Portland State Vikings at
Big Sky Conference Softball Championship
May 12-14, 2016 • Ogden, UT • Wildcat Softball Field

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This Week
The Vikings head this week to the 2016 Big Sky Conference Championship presented by Red Lion^® Hotels hosted by Weber State in Ogden, Utah. The championship runs May 12-14 with the Vikings opening play with the Idaho State Bengals at 12 p.m. MT on Thursday. 

Online
Live stats will be available for every game at the Big Sky Conference Championship. Links can be found on the Softball schedule page on GoViks.com. 

Live Video
A live video stream will be available for each game at the championship at WatchBigSky.com.

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

Last Time Out
Portland State dropped its final regular season Big Sky series at Sacramento State last weekend. The Vikings dropped all three games by scores of 10-2 (6), 8-5, and 6-5. Shae Nelson went 6-for-10 with three runs scored, a double, and a run batted in against the Hornets. Ashley Smith went 3-for-7 with three walks, one run scored, two doubles, and four RBIs. Brianna Celaya drove in a team-high five runs on the weekend, three coming on a game-tying three-run home run in the final game of the series. 

Big Sky Championship
Portland State heads to the Big Sky Softball Championship for the first time since winning it all in 2013. The Vikings will open the double-elimination tournament against Idaho State on Thursday. The winner of that game will take on Sacramento State later in the day. The loser, will take on the loser of the Montana vs. Southern Utah game in a win or go home scenario. 

Portland State at the Conference Tourney
Portland State is 8-2 all-time in conference tournaments dating back to the Pacific Coast Softball Conference. Portland State went 5-2 in PCSC Championship Series, advancing to two NCAA Tournaments. The Vikings went 3-0 at the inaugural Big Sky Championship in 2013 to advance to their third NCAA Tournament in five years. 

Singles
• Senior Candice Orozco finished the regular season with a team-high .345 batting average. She also finished second in runs batted in (26) and home runs (3). 
• Orozco is hitting .438 (7-for-16) over her current five-game hitting streak. She has scored twice and driven in three runs over that stretch. 
• Senior Brianna Celaya finished the regular season with a .311 batting average and a team-high 30 RBIs. She also tied for the team lead in home runs with five. 
• Junior Shae Nelson is hitting .500 (8-for-16) over her current five-game hitting streak. She has scored four runs, doubled three times, and driven in three runs. She has three multi-hit game during her hitting streak. 
• Senior Ashley Smith leads the team with 11 two-out RBIs this season after a three-run two-out double in game two at Sacramento State last weekend.  

Portland State vs. The Field
vs. Idaho State Bengals 
• All-Time Record: 19-12 overall, 2-1 at Neutral Site
• 2016 Series: Idaho State won 2-1 at Portland State
• At the Tournament: 1-0 in 2013

vs. Montana Grizzlies 
• All-Time Record: 2-4 overall, 0-0 at Neutral Site
• 2016 Series: Montana won 3-0 at Montana 
• At the Tournament: Never Met

vs. Sacramento State Hornets 
• All-Time Record: 20-46 all-time, 3-2 at Neutral Site
• 2016 Series: Sacramento State won 3-0 at Sacramento State
• At the Tournament: Never Met

vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds 
• All-Time Record: 19-11 overall, 8-2 at Neutral Site
• 2016 Series: Portland State won 2-1 at Portland State
• At the Tournament: 2-0 in 2013

vs. Weber State Wildcats 
• All-Time Record: 19-8 overall, 0-1 at Neutral Site
• 2016 Series: Weber State won 2-1 at Portland State
• At the Tournament: Never Met

Season Notes
Nelson Rolling into Championship
Junior IF Shae Nelson has been rolling over the final week of the regular season. She has hit safely in each of her last five games and has recorded multiple hits in each of her last three.  She has scored three runs, driven in three, and doubled three times over the stretch. She has hit safely in 11 of her last 13 games. During that stretch, she is hitting .386 with 10 runs scored, and five multi-hit games. 

I Want Candy
Senior OF Candice Orozco has posted a career year as a senior. She leads the Vikings in batting average (.345), slugging percentage (.491), and on base percentage (.427). She is hitting a team-best .404 in Big Sky Conference play. Orozco is second on the team in runs batted in with 26. Nineteen of her 26 RBIs this season have come during Big Sky action. For the season, Orozco is hitting .452 with runners in scoring position and is 9-for-10 with a runner on third and less than two outs. 

Home Finale
Portland State senior RHP Karyn Wright picked up the win in her final home start as a Viking. She went 4-2 with a 3.18 ERA at home this season with four complete games and two complete-game shutouts. 

Home Slate
Portland State concluded its home schedule with a twin bill split against Utah Valley. The Vikings finished the season 6-7 overall at home and 4-5 at home in Big Sky play. Candice Orozco hit .455/.636/.513 at home with a home run and 10 RBIs. Brianna Celaya drove in 12 runs with a pair of home runs at home this year. 

True Road Games
Portland State is 5-15 on the season in true road games. The Vikings are hitting .286 in road games compared to .281 at home. Shae Nelson leads the team with a .406 batting average on the road. Portland State has conceded 32 unearned road runs this season on 31 errors. 

Racking Up the Hits
Portland State recorded double-digit hits in three straight games against Northern Colorado. The Vikings recorded 15 hits in its last game at Northern Colorado (4/23), tied for second most in a game this season. 

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 12 - Utah Valley (May 4) & Sacramento State (May 6-7)
• Portland State split a pair of non-conference games against Utah Valley to close out its home slate. The Vikings dropped the first game, 21-6, before coming back and taking game two by a score of 6-4. 
• Melissa Masters went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI in game two. She singled, doubled, and tripled in the game.
• Karyn Wright picked up the win in her final career home start against Utah Valley. 
• Portland State dropped all three games by scores of 10-2 (6), 8-5, and 6-5. Shae Nelson went 6-for-10 with three runs scored, a double, and a run batted in against the Hornets.
• Ashley Smith went 3-for-7 with three walks, one run scored, two doubles, and four RBIs. Brianna Celaya drove in a team-high five runs on the weekend, three coming on a game-tying three-run home run in the final game of the series. 

Week 11 - Idaho State (April 29-30)
• Portland State dropped two-of-three last weekend at home against Idaho State. Vikings took the first game of the series by a score of 6-1. PSU fell in the second game of the series, 11-1. The second game was postponed overnight due to inclement weather and field conditions. Idaho State took the series with a 6-0 win in the series finale. 
• Portland State hit .206 against Idaho State with a 4.42 ERA. 
• Ashley Smith hit .500 against the Bengals, including a 3-for-3 game. 
• Melissa Masters and Katherine Kramer each hit their first home runs of the season against ISU.

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 struck out 10 batters on the weekend. 
• Portland State committed 10 errors which led to 15 unearned runs on the weekend. 

2016 Season Highlights
• May 7 Brianna Celaya hit her fourth home run of the season, a three-run shot to tie the game at Sacramento State. 
Shae Nelson extended her hitting streak to five games after recording two hits in each of her three games at Sacramento State. 
• May 4 Katherine Kramer hit her second home run of the season, second in three games, in game one against Utah Valley. 
Karyn Wright picked up the win in her final home start in game two against Utah Valley. Melissa Masters came up a home run shy of the cycle after hitting a single, double, and triple in game two 
• April 29 Melissa Masters hit her first home run of the season, fifth of her career, a two-run shot in game one against Idaho State. 
Katherine Kramer hit her first home run of the season, a solo shot in game two against Idaho State. 
• 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.