Idaho State Bengals (21-20 overall, 8-5 Big Sky) vs. 
Portland State Vikings (12-27 overall, 6-9 Big Sky)
April 29-30, 2016 • Hillsboro, OR • Gordon Faber Recreation Complex
Live Stats | Live Video

Complete Release in PDF Format

This Week
Portland State hosts Idaho State this weekend for its final Big Sky Conference home series of the year. The series begins Friday, April 29 with a doubleheader, which will be the Vikings' StrikeOut Cancer Day. The series concludes on Sunday, April 30 with a single game on Senior Day. 

Online
Live stats will be available for all three games against Idaho State at ViksLive.com. 

Live Video
A live video stream will be available for all three games against Idaho State at GoViks.com/Live. 

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

StrikeOut Cancer Day
Portland State Softball has joined with the National FastPitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) to raise money to StrikeOut Cancer. Anyone interested in donating can go to CrowdRise.com/StrikeOutCancer to donate. 100-percent of funds raised goes to fund cancer research. 

Senior Day
Seven Portland State seniors will be participating in their final Big Sky Conference home games this weekend. Saturday's series finale will be Senior Day for outfielders Brianna Celaya, Lexi Goranson, and Candice Orozco, infielders Ashley Smith and Melissa Masters, and pitcher Kristen Crawford and Karyn Wright.  

Last Time Out
Portland State dropped two-of-three last weekend at Northern Colorado. The Vikings dropped the opening game of the series, 10-4, before coming back to even the series with a 9-4 win in game two. The Bears took the rubber-match, 9-7, to take the series. 
• Portland State hit .398 as a team. Brianna Celaya and Ashley Smith each went 6-for-10 over the three games with Smith scoring five runs and Celaya driving in seven. 
• Portland State committed six errors over the three games, leading to six unearned runs. The Vikings' pitching staff allowed 23 runs, 17 earned, over 19 innings for a 6.26 ERA in the series. 

Singles
• Junior Meagan Hendrix has hit safely in each of her last seven games with a plate appearance, tying the team season high. She is hitting .455 (10-for-22) on the season.  
• Senior Candice Orozco has reached base safely in each of her last 11 games, tying the team season high.
• Freshman Alyssa Burk recorded the Vikings' first save of the year in game two against the Bears.
• Portland State is currently fifth in the Big Sky Conference with a 6-9 record. The Vikings are three games behind Montana for fourth and a game ahead of Southern Utah. 

Up Next
Portland State will host Utah Valley for a midweek doubleheader on Wednesday, May 4, before heading to Sacramento State to close out the regular season. 

Opponent Preview
Idaho State Bengals 
• Record: Idaho State is 21-20 overall and 8-5 in Big Sky Conference action this season. The Bengals are 6-3 at home, 6-10 on the road, and 9-7 at a neutral site. 
• Top Hitters: Junior OF Kacie Burnett leads the Bengals with a .456 batting average. She leads the team with 42 runs scored and is 20-for-25 in stolen base attempts. Senior IF Maddy Hickman provides the power for the Idaho State lineup. She is hitting .363 on the season and leads the team in both home runs with 10 and RBIs with 46. She is slugging .669 on the season with a .487 on base percentage. 
• Top Pitchers: Sophomore P Ashlyn Ames is 9-10 on the season with a 3.70 ERA. She has allowed 73 runs, 59 earned, over a team-high 111 2/3 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting .310 off her with seven home runs. Senior P Sophie Slagle is 9-8 on the season with a 4.01 ERA. She has two of the team's three complete game shutouts on the season. She has allowed 72 runs, 63 earned, over 110 innings pitched this season. Opponents are hitting .266 off Slagle with 18 home runs. 
• Team Notes: Idaho State had a slow start to its season, dropping its first six games. After dropping their first two Big Sky games to Southern Utah, the Bengals won seven in a row, six in conference, before dropping two at Weber State. Idaho State took two-of-three from Sacramento State last weekend at home. Idaho State is hitting .325 as a team this season with 20 home runs. The Bengals are slugging .430 with a team on base percentage of .401. They are 61-for-80 in stolen base attempts as a team. ISU has committed 44 errors, resulting in 38 unearned runs. 
• All-Time Series: Portland State is 18-10 all-time against Idaho State. The Vikings won 11 straight from 2008-12 but are just 3-7 in the last 10 meetings. Idaho State has won the last four with the Vikings' last win coming in 2014.   
• Last Season: Idaho State swept the season series last year, all via the run rule. The Bengals out-scored the Vikings 25-1 over the three games. Portland State hit just .132 in the series with a 12.83 ERA. 

Season Notes
Racking Up the Hits
Portland State has recorded double-digit hits in each of its last three games, its longest such streak of the season. Portland State recorded 15 hits in its last game at Northern Colorado (4/23), tied for second most in a game this season. 

I Want Candy
Senior OF Candice Orozco is having a career year as a senior. She leads the Vikings in batting average (.348), slugging percentage (.528), and on base percentage (.425). She is hitting a team-best .465 in Big Sky Conference play, fifth in the league. Orozco also leads the Vikings in runs batted in with 23. Eighteen of her 23 RBIs this season have come during Big Sky action. For the season, Orozco is hitting .469 with runners in scoring position and is 8-for-8 with a runner on third and less than two outs. 

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 10 - Northern Colorado (April 22-23)
• Portland State dropped two-of-three last weekend at Northern Colorado. The Vikings dropped the opening game of the series, 10-4, before coming back to even the series with a 9-4 win in game two. The Bears took the rubber-match, 9-7, to take the series. 
• Portland State hit .398 as a team. Brianna Celaya and Ashley Smith each went 6-for-10 over the three games with Smith scoring five runs and Celaya driving in seven. 
• Portland State committed six errors over the three games, leading to six unearned runs. The Vikings' pitching staff allowed 23 runs, 17 earned, over 19 innings for a 6.26 ERA in the series. 
Week 9 - Oregon State (April 12) & Montana (April 16-17)
• Portland State went 0-4 during week nine of the season. The Vikings dropped a midweek game at Oregon State before being swept in a three-game series at Montana. 
• Candice Orozco went 4-for-9 over the four games with a double and two RBIs. 

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.