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FIRST PITCH
     The Portland State softball team opens its much-anticipated 2019 campaign on Friday, Feb. 8 against the UC Riverside Highlanders as part of the University of San Diego Tournament played Feb. 8-10 in San Diego, Calif. 
     The Vikings will open the season with six games over the opening weekend, the most since opening with six games at the Kajikawa Classic in 2013. PSU will open with the Highlanders before taking on host San Diego. The Vikings will take on Cal Poly and San Diego again on day two of the season before wrapping up the opening weekend against Marshall and Cal Poly once again. 

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SEASON PREVIEW: The 2019 Portland State softball team, or Team 43, is the deepest and most talented team Head Coach Meadow McWhorter has had in her three years on the Park Blocks. The Vikings return 16 letterwinners from a year ago, including all 10 starters. 

Portland State enters the season with 13 upperclassmen on the roster, 11 of which have at least two years of experience at Portland State, something that McWhorter has never experienced having spent the first 14 years of her coaching career at Mt. Hood Community College, a two-year school.

The result of not having to turn over her roster ever year is a deep and experienced team that is hungry to take the program to new heights. The Vikings were selected third in the Big Sky Coach's Poll after finishing fourth with a 10-10 league mark a year ago. Portland State has its sights set higher than just a third-place finish. The Vikings are focused on bringing a Big Sky Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament berth back to the Park Blocks for the first time since 2013.  

PITCHERS
Back for her final season on the Park Blocks is senior ace Alyssa Burk. Burk has been the work horse for the Vikings over her three seasons and is coming off of her best yet in 2018. She went 13-14 with a 3.49 overall ERA a year ago, which garnered her All-Big Sky Second Team honors. During league play, Burk finished with a league-best nine wins and 100 2/3 innings pitched. She also finished second in opposing batting average (.208) and strikeouts (90). Her 2.43 ERA in league games was fourth in the conference. 

"Experience is something that comes to mind for me with all of our pitchers. We have a senior who threw close to 70 percent of our games last year," McWhorter said. "Alyssa is really on fire for this season and has really high goals for herself and this team. We are expecting big things out of her this year. She knows that there are no surprises. She's been working hard in making sure all of the tools in her tool box are sharpened and ready to go."

The only addition to the pitching staff this season is junior transfer Katie Schroeder. Schroeder played her first two years a Utah State. After deciding the Aggies' program was not for her, she took the 2018 season off and is back and better than ever in 2019. Schroeder is a perfect mix of power and finesse. She has the ability to blow it past batters as well as getting the swing and misses. Even if a batter does make contact it is rarely hard, which allows her to utilize her tremendous PSU defense. 

"Katie brings so much to our pitching staff," McWhorter added. "She brings experience after having pitched at Utah State. Being away from the game for a year, she brings a new appreciation for our sport and being a part of this program. She has been a breath of fresh air and brings a great style of relational leadership to this team. When she speaks, people listen. She's instantly earned the respect of all of her teammates."

Sophomores Serafine Parrish and Haley Schimmel have both made tremendous steps forward from their freshmen seasons. 

"I couldn't be prouder of how hard Serafine and Haley have been working. Their velocity has gone up. Their spin has gotten tighter. They're more consistent in the circle," McWhorter said.  They are seeing the benefits of different sequences can do to a hitter. Of what hitting your spots can do. It's not always about striking someone out. It's about using your defense. 

The final pitcher on the Vikings' roster is unlikely to see the field this season. Junior Emma Detamore battled through injury in 2018 and the offseason has not been her friend. She continues to battle injuries in 2019 and will most likely be relegated to the bench for the season.

"No two pitchers are the same on this staff, which will work to our benefit," McWhorter added. "And all of them trust their defense. They've seen what this defense is capable of behind them and as a pitcher that allows you to relax and trust your stuff."

CATCHERS
The Vikings have more depth behind the plate in 2019 than they have had in several seasons. Not only do they have an All-Big Sky First Team selection behind the plate in SR Kaela Morrow, but they also have a second team selection in SO Rachel Menlove. The two players split time behind the plate to start the 2018 season with Menlove getting the majority of the starts during conference play. 

Morrow is coming off a career year in which she hit a team-best .346 with seven home runs and 31 runs batted in, both team highs. Menlove, in her first season on the Park Blocks hit .289 with 11 doubles, six home runs, and matched Morrow's mark of 31 RBIs. What made Menlove stand out behind the dish was her ability to gun down runners on the base paths. She threw out 10 potential base-stealers, which ranked fourth in the Big Sky. 

Adding depth for Portland State behind the plate is the addition of JR Alexxis Ponce. She made the transition from the outfield during the fall season and has excelled. Her natural athletic ability and her strong arm will be another asset for McWhorter to deploy. Morrow, in an attempt to add more dimension to her game, has made the somewhat natural transition to first base adding even more depth and versatility to the Vikings' defense.

