Lindsey Earns All-Big Sky First Team, Seven Total Vikings Honored

Junior shortstop Darian Lindsey put together a historic season and has been named to the All-Big Sky Conference First Team as a result, highlighting an impressive award season for Portland State. Lindsey leads a collection of Vikings that includes five All-Big Sky performers and two honorable mentions, the most postseason honorees since 2013.

This is the second straight year that Portland State has improved its total number of All-Conference selections. This is also the second straight year the Vikings have had at least one player on the All-Big Sky First Team, the first time PSU has achieved the feat since joining the conference.

"It is wonderful to see so many of them honored for their hard work and everything that they do day in and day out for us to improve their performance," head coach Meadow McWhorter said. "I feel like all of them should be honored at some point, but it is nice to see so many of them honored this year."

Lindsey not only led Portland State statistically, she also ranked at or near the top of the entire Big Sky in a number of offensive categories while playing solid defense at shortstop. Lindsey hit .413, tied with Weber State's Takesha Saltern for best in the Big Sky. She led the conference in slugging percentage (.703), on-base percentage (.519) and walks (30).

She was second in the conference in hits (64), doubles (20) and total bases (109). Lindsey also cracked the top 10 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs. Her season at the plate is one of the best in Portland State history. She broke D-I Portland State single-season records in batting average, doubles, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

The Vikings placed four players - catcher Rachel Menlove, outfielder Tayler Gunesch, pitcher Katie Schroeder and utility player Kaela Morrow - on the All-Big Sky second team.

Menlove, a sophomore from Eagle, Idaho, earned second team honors for the second straight season after holding down the middle of the lineup for the Vikings. She hit .322 with 11 doubles, six home runs and 26 RBIs. She also played fantastic behind the plate, helping guide a great pitching staff to success.

Gunesch made her season debut after the Vikings had already played a conference series, but her impact over the final five series was great enough to garner second team recognition. The junior from Salem hit .375 in 15 conference games, driving in eight runs while hitting three doubles.

Schroeder led the pitching staff in her first year on the Park Blocks, winning a team-high eight total games this season. She also had a team-best 3.49 ERA, throwing eight complete games and striking out 43. The control inside the circle also separates her from other pitchers as she allowed just 15 walks in 118 innings of work.

Morrow put together back-to-back All-Conference seasons, this year finding a spot on the second team. The senior hit .327 in conference games with three doubles and six RBIs. She started 20 games as the designated player, 19 at first base and four behind the plate. Morrow slugged .382 and hit one triple and one home run.

Marissa Bruno and Sala Pedebone rounded out the Vikings represented, each earning honorable mention. Bruno had an outstanding conference season at the plate, batting .378 with an on-base percentage of .442. Pedebone hit .273 with five RBIs while starting most of her games at third base.

No. 5 Portland State will take on No. 4 Sacramento State at the Big Sky Championship tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. The game can be seen on Pluto TV Channel 231 and a full preview of the championship and more information on the Vikings can be found on GoViks.com.

2019 BIG SKY SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS

First Team
Catcher – Emma Brockmann, Northern Colorado
First Base – Krystal Aubert, Sacramento State
Second Base – Kendall Kapitzke, Southern Utah
Shortstop – Darian Lindsey, Portland State
Third Base – Chloe Camarero, Weber State
Outfielder – Takesha Saltern, Weber State#
Outfielder – Emma Bordenkecher, Idaho State
Outfielder – Landi Hawker, Weber State
Pitcher – Savanna Corr, Sacramento State*
Pitcher – Addie Jensen, Weber State
Pitcher/Utility – Maddy Stensby, Montana*
Non-Pitcher/Utility – Nene Alas, Sacramento State*
*Unanimous All-Big Sky First Team Selection
#Three-time All-Big Sky First Team Selection

Second Team
Catcher – Rachel Menlove, Portland State
First Base – Cami Sellers, Montana
Second Base – Faith Hoe, Weber State
Shortstop – Aubrey Creekmore, Idaho State
Third Base – Dream Weaver, Southern Utah
Outfielder – Suzy Brookshire, Sacramento State
Outfielder – Makall Whetten, Southern Utah
Outfielder – Tayler Gunesch, Portland State
Pitcher – Autumn Pease, Idaho State
Pitcher – Katie Schroeder, Portland State
Non-Pitcher/Utility – Kaela Morrow, Portland State

Honorable Mention
Catcher – Jessica McAlister, Montana
Catcher – Lauren Hoe, Weber State
First Base – Ashlyn Visser, Weber State
First Base – Mikelle Magalogo, Southern Utah
Second Base – Haley Harrison, Idaho State
Second Base – Katie Vretzos, Sacramento State
Shortstop – Shea Graves, Sacramento State
Shortstop – Sydney White, Weber State
Third Base – Kylie Becker, Montana
Third Base – Sydney Rasmussen, Sacramento State
Third Base – Sala Pedebone, Portland State
Outfielder – Marissa Bruno, Portland State
Outfielder – Brianna Bowers, Sacramento State
Pitcher – Colleen Driscoll, Montana

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Players Mentioned

#3 Marissa Bruno: OF; 5' 2"; Junior; L/L

#21 Tayler Gunesch: OF; 5' 6"; Junior; L/R

#10 Darian Lindsey: IF; 5' 3"; Junior; R/R

#8 Rachel Menlove: C; 5' 8"; Sophomore; R/R

#18 Kaela Morrow: C; 5' 6"; Senior; R/R

#20 Sala Pedebone: IF; 5' 7"; Junior; R/R

#28 Katie Schroeder: P; 5' 6"; Junior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#3 Marissa Bruno
: 5' 2"; Junior; L/L
: OF

#21 Tayler Gunesch
: 5' 6"; Junior; L/R
: OF

#10 Darian Lindsey
: 5' 3"; Junior; R/R
: IF

#8 Rachel Menlove
: 5' 8"; Sophomore; R/R
: C

#18 Kaela Morrow
: 5' 6"; Senior; R/R
: C

#20 Sala Pedebone
: 5' 7"; Junior; R/R
: IF

#28 Katie Schroeder
: 5' 6"; Junior; R/R
: P