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     The Portland State softball team opens its 2017 campaign this week at the Mercer Invitational hosted by Mercer University in Macon, Ga. 
     The Vikings open the week against the Dayton Flyers on Friday, Feb. 10 at 10 a.m. ET. They will take on the Murray State Racers later in the day for the first of two doubleheaders to open the season. 
     The next day, Saturday, Feb. 11, Portland State will take on the Kent State Flashes (11:45 a.m. ET) and the Mercer Bears (2:00 p.m. ET) before wrapping up the week on Sunday, Feb. 12 with another game against Dayton. 

ONLINE: Live stats will be available for all five games at the Mercer Invitational. Links are available on the Softball schedule page at GoViks.com.

LIVE VIDEO: There will be no live video stream for any of this week's games. 

SOCIAL MEDIA: Stay informed with Portland State Softball on social media. See below for everything related to Portland State Softball.
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MERCER INVITATIONAL
The Vikings open the season at the Mercer Invitation for the first time in program history. The Vikings have opened each of the last eight seasons at the Kajikawa Classic hosted by Arizona State.

LAST SEASON
Portland State went 14-35 overall and finished sixth in the Big Sky Conference with a 7-14 record. The Vikings qualified for the Big Sky Championship but were two-and-done after losing to Idaho State and Montana. 

THE ROSTER
Portland State a very new look to its roster this season. The Vikings return only nine players from a year ago, one pitcher, and welcome 11 freshman into the mix. The freshman will all be vying for some pretty important starting position, most notably, shortstop. 

NEW STAFF
Portland State hired Meadow McWhorter on July 7, 2016 as the fifth head softball coach since the 1977 season. McWhorter had a very successful career at Mt. Hood Community College. Former Viking Assistant Coach Kellie Wilkerson was brought back in as was new Assistant Coach Teauna Hughes to round out the staff.  

BIG SKY TOURNAMENT
The Big Sky Conference Championship will be held  May 11-13 at the home of the regular season champion. Six teams will qualify for the double-elimination tournament with the winner earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

UP NEXT
The Vikings hit the road again next week when they head to the DeMarini Desert Classic, hosted by UNLV in Las Vegas, Nev. 

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DAYTON FLYERS
• Head Coach: Cara LaPlace 304-370-2 overall in 16 seasons and 210-244-2 in 10 seasons at Dayton. 
• 2016 Record: 27-21-1 overall in 2016 and finished second in the Atlantic 10 with a 14-5-1 record. 
• Top Returning Hitter: Gabrielle Snyder led the team with a .381 batting average in 2016, going 40-for-105 for the year. She scored a team-high 21 runs and tallied 13 doubles, also a team high. 
• Top Returning Pitcher: Manda Cash returns after being named the A10 Pitcher of the Year. She went 11-10 overall with a 1.42 ERA over a team-high 152 1/3 innings pitched. She gave up just 44 runs, 31 earned, walked 40 and struck out 183. 
• Team Notes: Dayton went 27-21-1 overall and hit .235 as a team. The Flyers scored 130 runs (2.7 per game) and hit 13 home runs and drove in 112. They went 38-for-52 as a team in stolen base attempts. They scored 30 runs in the first inning on the year, the most in any inning. The pitching staff combined for a 2.00 ERA and recorded 312 strikeouts. 

MURRAY STATE RACERS
• Head Coach: Kara Amundson is 119-104 in five seasons leading the Racers. 
• 2016 Record: Murray State went 24-34 overall and 12-14 in Ohio Valley Conference play. They were knocked out of the conference tournament in the quarterfinals. 
• Top Returning Hitter: Jessica Twaddle led the team with a .335 batting average last season and slugged .516, also a team best. She scored 32 runs, hit four home runs, and drove in a team-high 28. 
• Top Returning Pitcher: Mason Robinson appeared in 43 of 55 games last year, making 36 starts. She went 19-16 with a 1.99 ERA after allowing 90 runs, 66 earned, over 232 2/3 innings. She walked 61 and struck out 119 and allowed opponents to hit .222 with eight home runs. She threw 24 complete games, including six shutouts. 
• Team Notes: The Racers hit .268 as a team with 193 run, 20 home runs, and 152 RBIs. They walked 122 times and struck out 241 times. The pitching staff combined for a 2.92 team ERA. 