"Ponce has great instincts no matter what positing she's playing," McWhorter said. "She is a very smart ball player and she's aggressive. You mix those two behind the plate and you've got something to work with.

"All three of our catchers are significant offensive threats for us. You're going to see them somewhere in the lineup if they're not behind the plate. I'm excited for all three of them to be behind the plate this year."

THE INFIELD
The infield was a strength for the Vikings a year ago and it only got stronger heading into the 2019 season. For the second consecutive season, McWhorter added a potential game-changer on the left side of the infield. In 2018 it was Darian Lindsey, who went on to earn the program's first Big Sky Newcomer of the Year honor. 

Lindsey hit .324 for the season, third on the team. In league action, Lindsey hit a team-best .431, which was second to only Sacramento State's Zamari Hinton. Lindsey was tied for the team lead with 31 runs scored, hit a team-high 13 doubles, hit five home runs, and drove in 25. Her .527 slugging percentage was second on the team to Morrow's .562. 

This season, McWhorter brought in junior transfer Sala Pedebone who played her first two years at Eastern Arizona College. She was the NJCAA Region I Division I Player of the Year at Eastern Arizona after hitting .444 with 14 home runs, 68 runs batted in, 76 runs scored, and eight stolen bases. McWhorter hopes that those gaudy numbers translate to the NCAA Division I level. What will translate is her speed, quickness, and range on the left side. With her and Lindsey playing next to each other, it's hard to imagine the ball getting to the outfield on the ground. 

"With Darian and Sala, we have two big-time shortstops on the left side," McWhorter said. "That's not a bad problem to have. With the two of them on the left side, not much is going to get through. They work really well together over there. Our left side has never been stronger than it is right now."

Riley Casper is back at second base for the Vikings this season. The junior started 49 of the team's 56 games at second base a year ago. She hit .231 with 13 runs scored, and 11 driven in. She was involved in 10 of the team's 18 double plays a year ago and the Vikings will look for her to continue her stellar defensive play up the middle. 
Ashley Doyle is the returning starter at first base for the Vikings. She started 30 games at first a year ago, hitting .211 in those games. She hit three home runs and drove in 12 in her first year on the Park Blocks. Morrow as made the transition from behind the plate to first base in an attempt to create as many opportunities as possible to keep her bat in the lineup. 

Another player that will be hard for McWhorter and the coaching staff to keep out of the lineup is JR Jessica Flanagan. After having a slow start to the season, Flanagan came on strong over the final month of 2018. She finished the season on an eight-game hitting streak, the longest active streak heading into this season. Over those eight games, she hit .520 with three runs scored, six RBIs, a double, triple, and a home run. Her defensive versatility and the fact that she is one of the "hardest outs in the lineup" according to McWhorter makes her another valuable asset. 

THE OUTFIELD
The deepest, most experienced, and most versatile position group on the team may just be the outfield. The Vikings can go three players deep in center field and even deeper on the corners. 

JR Tayler Gunesch made 50 starts for the Vikings in center field a year ago. She hit .266 at the plate and was tied for the team lead with 31 runs scored playing the majority of the season as the team's lead off hitter. Her speed and range make her a great candidate to fill both roles again this season. However, a nagging injury may keep her out of the lineup during the early stages of the year. 

If Gunesch can't go in center, JR Marissa Bruno is the next most likely choice. She made 45 starts a year ago and hit .339, second-best on the team. She scored 27 runs, hit six doubles, a pair of triples, and drove in 13. She stole eight bags and had a pair of outfield assists a year ago, primarily playing right field. 

The outfield corners will be held down by Bruno, when not playing center field, Alexis Morrison and Ponce. Morrison, the Vikings' returning starting left fielder can play both corners, has a tremendous arm, and can read the ball extremely well off the bat. She hit .234 a year ago and came up big in clutch spots with eight of her 13 RBIs coming with two outs. 

Ponce could see playing time all over the field. After playing on the infield as a true freshman, she moved to the outfield last year. She made starts on both corners and could make her way behind the plate this year. She hit.175 last year but is poised to have a breakout year both at the plate and on the field. 

"Defense is going to be huge for us this year," McWhorter added. "Last year, a big part of the season was trying to figure out the holes in our defense. Now, we don't really feel like we have those holes. We're solid all the way through. There's something to be said for our defense knowing all of our pitchers' tendencies, apart from Katie. There is that awareness that comes with experience. They are also so attuned with each other."

With North Dakota's departure from the Big Sky Conference this season, the Vikings will play three conference road series and three series at home. The top six teams at the end of the year will make their way to Sacramento, Calif. for the 2019 Big Sky Championship Tournament May 8-11. The tournament winner will earn the right to represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament.  

