Saint Mary's Tournament II • March 11-13 • Saint Mary's College • Moraga, CAThis Week
Portland State heads to Moraga, Calif. this week for five games at the Saint Mary's Tournament II hosted by Saint Mary's (CA). Portland State will take on the Manhattan Jaspers (7-3 overall) twice, the Towson Tigers (14-4) twice, and the Gaels (6-14) once.  

Online
Live stats will be available for all five games at the Saint Mary's Tournament II. Check the softball schedule page on GoViks.com for more information. 

Live Video
No live video stream will be available this week.  

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Saint  Mary's Tournament II
Portland State will be playing Manhattan and Towson for the first time in program history. The Vikings have played Saint Mary's 54 times since their first meeting in 1985 with Portland State leading the all-time series 34-20. The Vikings and Gaels faced off 41 times as part of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference from 2000-2012. The two teams played three times last year at the Wolf Pack Classic in Reno, Nev. with the Gaels taking 2-of-3 from the Vikings. Portland State won the first game 6-2 before dropping the next two by scores of 6-4 and 2-1. 
 
Last Week
Portland State went 1-2 in a rain shortened San Diego Classic I. The Vikings opened the week with a tough 1-0 loss to Pitt. Freshman RHP Alyssa Burk threw a complete game, her third straight, and allowed just one unearned run in the game. The Vikings came back with a 3-1 win over San Diego behind a complete game from LHP Meagan Hendrix. The Vikings then fell to Illinois-Chicago, 5-4, in walk-off fashion. Their final two games of the weekend against Grand Canyon and San Diego State were cancelled due to weather. 

Pitcher Going the Distance
Portland State pitchers have thrown five-straight complete games after throwing just three over the first 13 games. Over that five-game stretch, the Vikings' pitching staff is 3-2 with a 1.91 ERA. They have allowed just 10 runs, nine earned over 33 innings. Freshman RHP Alyssa Burk is 2-1 with a 1.05 ERA over 20 innings during the streak. 

Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick
Sophomore Kortney Craker and Senior Candice Orozco are both hitting over .400 with a pair of home runs over the last five games. They have combined for six runs scored and six driven in. 

Up Next
Portland State will have a well deserved week off next week after play the first five weeks on the road. The Vikings will then open their home slate on Tuesday, March 22 with a doubleheader against Seattle starting at 3 p.m. at the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex in Hillsboro, Ore. The Vikings will then open Big Sky Conference action with a three-game series against the Weber State Wildcats, March 25-26.  

Opponent Previews
Manhattan Jaspers
• Record: Manhattan is 7-3 overall this season, 2-0 at home, 2-0 on the road, and 3-3 at a neutral site. 
• Top Hitter: Jenn Vazquez leads the team with a .438 batting average. She leads the team with 14 hits. She has scored six runs, driven in 11, and hit two home runs. 
• Top Pitcher: Stephanie Kristo is 3-1 on the season with a 2.73 ERA this season. She has allowed 17 runs, 10 earned, over 25 2/3 innings this season. She has walked 17 and struck out 20. Opponents are hitting . 255 off her.  
• Team Notes: Manhattan opened the season 2-3 at the EMU Madeira Beach Invitational in Madeira Beach Fla. The Jaspers then swept a home doubleheader against Hartford before winning three-straight at the Hampton Invitational. They are hitting .306 as a team with 16 extra-base hits (8 doubles, 1 triple, and 7 home runs). They have out-scored opponents 64-to-56 and are 24-for-25 in stolen base attempts. 

Towson Tigers
• Record: Towson is 14-4 overall this season, 4-1 at home, 0-3 on the road, and 10-0 at a neutral site. 
• Top Hitter: Shelby Stracher leads the team with a .491 average on the season. She leads the team in hits (18), home runs (6), RBIs (25), slugging percentage (.906), and on base percentage (.537). 
• Top Pitcher: Ambar Hickman leads the team with a 6-1 record and a 2.18 ERA. She has allowed 23 runs, 14 earned, over 45 complete innings. She has walked seven and struck out 21. Opponents are hitting .318 for the season off Hickman. 
• Team Notes: Towson opened the season with back-to-back 3-1 weeks at the Charleston Southern Tournament and at the Coastal Carolina Classic. After going 4-1 at the Winthrop Adidas Invitational the Tigers opened their home schedule with a 13-3 win over UMBC. They are coming off a 4-1 week at their own Tiger Clash with a win over Morgan State and two over Virginia. Towson is hitting .348 as a team with 59 extra-base hits (33 doubles, 2 triples, and 24 home runs). The Tigers have out-scored opponents 126-to-64 this season. 

Saint Mary's Gaels
• Record: Saint Mary's is 6-14 overall this season, 1-4 at home, 2-3 on the road, and 3-7 at a neutral site. 
• Top Hitter: Lollie Fitzpatrick is hitting .313 on the season with five runs scored and a team-high 12 RBIs. She has hit four doubles, one triple, and two of the Gaels' seven home runs on the season.  
• Top Pitcher: Katie Moss is 3-6 with a team-best 4.16 ERA this season. She has allowed 48 runs, 37 earned over a team high 62 1/3 innings this season. Opponents are hitting .263 with nine home runs off her. 
• Team Notes: Saint Mary's opened the season 2-3 at the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic in Honolulu. The Gaels then went 1-4 at the Stanford Nike Tournament before dropping their first home game, 1-0, to Seattle. They went 1-3 at the Saint Mary's Tournament before going 2-3 at the Alexis Park Resort Classic. They are hitting .236 as a team and have been out-scored 112-71 this season. 

Season Notes
Going the Distance
• Portland State pitchers have throw five-consecutive complete games. They are 3-2 with a 1.91 ERA over that stretch.
• Freshman RHP Alyssa Burk has thrown three straight complete games. Senior RHP Kristen Crawford and Junior LHP Meagan Hendrix have each thrown one. 
• 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 recorded 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 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 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.