KENT STATE FLASHES
• Head Coach: Eric Oakley is in his first season as head coach after spending on season as and assistant coach and on as the Interim Head Coach. He coached at North Dakota in the school's first two seasons in the Big Sky Conference. 
• 2016 Record: 37-22 overall and 16-7 in Mid-America Conference play. 
• Top Returning Hitter: Maddy Grimm, an NFCA All-Mideast Region selection a year ago, led the team with a .327 batting average, 51 runs scored, 13 doubles, 18 home runs, and 39 RBIs. She slugged .738 and had an on-base percentage of .449. Her 50 career home runs is third all-time in Mid-America Conference history. 
• Top Returning Pitcher: Ronnie Ladines, also an NFCA All-Mideast Region selection a year ago, went 23-10 in the circle with a 2.54 ERA. She appeared in 44 games, making 31 starts, and struck out 206 batters in 220 2/3 innings. Offensively, Ladines hit .314 with four home runs and 24 RBIs. 
• Team Notes: Kent State is the two-time defending Mid-America Conference regular season champions and have been picked to win their third in 2017. The Flashes hit .265 as a team with 268 runs scored and 55 home runs. They slugged .420 as s team with a .362 team on-base percentage. 

MERCER BEARS
• Head Coach: Stephanie DeFeo is 215-214 in eight seasons as a head coach and 99-76 in three seasons leading the Bears. 
• 2016 Record: 23-35 overall and 4-14 in Southern Conference play. Went 2-2 at the SoCon tournament.
• Top Returning Hitter: Taylor Miller leads all returners with a .414 batting average from last season. She went 79-for-191 with 36 runs scored and 17 RBIs. She went 26-for-31 in stolen base attempts. 
• Top Returning Pitcher: Maxine Rodriguez went 7-8 in 22 appearances last season and posted a team-best 3.80 ERA. She allowed 72 runs, 50 earned, over 92 innings pitched. 
• Team Notes: Mercer hit .282 as a team with 270 runs scored, 55 doubles, 34 home runs, and 247 runs batted in. The Bears slugged .394 as a team with a .358 on-base percentage. They recorded 76 stolen bases in 89 attempts. Defensively, they posted a fielding percentage of .952 with 77 errors on the year. 

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SEASON PREVIEW
     Together.
     Coming together. Playing together. One team playing for one purpose. Putting Portland State softball back on the map in the Big Sky Conference. 
     That has been the battle cry for first-year Head Coach Meadow McWhorter and her team. It started on day one in a meeting room on campus. The idea of playing together and for the teammate right next to you each day has been something that she has instilled in her extremely young, but talented, team heading into the 2017 season.
     That goal brings its own set of unique challenges for McWhorter and her staff. They have to blend a group of 10 returners from last year's squad with 11 true freshmen stepping on the field for the first time as collegiate softball players. 
     An added challenge for McWhorter is that the 11 newcomers to the team, nine position players and two pitchers, were recruited and signed to play on the Park Blocks by the previous administration, which means she has an entire team of 20 players to get to know and learn what their strengths and weaknesses are. 
     That virtual clean slate gives the program a chance to reinvent itself and gives each player, returner or newcomer, the opportunity to have a fresh start in the game that they love. 
     Portland State returns eight position players and one pitcher from last year's roster and returns just to players who have played in more than 50 career games. Senior 3B Shae Nelson returns as the teams returning hitter. She has played and started in 138 games over her first three seasons and is a career .302 hitter with 13 career doubles and 31 career runs batted in. 
     Sophomore RHP Alyssa Burk is the only returning pitcher from last year's staff. She saw limited action, only throwing 62 2/3 innings, but was effective when she was in the circle. She went 3-5 on the year with a team-best 3.57 ERA and threw a complete-game shutout at Hawaii which earned her the first Big Sky Conference Pitcher of the Week honor of her career. 
     The Vikings add a group of extremely talented players to help fill the gaps in the starting lineup. They add nine position players and a pair of pitchers. 

