Weber State Wildcats (16-11 overall, 0-0 BSC) vs.
Portland State Vikings (6-15 overall, 0-0 BSC)
March 25-26, 2016 • Hillsboro, OR • Gordon Faber Field 4  
Live Stats | Live Video

Complete Release in PDF Format

This Week
Portland State opens Big Sky Conference play with a three-game series against the Weber State Wildcats this Friday and Saturday, March 25-26, at the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex in Hillsboro, Ore. The series opens with a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 1 p.m. PT and concludes with Military Appreciation Day on Saturday with a single game beginning at noon. 

Online
Live stats will be available for every home game this season. Check the softball schedule page on GoViks.com for more information. 

Live Video
There will be a live video feed for every game played on Field 4 at Gordon Faber Recreation Complex. If the game is moved to the Turf Field, video will not be available. A link to the video can be found on the Softball schedule page at GoViks.com. 

Social Media
Stay informed with Portland State Softball on social media. See below for everything related to Portland State Softball. 
• Twitter - @PortlandStateSB
• Instagram - @PortlandStateSB
• Facebook - @PortlandStateSB
• YouTube - @GoPortlandState

Pets at the Park
For the 2016 season, the area around Field 4, including the stands, grass areas, and outfield have been designated a pet free zone. All pet owners who plan on bringing their animals to the game are asked to check out the Facility Map here.

Last Time Out
Portland State opened its home slate Tuesday with a doubleheader split against the Seattle Redhawks. After the Vikings jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, the Redhawks came back, took the lead, and won game one, 11-8. The Vikings bounced back with a pitching gem from Karyn Wright to split the day with a 2-1 victory in game two.  

.400 Hitters
Over the last eight games, three Vikings are hitting over .400. Junior Alex Flores missed a few of the eight games but is hitting .444 with four RBIs over the stretch. Sophomore Kortney Craker is hitting .409 with six runs scored, three doubles, two home runs and four RBIs. Senior Candice Orozco has scored four times, doubled, driven in three, and homered twice over the last eight games. Craker and Orozco are also both slugging over .800 with an on base percentage of over .500 during the stretch. 

Two-Out Hitting
Portland State hit exceptionally well with two outs against Seattle on Tuesday. The Vikings went 9-for-22 with two outs with Kortney Craker and Alex Flores each going 3-for-4. The Vikings also drove in eight runs with two outs, led by Flores' three two-out RBIs. Melissa Masters and Shae Nelson each drove in two with two outs against Seattle.  

Up Next
The Vikings hit the road next week for a three-game conference series against Southern Utah, April 1-2, in Cedar City, Utah. Portland State will then head to Eugene, Ore. for a mid-week doubleheader against the No. 4 Oregon Ducks on Tuesday, April 5. 

Opponent Preview
Weber State Wildcats
• Record: Weber State is 16-11 overall, 2-3 on the road, and 14-8 at a neutral site. 
• Top Hitter: Senior IF Aubrey Whitmer leads the team with a .405 batting average through 27 games. She leads the team in hits (34), doubles (10), home runs (5), runs batted in (26), slugging percentage (.702), and is second on the team in run scored (18), and on base percentage (.485). She has recorded 10 multi-high games, including a trio of three-hit games, and has driven in four runs in a game three times. 
• Top Pitcher: Sophomore RHP Kirtlyn Bohling is 10-2 on the season with a team-best 2.13 ERA. She has started 14 games and gone the distance eight times with a pair of shutouts. She has allowed 41 runs, 28 earned, over a team-high 92 innings pitched. She has walked 28 and struck out 47. She leads the Big Sky in both wins and ERA.  
• Team Notes: Weber State enters Big Sky Conference play as the only team with an above .500 record in the league. The Wildcats are second in the league with a .304 team batting average and lead the league with a 2.89 team ERA. Both marks are in the top 75 in the nation. Weber State is out-scoring opponents 127-to-104 this season and has hit 19 home runs as a team. The Wildcats are an extremely quick team with 61 extra-base hits and they are very active on the base paths. They are 38-for-40 as a team in stolen bases with stolen bases coming from nine different players. Defensively, the Wildcats lead the league, and are third in the nation, with 0.63 double plays turned per game.  
• All-Time Series: Portland State leads the all-time series with Weber State, 16-6. The Vikings won 15 consecutive games against the Wildcats from 2010-2013. Weber State is 5-1 against Portland State over the last two season, including taking all three last season. 
• Last Season: Weber State swept the season series last year, taking all three games in Ogden, Utah. The Wildcats took the series by scores of 4-0, 10-4, and 7-6. Weber State out-scored Portland State 21-10 in the series and out-hit the Vikings, .354-to-.215. 
• Vikings vs. Weber State: Senior IF Ashley Smith went 4-for-8 with two runs scored, a double, a triple, and three runs batted in against Weber State last season. Junior IF Shae Nelson 5-for-13 (.385) all-time against Weber State, including six runs scored.  

