Portland State Vikings (11-21 overall) at
Oregon State Beavers (24-12-1 overall)
April 12, 2016 • Corvallis, OR • OSU Softball Complex

Complete Release in PDF Format

This Week
Portland State will head to Corvallis, Ore. this week for a midweek non-conference match up against the Oregon State Beavers, Tuesday, April 12 at 3 p.m. PT. 

Online
Live stats will be available for Tuesday's game against Oregon State. A link is available on the softball schedule page at GoViks.com. 

Live Video
A live video stream will not be available to Tuesday's Game against Oregon State.

Social Media
Stay informed with Portland State Softball on social media. See below for everything related to Portland State Softball. 

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• YouTube - @GoPortlandState

Last Time Out
Portland State picked up its second-consecutive Big Sky Conference series win, taking two of three from North Dakota last week. The Vikings took the first game of the series, 8-0 in five innings, before taking the series with a 5-0 win in game two. After taking the series, Portland State dropped the series finale, 9-3. Portland State hit .333 as a team over the three games, out-scoring North Dakota 16-9. Senior OF Brianna Celaya went 7-for-10 on the week with five runs scored, three doubles, a home run, and six runs batted in. The PSU pitching staff started the series with back-to-back complete-game shutouts. 

Celaya's Big Weekend
Senior OF Brianna Celaya hit .700 against North Dakota, going 7-for-10 on the week with five runs scored, three doubles, a home run, and six runs batted in. She had an OPS of 2.000. She recorded three multi-hit games and two multi-RBI against the Fighting Hawks. She scored at least one run and doubled in each game. 

Singles
• Senior OF Brianna Celaya is riding a five-game hitting streak into Tuesday's game at Oregon State. She has reached base safely in each of the last eight games. 
• Senior RHP Karyn Wright threw her second complete-game shutout of the season in game one against North Dakota. 
• Junior LHP Meagan Hendrix backed up Wright's complete-game shutout with the first of her career in game two against North Dakota. 
• It was the first time this season that PSU pitchers threw back-to-back complete-game shutouts.
• It was the first time PSU had two-straight complete-game shutouts since 2012. 
• Junior OF SheaLee Lindsey had her six-game hitting streak broken in game one against North Dakota. She then posted back-to-back two-hit games to end the series. 
• Lindsey is hitting a team-high .383 on the season with five multi-hit games. She has hit safely in eight out of the last nine games. 

Up Next
Following Tuesday's game in Corvallis, the Vikings head to Missoula, Mont. for a three-game series against the Montana Grizzlies, March 16-17. It will be just their second series against the Grizzlies, the first in Missoula. 

Opponent Preview
Oregon State Beavers
• Record: Oregon State is 24-12-1 overall this season and 4-8 in Pacific-12 Conference play. The Beavers are 1-5 at home, 4-3 on the road, and 19-4-1 at a neutral site. 
• Top Hitters: McKenna Arriola leads the Beavers at the plate with a .408 batting average. She is 51-for-125 on the season with 18 runs scored, seven doubles, two triples, and 21 runs batted in. She has walked 13 times and is 11-for-13 in stolen base attempts. Natalie Hampton is hitting .367 on the season and leads the team with 10 doubles, nine home runs, and 45 RBIs. 
• Top Pitchers: Oregon State has a pair of pitchers with sub-3.00 ERAs and over 110 innings pitched this season. Bev Miller is 10-6 on the season with a 2.89 ERA. Meehra Nelson is 13-6 with a 2.93 ERA and has struck out 156 batters on the season with just 43 walks. The OSU pitching staff combines to hold opposing hitters to just a .224 average. They are susceptible to the long-ball after allowing 34 home runs this season. 
• Team Notes: Oregon State started the season 12-1 with a pair of wins over top 25 teams. The Beavers then went 3-3-1 over their next seven games before winning five straight entering Pac-12 play. They opened league with series losses to Utah and California before sweeping Stanford on the road. Oregon State dropped the Civil War Series with Oregon after getting swept by the Ducks. Oregon State is hitting .328 as a team this season with 223 runs scored. The Beavers have tallied 64 doubles, nine triples, and 28 home runs for a .491 team slugging percentage. They are 47-for-55 in stolen base attempts. 
• All-Time Series: Oregon State leads the all-time series 88-35-1, dating back to the 1977 season. Portland State is 18-48 on the road in the series. Portland State is 2-8 in the last 10, after taking the last meeting. 
• Last Season: Portland State split a non-conference doubleheader at home last season. After dropping the first game, 2-1, the Vikings won game two, 9-1 in five innings. Portland State out-hit Oregon State 14-to-6 over the two games and out-scored the Beavers, 10-3. A pair of Vikings recorded three hits over the two games, including Brittany Hendrickson. She went 3-for-6 with two runs scored, a double, a home run, and three runs batted in. 