PITCHING STAFF
     Like every season, all eyes will be on the pitching staff heading into the year. Burk will be looked upon to anchor the staff as the only returner. The fact that she threw so few innings in her true freshman season will be an advantage for the Vikings as she will carry the bulk of the load early in the season. 
     "We've spent a lot of time this fall working on how we approach a hitter and how we hold ourselves in the circle," McWhorter said. "We have two freshmen pitchers who will be tested like they've never been tested before and we have Alyssa who will be someone look to a lot this season. We've talked a lot about the mental side of pitching and what it means to be the captain of the ship on the field." 
     The mental side of pitching will come into play quite a bit as the Vikings add a pair of freshman pitchers into the mix. Freshman RHP Emma Detamore out of Woodland Hills, Calif. is a two-way threat for the Vikings. She was a CIF All-State Division V selection as well as the Sunrise League Most Valuable Player as a senior. She finished her high school career with a 2.08 ERA and hit .417 in 71 games. She brings a lot of power to her offensive game as well as her game in the circle. 
     Fellow RHP Elena Cook is a two-way threat herself. The freshman out of Boise High School in Boise, Idaho was named the team's MVP as a senior and was a two-time First Team 5A All-Southern Idaho Conference selection.
     Joining the two freshmen as a newcomer to the PSU pitching staff this season will be junior Kortney Craker. "Kortney has some pretty nasty movement to the ball and is a different kind of pitcher than the rest of the staff," McWhorter added. "It'll be our job as a coaching staff to use them effectively and put them in at the right times."

CATCHERS
     The other half of the pitcher-catcher battery is deeper than it has been in years at Portland State. The Vikings have four catchers vying for the starting spot led by senior Katherine Kramer. Kramer brings a lot of leadership and a calming influence to the position. She knows how to handle the pitching staff and is the first one to call a timeout and go out to talk with a pitcher when they need it. She played in 42 games, making 40 starts, in her first season on the Park Blocks last year. She hit .214 at the plate with seven runs scored and 10 RBIs. 
     "We've talked a lot with the catchers about how to handle our pitchers and what their needs are," McWhorter Said. "I give a lot of credit to our catchers because they have taken our pitchers to another level with how they handle them and with their energy behind the plate. Kat and Kaela (Morrow) are awesome back there and Hanna (Self) and Sophia (DeLap) have really done a good job at taking their lead and paying attention to what they do."
     Sophomore Kaela Morrow is the second of the Vikings' two returning catchers. She played in 19 games as a true freshman a year ago, making a handful of starts. She hit .179 with two runs scored and three batted in last season. 
     Adding to the catching depth this season are freshmen Sophia DeLap and Hannah Self. DeLap played four years at Churchill High School in Eugene, Ore. and was an All-State First Team selection as a senior and was an Oregon 5A State Champion with a 5-for-5 performance in the championship game. 
     Self is one of the hardest workers on the team and has a rocket for an arm. She helped her Tualatin High School team to the Oregon 6A State Championship in 2015. She was a first team All-State and first team All-Three Rivers League selection as a senior after hitting .460 with 18 runs scored, 25 RBIs, and six home runs. 

