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Portland State Vikings (7-22, 1-2) at. Weber State Wildcats (22-11, 3-0)
March 27-28 • Ogden, UT • Wildcat Softball Field

This Week
The Portland State Vikings (7-22 overall, 1-2 Big Sky Conference) will head to Ogden, Utah for their first Big Sky Conference road series of the year when they take on the Weber State Wildcats (22-11, 3-0) for a three-game set. The series will start with a doubleheader on Friday, March 27 at 2 p.m. MT followed by the series finale on Saturday, March 28 at 12 p.m. MT. 

Follow the Vikings
Live stats and a live video stream through WatchBigSky.com will be available for all three games this weekend in Ogden. 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.

The Wildcats
     Weber State comes into play this week with the conference's best record at 22-11 overall and a perfect 3-0 in league play after sweeping North Dakota last weekend by scores of 10-0, 5-4, and 9-1. 
     The Wildcats opened the season 5-5 before going 7-3 over their next 10 games. They have gone 10-3 since, including a seven-game winnings streak. Their streak was broken when they fell to BYU by a score of 8-0 in five innings on March 24. 
     Weber State leads the league with 205 runs scored over 33 games (6.12 runs per game) and has scored 10 runs or more nine times, including a season high 19 runs against Boise State. The Wildcats are hitting .318 as a team with 205 runs, 44 doubles, four triples, and 20 home runs. They have driven in 179 runs as a team. They have a team slugging percentage of .442 and on-base percentage of .394. Weber State likes to put pressure on defenses on the base paths and is 41-for-48 in stole base attempts. Defensively, the Wildcats have committed 37 errors in 33 games which as led to 30 unearned runs this season. 
     Junior IF Aubrey Whitmer leads the team with a .424 batting average. She has started every game and has tallied 42 hits, 22 runs scored, eight doubles, and 20 RBIs. She is also tied for the team lead in walks with 18. Freshman C Molly Horne is second on the team with a .391 batting average. She has tallied 27 hits and has driven in 21 runs. She is tied for the team lead in home runs with four. 
     Junior IF Alyson Kulp is hitting .381 with a team-high 45 hits. She also lead the team with 11 doubles and 29 RBIs. She too has four home runs. 
     Not only do the Wildcats boast one of the best offenses in the league, they have one of the best pitching staffs so far this season. Weber State has a combined team earned run average of 3.50 led by senior MaCauley Flint's 2.53 ERA. Flint is 6-4 on the season with 14 starts and four complete games. She has allowed 21 earned runs over 58 innings pitched. She has given up 43 hits, walked 26, and struck out 61. 
     Freshman Bailey Seek has thrown the most innings this season (65 1/3 innings) and has made 14 starts. She has a 4.29 ERA and has allowed 48 runs, 40 earned, while walking 28 and striking out 42. She has given up 69 hits this season including 21 doubles and 10 home runs.  

Up Next
Portland State will play five games next week beginning with a non-conference road doubleheader at Seattle U on Wednesday, April 1 beginning at 3 p.m. The Vikings will then return home for a three-game conference series with Northern Colorado at the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex in Hillsboro, Ore, the new home of Portland State Softball. The series will open with a doubleheader on Friday, April 3 at 1 p.m. before concluding with a single game on Saturday, April 4 at 12 p.m. The series finale will also be Brest Cancer Awareness Day. 

News & Notes
Flores Finding Her Way
After going hitless for nine games, sophomore C Alex Flores has hit safely in seven of the last nine games including the last three. Flores has raised her batting average to .215 on the season. 

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 15-of-24 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 88 times (3.0 walks per game) this season. 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. 

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 0-22 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.