .599 on-base mark. Ali Agular is hitting .437 with a team-high 52 hits. She also leads the team with 43 runs scored and 17 doubles. Courtney Gano leads the team with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs. The Huskies have nine players who are hitting over .300 on the season. 
     The Washington pitching staff boasts a 3.26 team earned run average after giving up just 110 earned runs over 236 1/3 innings. Casey Stangel leads the team with a 2.53 ERA. She has allowed 21 earned runs over 58 innings and opponents are hitting .242 off her. Kasey Stanchek is 10-2 on the season with a 3.03 ERA. She has struck out 62 batters over 97 innings and allowed just 42 earned runs.

Up Next
Portland State will get its first Big Sky road test this week against conference leading Weber State. The Wildcats are 24-10 overall and 3-0 in Big sky Play after sweeping North Dakota last weekend.  

News & Notes
Celaya Goes Deep
Junior Brianna Celaya got the start as designated player for the Vikings in their series finale against Southern Utah (3/22) and made the most of it. She hit a three-run home run to put the Vikings up 4-0. It was her first career home run.

Nitschelm Racks Up the Hits
Senior Aubrey Nitshelm went 6-for-11 (.545) with a pair of runs scored, a double, and three RBIs against Southern Utah (3/21-22) on the opening weekend of Big Sky play.  

Hendrix Goes the Distance
Sophomore Meagan Hendrix threw a complete game three-hitter for the Vikings against Southern Utah (3/22) to close out the series. She picked up her second win of the season allowing just one earned run on three hits. 

Smith Leading the Way
Junior IF Ashley Smith continues to make an impact for the Vikings offensively and defensively. Smith is tied for the team lead with seven multi-hit games including a pair of three-hit games at the Wolf Pack Classic (3/13-15). She has hit safely in 14-of-23 games this season and is second on the team with a  .333 batting average. 

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 85 times over the first 28 games of the season (3.0 walks per game). The Vikings walked a total of 83 times in all of 2014 (1.9 walks per game). The Vikings are on pace for 160 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-21 (.289) 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 .333 (8-for-24) 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 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 7-0 this season when scoring six-or-more runs in a game. The Vikings are 0-21 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.