Complete Release in PDF Format
FIRST PITCH
Portland State opens its 2017 home campaign this week with a three-game Big Sky Conference series against the Northern Colorado Bears. The series will open with a doubleheader on Friday, March 30 at 1 p.m. PT. The series will conclude on Saturday, April 1 with single game. First pitch is slated for 12 p.m.
Portland State opened Big Sky Conference play going 1-2 at Idaho State last weekend. The Vikings dropped the first game of the series before bouncing back with their first conference win of the year, 12-4 in six innings. Idaho State took the rubber match to take the series.
The Vikings may have dropped their opening league series but they picked up a win in the process. The opening week of league play was a perfect example of the parity in the Big Sky. Every team in the league has at least one win and every team has at least one loss.
ONLINE: Live stats will be available for all three games against the Bears. Links are available on GoViks.com.
LIVE VIDEO: A live video stream will be available for all home games played on Gordon Faber Field 4. If games are moved to the turf field due to weather, a video stream will be unavailable. Links are available on GoViks.com.
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
SENIOR CAMPAIGN
Senior IF
Shae Nelson has had a tremendous start to her senior season. Nelson is second on the team with a .356 batting average. She leads the team in runs scored (11) and doubles (6). Her batting average, slugging percentage (.438), and on-base percentage (.420) are all career highs.
FRESHMAN COMING TO PLAY
Freshman IF/DP
Alexis Morrison has come on over the past eight games. Over that stretch, she is hitting .524 (11-for-21) with five runs scored, eight RBIs, three doubles, and her first career home run. She is hitting a team-high .405 for the season with a team-high 10 RBIs. She has reached safely in each of the last 10 games, the longest active streak on the team.
GOING STREAKING
Senior IF
Kortney Craker enters play this weekend with a six-game hitting streak, the longest active streak on the team. Over her current streak, she is hitting .389 with four runs scored, four RBIs, and her first home run of the season. Freshman OF
Marissa Bruno is the only other player with an active hitting streak over more than two games.
VIKINGS FINDING THEIR STROKE
Portland State's offense struggled early on this season. The Vikings hit just .200 (47-for-235) over their first 10 games of the year with just one double-digit hitting game. Over their last 10 games, PSU's batting average has increased to .327 with six double-digit hitting games. The Vikings have tallied double-digit hits in three of the last four games.
4 FOR SHAE
Senior IF
Shae Nelson posted the team's first four-hit game of the season, going a perfect 4-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and a run batted in against Seton Hall.
FIRST WIN
Portland State picked up its first win of the season with a 4-3 win over Rhode Island in the final game of the GCU Invitational last weekend in Phoenix, Ariz. Not only did the Vikings get their first win of the year, but it was the first NCAA Division I win for first-year Head Coach
Meadow McWhorter.
YOUNG SQUAD
Portland State added 11 freshman to the roster heading into the season. The 11-member freshman class is tied for the largest in the country this year.
UP NEXT
Portland State hits the road for a midweek doubleheader at #1 Oregon on Wednesday, April 4 beginning at 5 p.m. PT. They will be back home for a three-game series against Southern Utah April 7-8.
Northern COLORADO BEARS
•
Team: Northern Colorado opened the season 1-10 before winning five of its next seven games. After dropping their next four games, the Bears won seven of their next 11 games heading into Big Sky Conference play. Northern Colorado opened league play at Southern Utah last weekend. The Bears split their first two league games, both one-run games, before falling to the Thunderbirds 11-3 in the series finale. UND gave up 11 runs in the bottom of the fifth, including a grand slam followed by a walk-off home run to drop the series. Northern Colorado is hitting .247 as a team on the year and has have been outscored 191-to-132 on the year. The Bears have tallied 63 extra-base hits on the year, including 25 home runs.
•
Hitting: Erica Dick leads the Bears with a .368 batting average. She has 39 hits, 25 runs scored, seven doubles, and a pair of triples. She is tied for the team lead with 24 RBIs and is third with five home runs. She is 10-for-12 in stolen base attempts. Jordan Wiatrak leads the team with seven home runs and 10 doubles. She is second with 23 RBIs.
•
Pitching: Northern Colorado has thrown seven different pitchers this season. Jayme Reddacliff is 7-11 on the year with a team-best 3.45 ERA. She has thrown a team-high 117 2/3 innings and has all of the team's eight complete games, including two shutouts.
vs. NORTHERN COLORADO
All-Time: Portland State is 18-9 all-time against Northern Colorado, dating back to the 2007 season. The all-time series has been back-and-forth over the last three seasons. Neither team has won back-to-back games over the last three years. Portland State is 11-2 all-time against Northern Colorado at home.
Last Season: The Bears took 2-of-3 at home in 2016. Northern Colorado took the first game 10-4 before Portland State evened the series with a 9-4 victory. UNC took the final game of the series 9-7. Portland State hit .398 at the plate in the series.
Shae Nelson hit .417, going 5-for-12 at the plate with six runs scored in the series.
Alyssa Burk threw a team-high 7 2/3 innings with a 2.74 ERA but did not pick up a decision.