PRESEASON NOTES
ALL-CONFERENCE: Four Vikings were named to the 2018 All-Big Sky Conference First and Second Teams, the most since 2013. Kaela Morrow earned first team honors as a non-pitcher utility player after hitting .346 with a team-high seven home runs. Morrow is the first Vikings to earn first team honors since Brittany Hendrickson in 2015. Darian Lindsey (SS), Rachel Menlove (C), and Alyssa Burk (P) all earned second team honors. 

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Darian Lindsey became the first Viking to be named the Big Sky Conference's Newcomer of the Year. Lindsey hit .324 overall and .431 in league play in her first season on the Park Blocks. She led the team with 31 runs scored and boasted a team-best .953 OPS. She was third on the team with five home runs and 25 runs batted in. She posted a team-high six multi-RBI games.

SERIES WINS: The Vikings won four Big Sky series in 2018, the most since they won five in 2013. Here's a list of the series wins this season:

• Portland State picked up its first conference series win of the year after defeating Idaho State, 2-1, at home. The Vikings took the first game 2-1 in 10 innings behind a tremendous pitching performance by Alyssa Burk. After dropping game two 5-4, Burk threw her first complete-game shutout in game three as the Vikings took the series with a 5-0 win in the rubber-match.
• Portland State earned its first series sweep of the season, albeit a weather-shorted two-game series, with a pair of wins at Northern Colorado (4/14). The Vikings took the first game 12-4 in five innings before plating two runs in the top of the seventh to take game two, 3-2. 
• Portland State picked up its third Big Sky series win of the season taking 2-of-3 at Montana. It is the first time since 2015 that the Vikings have tallied three series wins. PSU won five series in 2013, the first year of Big Sky softball.
• Portland State made it three-straight series wins, taking 2-of-3 from conference leading Weber State to close out its home schedule. Weber State took the first game 3-1 before the Vikings evened the series with a 2-1 win in game two behind an outstanding pitching performance by Emma Detamore. The Vikings needed a pair of home runs, including a two-run home run by Mariah Gonzalez, to tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth. Portland State went on to win the rubber-match, 4-3 in eight innings, after a walk-off single by Marissa Bruno.

CONFERENCE ACE: Alyssa Burk established herself as the Vikings' pitching ace throughout the 2018 Big Sky season. During league play, Burk finished tied for the league-lead with nine wins. She led the league in innings pitched (100.2) and finished second in both opposing batting average (.208) and strikeouts (90). She was fourth with a 2.43 ERA. 

GOING STREAKING: Tayler Gunesch hit safely in 19-consecutive games in 2018, the longest hitting streak by a Viking over the last decade, if not longer. She hit .400 with 26 hits, 16 runs scored, 12 runs batted in, nine walks, and six stolen bases. Kaela Morrow posted a 10-game hitting streak earlier in the season. Jessica Flanagan is riding an 8-game hitting streak into the 2019 season.  

RACKING UP THE K'S: JR RHP Alyssa Burk struck out a career-high 14 batters in the Vikings' win over Bryan (3/16). The 14 strikeouts are tied the for the most by any Big Sky pitcher this season and the most since Anna Bertrand struck out 16 in 2011. 

DOUBLE-DIGIT K'S: Over the last 10 seasons, there have been 24 games where a pitcher has recorded double-digit strikeouts. Anna Bertrand leads the list with 12 double-digit strikeout games. JR RHP Alyssa Burk is second on the list with five after tallying three in 2018. 

GOING DEEP: After having the worst home run per game average in the nation in 2017, there was an infusion of power in 2018. The Vikings blasted 28 long balls. Fifteen of the 28 were hit by first-year players. Rachel Menlove hit six home runs, Darian Lindsey hit five, and Ashley Doyle hit three home runs. Kaela Morrow led the team with seven home runs.  

WALK-OFF: Kaela Morrow hit a game-winning three-run home run in the bottom of the eight to give the Vikings an 11-8 extra-inning win over Toledo (3/7). It was the Vikings' first walk-off home run since 2016 and their first in extra-innings since Brittany Hendrickson in 2015. 

GRAND SALAMI TIME: Kaela Morrow became the first Viking since Brittany Hendrickson in 2014 to hit a grand slam. Morrow came up with the bases loaded in her first at bat of the 2018 season and hit her first home run in the top of the first against Sam Houston State. She went 2-for-4 with a run scored, her first career home run, which just happened to be a grand slam, and a career-high 5 RBIs. She became the first Viking since Alex Flores in 2016 to record five RBIs in a game. Ashley Doyle racked up the Vikings' second grand slam of the season in a 6-1 win over Bryant on March 16. 

CROOKED NUMBERS: The Vikings plated 13 runs in the bottom of the third inning in a 14-4 win over Bryant University (3/17). Their previous season high was seven runs in the bottom of the eighth against Toledo (3/7). It was Portland State's third game with double-digit runs and the most since scoring 15 runs twice in 2015.