Season Notes
Going the Distance
• Portland State pitchers have thrown complete games in six of their last eight games. They are 4-4 with a 3.11 ERA over that stretch.
• Every pitcher on the staff has at least one complete game over the stretch, led by freshman RHP Alyssa Burk's three complete games. 
• Over the Vikings' first 13 games the staff combined for three complete games and an 8.16 ERA. 

Player/Pitcher of the Week
• Sophomore IF Kortney Craker and freshman RHP Alyssa Burk were named the Big Sky's Player and Pitcher of the Week respectively following the Hawaii Invitational. 
• Craker hit .615 (8-for-13) with five runs scored, a double, three home runs, and six RBIs. She slugged 1.385 with an on base percentage of .688. She tallied two game-winning home runs on the week including a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh against Utah Valley (2/26). 
• Burk went 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA with two complete games including a complete-game shutout of Hawaii. She allowed just three earned runs off five hits over 14 innings, while walking six and striking out 17. She struck out a career-high 10 batters in the shutout of Hawaii. 
• It was the third time, first since 2013, that the Vikings have swept the Big Sky's weekly honors. 

Walk-Off Winner
Sophomore IF Kortney Craker hit a walk-off solo home run against Utah Valley (2/26) to give the Vikings their first win of the season. It was the first walk-off home run (not via the eight-run rule) since Becca Bliss walked-off against Sacramento State on April 27, 2013. 

Double-Digit K's
Freshman RHP Alyssa Burk recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts en route to her first career win, and first career complete-game shutout, against Hawaii (2/27). The last Viking to record 10+ strikeouts in a game was Anna Bertrand (11) against Sacramento State on April 26, 2013.

Back-to-Back Complete Game Wins
Freshman RHP Alyssa Burk recorded the first back-to-back complete game wins since Anna Bertrand recorded six straight compete-game wins in 2013. 

2016 Weekly Recaps
Week 6 - Seattle (March 22) & Weber State (March 25-26)
• Portland State opened the week with a doubleheader split with the Seattle Redhawks. Seattle took game one, 11-8, before the Vikings took game two, 2-1. 
• Senior OF Candice Orozco went 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored against the Redhawks, while Junior C Alex Flores drove in three runs, going 3-for-6, on the day. 
• Portland State players tallied three multi-hit games and four multi-RBI games against Seattle. 
• Senior RHP Karyn Wright put together her best outing of the season, throwing a complete game in the game two win. She scattered eight hits over seven innings and allowed just one run. She walked one and struck out a season-high five batters. 

Week 5 - Saint Mary's Classic II (March 11-13)
• Portland State went 0-1 after having four games cancelled due to inclement weather. 
• Junior LHP Meagan Hendrix picked up the 5-1 loss, allowing thee earned runs over 3 2/3 innings. She walked three and struck out two. 
• Hendrix led the Vikings at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. 
• Junior C Alex Flores drove in the Vikings' lone run with a RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. 

Week 4 - San Diego Classic I (March 4-5)
• Portland State went 1-2 over the weekend. The Vikings' pitchers threw three complete games and combined for a 2.21 ERA. 
• Freshman RHP Alyssa Burk opened the week with a 1-0 loss on an unearned run. She struck out four and did not allow a walk. 
• Junior LHP Meagan Hendrix allowed one run on five hits in the Vikings' win against San Diego. 
• Senior OF Candice Orozco went 2-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs on the weekend. 
• Portland State hit .228 on the weekend, while opponents hit .271. 

Week 3 - Bank of Hawaii Invitational (Feb. 26-28)
• Sophomore IF Kortney Craker was named the Big Sky's Player of the Week. 
• Freshman RHP Alyssa Burk was named the Big Sky's Pitcher of the Week.
• Craker was also named the Hawaii Invitational Most Valuable Player. 
• Senior OF Brianna Celaya and Burk were named to the All-Tournament Team. 
• Portland State went 4-1 at the Hawaii Invitational, its best weekend record since going 5-0 in 2006.
• Craker hit .615 (8-for-13) with five runs, a double, three home runs, and six RBIs.She slugged 1.385 with a .688 on base percentage. 
• Burk went 2-0 with two complete games, including her first career complete-game shutout. She allowed just three earned runs over 14 innings for a 1.50 ERA. She struck out 17 batters, including a career-high 10 batters against Hawaii (2/27). 
• Senior OF Candice Orozco hit a pinch hit go-ahead home run against Utah Valley (2/28). 