Season Notes
Back-to-Back Complete Game Shutouts
Portland State threw back-to-back complete game shutouts against North Dakota (4/8). The last time the Vikings recorded the feat was against Weber State in 2012. 

Back-to-Back Series Wins
Portland State picked up its second-straight Big Sky Conference series win taking two of three from North Dakota. The Vikings out-scored 16-9 over the three games, including back-to-back complete-game shutouts to take the series.  

Big Sky Series Win
Portland State picked up its first Big Sky series win taking 2-of-3 at Southern Utah April 1-2. The Vikings dropped the first game of the series before winning two straight to take the series. Portland State hit .375 as a team against SUU. Eight players tallied three-or-more hits in the series. 

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 of her career with wins over Hawaii (2/27) and Utah Valley (2/28). It was the first time a Viking recorded back-to-back complete game wins since Anna Bertrand recorded six straight compete-game wins in 2013. 
• Senior Karyn Wright posted the first back-to-back complete game wins of her career with wins over Seattle (3/22) and Weber State (3/25). 

2016 Weekly Recaps
Week 8 - Oregon (April 5) & North Dakota (April 8-9)
• Portland State opened the week with a pair of losses at No. 6 Oregon. The Ducks took the first game, 7-1, before finishing the doubleheader sweep with an 11-3 win in five innings. 
• Junior OF SheaLee Lindsey extended her hitting streak to six games, hitting safely in each game against the Ducks. 
• Portland State took its three-game series from North Dakota, taking two of three. The Vikings out-scored 16-9 over the three games, including back-to-back complete-game shutouts to take the series.
• Senior OF Brianna Celaya went 7-for-10 (.700) with five runs scored, three doubles, a home run, and six RBIs against UND. 

Week 7 - Southern Utah (April 1-2)
• Portland State picked up its first Big Sky series win of the season, taking 2-of-3 from Southern Utah in Cedar City. The Vikings dropped the first game before winning the next two. 
• Portland State plated a season-high seven runs in the top of the sixth in the series finale. 
• Junior OF SheaLee Lindsey went 7-for-9, including seven-consecutive hits to start the series. 
• Sophomore IF Kortney Craker went 5-for-11 with four runs scored, three runs driven in, and her fourth home run of the season. 
• Seniors Candice Orozco and Ashley Smith each drove in four runs in the series. 
• Senior RHP Kristen Crawford went 1-0 and did not allow a run over six complete innings, all in relief. She allowed just two hits, walked two, and struck out three.  

Week 6 - Seattle (March 22) & Weber State (March 25-26)
• Portland State went 2-3 over the course of the week beginning with a doubleheader split with the Seattle Redhawks. Seattle took game one, 11-8, before the Vikings took game two, 2-1. 
• The Vikings then dropped their first Big Sky Conference series, 2-1, to the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. 
• Senior OF Candice Orozco led the Vikings with a .615 batting average on the week, going 8-for-13 at the plate. She scored three times, doubled three times, hit a home run, and drove in five on the week. 
• Portland State players tallied eight multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games on the week. 
• Senior RHP Karyn Wright put together the best two pitching performances of her career with back-to-back complete-game wins. She allowed just two earned runs over 16 innings on the week for a 0.88 ERA. 

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
• April 9 Brianna Celaya hit .700 (7-for-10) with five runs scored, three doubles, a home run, and six RBIs over the three-game series with North Dakota. 
• April 8 Karyn Wright and Meagan Hendrix combined for back-to-back complete-game shutouts to take the series from North Dakota. It was the first time the Vikings recorded back-to-back complete-game shutouts since the 2012 season. 
• April 2 Portland State scored seven runs in the top of the sixth inning en route to their first run-rule win of the season (10-2 in six innings) to secure its first conference series win. 
• April 1 SheaLee Lindsey went 4-for-4 against Southern Utah, tied for most hits by a Viking this season. She started the Southern Utah series 7-for-7 at the plate.
• March 25 Karyn Wright led the Vikings to their first Big Sky Conference game of the season with a complete-game shutout of Weber State. 
• 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 Craker 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.