THE INFIELD
     With so many new players on the roster there are few starting positions that you can say are locked down heading into the season. Third base is one of those. Nelson has been a mainstay in the Vikings' lineup over the last three seasons. After starting nearly every game at second base as a freshman, she moved to the outfield as a sophomore, before moving back into the infield last year to lock down the hot corner. Nelson hit .336 with 22 runs scored, and 10 RBIs as a junior a year ago.
     "Shea Nelson is one of the anchors to our infield. She has been so impressive," McWhorter said. "She's quick on the bunt, the knows all the defenses, she communicates so well with the other infielders, and it's nice to have her next to a freshman."
     Like Nelson at third base, senior Craker will once again anchor the Vikings infield at first base. Craker hit .296 at the plate a year ago but was plagued with an injury that she dealt with during the offseason. She was second on the team in both home runs (4) and doubles (9) and scored 23 runs with 19 driven in, 10 coming with two outs. 
     "Kortney is back and in the mix at first base, which is great," McWhorter said. "She is one of the most fundamentally sound players that we have on this team She is someone we're really excited about offensively. She's a very consistent hitter with some pop. If she's not at first base, most likely she going to be in the circle."
The Vikings may have the corners locked down on the infield, but up the middle is still up for grabs. 
     Freshman Korina Krueg out of Lodi, Calif.'s Tokay High School is one of two freshmen vying for the starting shortstop job. She was a first team all-league selection in high school and is one of the smoothest fielders on the field. Freshman Alexxis Ponce will also be vying for the starting shortstop job. The Whittier, Calif. native hit .355 with 63 runs scored and 41 runs batted in over her four-year career at Santa Fe High School. 
     Senior Celena Carrisosa (a.k.a. Nugget) is one of the five returning seniors who has seen the field a lot over the past couple of years, particularly at second base. She played in 38 games, making 22 starts, at second a year ago, with a .137 batting average.
     "Nugget is certainly a leader on the infield. She has improved her range and gotten a lot smoother with her fielding," McWhorter said. "We've worked at lot on her stick this year. She understands the game so well and she's become a sponge when it comes to swinging away, so you'll see her do more of that this year."
     Like most of the positions currently occupied by returners, there is a freshman waiting in the wings looking for an opportunity to prove herself. At second base that player is freshman Riley Casper. 
     "Riley is another one who can emerge for us. She has a good stick," McWhorter added. "Nugget has been such a good person to have next to Riley, she's a coach out there. She's always giving Riley feedback and Riley has been a sponge out there getting feedback for the senior."
     Other players that will see time on the infield this season are freshmen Sierra Boyajian and Alexis Morrison. Boyajian will back up Nelson at third base and Morrison has seen time during the preseason at both first base and in the outfield. Both have powerful bats and are in the mix to crack the lineup as a designated player. 

THE OUTFIELD
     Like the infield, the Portland State outfield will have a mix of returners and newcomers. Leading the way in the outfield is senior SheaLee Lindsey who started much of last season in center field. She is one of the vocal leaders in the outfield and brings a lot of energy to the game. She played 43 games, making 33 starts, last season in her first year on the Park Blocks. McWhorter is very familiar with Lindsey after having her for two years at Mt. Hood Community College. 
     Senior Jenna Stanford and junior Mariah Gonzalez have both seen limited time in the outfield over the course of their careers. They have combined for 58 at bats both are prepared to make a place for themselves in the outfield this season. 
     "What we've seen from Mariah this year is amazing," Assistant Coach Kellie Wilkerson said. "Her throwing accuracy, her confidence, her communication with others, she has the whole package right now."
     Tayler Gunesch and Marissa Bruno are a pair of freshmen who are looking to break into the starting lineup in the outfield. 
     Gunesch was a three-sport athlete at West Salem High School and was named the Greater Valley Conference Player of the Year as a senior. She was a four-time All-GVC first team selection and two-time all-state first team selection. 
     "Tayler has the overall package. She's has an outstanding arm and is a smart fielder," Wilkerson added. "She keeps the ball low and is very accurate with her throws. Marissa is very impressive with a very strong arm and she can hit for power."
     Bruno, out of Monterey, Calif.'s Santa Catalina High School, packs a lot of power into her 5-foot-2 frame. She hit .494 over her four-year high school career, hitting over .500 in a season twice. She hit .568 with 26 runs scored and 28 runs batted in as a senior. She was named All-Mission Trail Athletic League four times.