Week 2 - DeMarini Desert Classic (Feb. 19-21)
• Portland State went 0-5 at the DeMarini Desert Classic. 
• Portland State hit .252 with six extra-base hits. 
• Portland State committed nine errors, which led to 12 unearned runs over the five games. 
• Portland State opened the classic with a 16-12 loss against CSUN (2/19). 
• The Vikings scored just two runs over the next four games, being shut out three times. 
• Junior C Alex Flores went 7-for-14 (.500) with three runs scored and six RBIs. 
• Flores hit two home runs on the weekend, her first two of the year.
• Flores has hit safely in each of the last three games. 

Week 1 - Kajikawa Classic (Feb. 12-14)
• Portland State opened the season 0-5 at the Kajikawa Classic. 
• Portland State hit .311 with three doubles, a home run, and 16 RBIs.
• Senior OF Brianna Celaya hit .571 (8-for-14) with three runs scored, a double, home run, and two RBIs. She posted an OPS of 1.504 on the week.
• Senior IF Melissa Masters (.500), junior IF/OF Shae Nelson (.462), and senior IF Ashley Smith (.400) all hit over .400 on the weekend. 
• Portland State pitchers went 0-5 with a 9.54 ERA after allowing 52 runs, 37 earned, over 25 1/3 innings. 
• Junior LHP Meagan Hendrix went 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA over 14 2/3 innings pitched. She struckout 10 batters on the weekend. 
• Portland State committed 10 errors which led to 15 unearned runs on the weekend. 

2016 Season Highlights
• March 22 Karyn Wright picked up her first win of the season with a complete game against Seattle. She allowed just one run over seven innings for the Vikings' first home win of the season. 
• March 1 Kortney Cracker named Big Sky Player of the Week, while Alyssa Burk named Big Sky Pitcher of the Week. It was the first weekly honor sweep since 2013. 
• March 1 Kortney Craker named College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week.
• Feb. 28 Kortney Craker named Bank of Hawaii Invitational Most Valuable Player. Brianna Celaya and Alyssa Burk named to the All-Tournament Team. 
• Feb. 28 Candice Orozco hits pinch hit go-ahead home run in the top of the seventh to defeat Utah Valley, 4-3. Alyssa Burk picked up her second win of the season with second straight complete game.
• Feb. 27 Alyssa Burk threw first complete-game shutout with a 1-0 win over Hawaii. She struck out a career-high 10 batters, the most by a Viking since 2013. 
• Feb. 26 Portland State picked up its first win of the season over Utah Valley, 6-5. Kortney Craker hit first career walk-off home run on the first pitch of the bottom of the seventh. 
• Feb. 19 Alex Flores hit first home run of the season against CSUN. Flores went 4-for-4 with a career-high four hits. She also drove in a career-high five runs. 
• Feb. 14 Brianna Celaya hit the first home run of the season by a Viking against Arizona State. 

2016 Preseason Notes
• Head Coach Barb Sherwood is in her third year of leading the Vikings. Portland State doubled its win total from year one to year two in both overall and Big Sky Conference wins in 2015. 
• Portland State returns six starters, 13 letterwinners, and nearly its entire pitching staff from last year's squad that went 16-35 overall and 8-13 in conference play. The Vikings add five newcomers, which includes a pair of freshmen and three transfers. 
• Portland State will have to replace the majority of its offensive production from a year ago. The Vikings graduated two seniors who accounted for over 30-percent of the team's hits (112), doubles (17), and RBIs (71), while accounting for 54-percent of the team's home runs (13).
• The Portland State pitching staff tallied a 4.72 team ERA in 2015 which was 2.38 points better than the previous season. The Vikings will have to continue to improve their team ERA if they want to contend for their second Big Sky Conference championship.
• The Big Sky Conference Tournament has been expanded to six teams for the 2016 season. The double-elimination tournament will be hosted by the regular season champion May 12-14. 
• Head softball coach Barb Sherwood has announced addition of 10 players for the for the 2016-17 academic year on Nov. 11, 2015. Sierra Boyajian (Newhall, CA/Hart HS), Marissa Bruno (Monterey, CA/Santa Catalina HS), Riley Casper (Encinitas, CA, La Costa Canyon HS), Elena Cook (Boise State, ID/Boise HS), Emma Datamore (Woodland Hills, CA/Louisville HS), Taylor Gunesch (Salem, OR/West Salem HS), Korina Krueg (Lodi, CA/Tokay HS), Alexis Morrison (Pendleton, OR/Pendleton HS), Alexxis Ponce (Whittier, CA/Santa Fe HS), and Hannah Self (Tigard, OR/Tualatin HS) will all join the Vikings in the fall of 2016.