PORTLAND – Traveling for the third straight week, the Portland State softball team will make their longest trip of the season as they travel to Honolulu for the Hawaii Invitational beginning Thursday, Feb. 20.
The Vikings (3-7) will play five games in four days, facing Hawaii, Iowa, and Kansas City, in a tournament format, with the final two games depending on seeding and the outcome of the previous games.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:
Thursday, Feb. 20 vs. Hawaii (4-7) 6 p.m. HT
Friday, Feb. 21 vs. Iowa (7-2) 1 p.m. HT
Saturday, Feb. 22 vs. Kansas City (2-3) 10 a.m. HT
Saturday, Feb. 22 vs. TBD 2 p.m. or 4 p.m. HT
Sunday, Feb. 23 vs. TBD 12 p.m. or 2 p.m. HT
MATCH COVERAGE:
Live stats will be available for all matches at
vikslive.com.
GOLDEN STATE CLASSIC RECAP:
Portland State finished competition at the Golden State Classic, coming away with a 2-3 record. The Vikings picked up 4-2 wins over San Diego and Army while falling to Utah State, UC Davis, and San Jose State. Home runs were the killer for the Vikings, combining for nine home runs given up in their three losses, including four against the Aggies and three against the Spartans.
In PSU's opening win against San Diego,
Olivia Grey tossed her first complete game, giving up two runs off of three hits with five strikeouts on the day.
Emily Johansen continued to show her power, crushing a three-run homer for her second long ball of the season.
Serafine Parrish held the Black Knights in check, giving up two runs off of seven hits in seven innings of work while collecting three strikeouts to help the Vikings to their second win of the tournament.
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The Vikings are batting .241 on the season, led by
Ashley Doyle with a .333 average while
Darian Lindsey leads with nine RBIs, batting .296. Portland State has been nearly perfect on stolen bases, converting seven of eight attempts with
Tayler Gunesch going 2-of-2.
PSU has struggled in the circle to begin its tough schedule, holding a team ERA of 6.53 while giving up 60 runs in 10 games. The Vikings have given up 15 home runs on the season and walked 25 batters.
IMPACT AT THE PLATE:
Johansen has made an immediate impact entering the lineup, ranking third in the Big Sky in RBIs with nine on the season. She is batting .276 so far with eight hits and two home runs.
STRIKEOUT LEADER:
Another freshman who has made quick work entering the rotation is Grey who leads the Vikings with 22 strikeouts, ranking third in the Big Sky and first among freshmen. She is holding her opponents to a batting average of .209 in seven appearances.
SCOUTING HAWAII:
Hawaii has competed in two tournaments so far this season, entering the weekend with a 4-7 record. The Rainbow Warriors were also at the Golden State Classic, finishing 2-4. UH faced three of the same teams as the Vikings, losing to Utah State 11-10, Army 7-6 and San Jose State 10-3. Portland State picked up a 4-2 win over Army while also falling to Utah State 5-1 and SJSU 10-1.
Three of the Warriors' four wins have come against Big Sky opponents, opening with two wins over Northern Colorado and a 6-5 win over Sacramento State. Hawaii also won against Bradley, winning 8-5 at the Golden State Classic.
Hawaii has found early success at the plate, hitting .307 on the season. With 19 home runs and 94 hits, the Rainbow Warriors are averaging around homer every five hits. Three players are batting over .380 with Nawai Kaupe leading the team with a .469 batting average and five home runs. Callee Heen leads the team with 13 RBIs while hitting .400 with four home runs.
The circle has been a weak post for the Warriors to start the season, holding a team ERA of 5.68. Hawaii has given up 76 runs in 69 innings pitched while collecting only 29 strikeouts. Amanda Ajari holds a 4.20 ERA in 11.2 innings of work while Ashley Murphy and Isabella Dino are tied with a 2-3 record.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. HAWAII
Hawaii leads the Vikings in the all-time series, holding a 17-7 advantage. Both teams split a doubleheader in 2016 with Hawaii winning 10-1 in five innings, and Portland State taking a 1-0 victory in game two. PSU's win broke a nine-game losing streak against the Warriors.
SCOUTING IOWA:
Iowa comes into the Hawaii Invitational with the top record at 7-2 after opening their season with four wins at the Kickin' Chicken Classic hosted by Coastal Carolina. The Hawkeyes also picked up three wins at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, sweeping two games against Boston College before splitting against Georgia Tech.
Lauren Shaw has been stellar in the circle for Iowa, holding a 1.65 ERA, earning wins in five of her six appearances. In 29.2 innings pitched, she has collected 34 strikeouts and only six walks. Also pitching well is Allison Doocy, 2.07 ERA, who leads the team with 39 strikeouts.
At the plate, Kit Rocco leads with a .471 batting average, collecting three RBIs while Kalena Burns has tallied two home runs and eight RBIs so far this season.
ALL-TIME RECORD VS. IOWA:
Friday's game marks the first time the Vikings and Hawkeyes have faced each other in program history.
SCOUTING KANSAS CITY:
Kanas City has played in one tournament so far this season, holding a 2-3 record at the Maverick Classic. Last season, the Roos were 27-29 overall and finished sixth in the West Coast Conference standings with a 6-12 record. The Roos will be under new direction this year as head coach Kerry Shaw enters his first season.
At the Maverick Classic, the Roos tallied two wins against Stephen F. Austin, winning 4-3 and 9-2. Kailyn Packard earned both wins for Kansas City, holding an ERA of 7.11 in 12.2 innings. She has collected nine strikeouts while giving up 15 walks and 11 runs off of 11 hits.
Offensively, Sydney Garcia is batting .500 in 14 at bats, leading the team with five RBIs and 12 total bases. Her and Chyanne Onstad have each hit a home run this season.
ALL-TIME RECORD VS. KANAS CITY:
Kansas City and Portland State will meet for the first time in program history, playing in game three on Saturday. The Roos are the fourth team this season the Vikings have played for the first time.
