PORTLAND – The Portland State softball team will kick off its 2021 campaign this weekend in Phoenix Ariz. at the Grand Canyon University Purple Classic.
The Vikings will play five games over three days, four of those contests coming against teams ranked in the USA Today / NFCA DI Coaches' poll Top 25.
Head Coach
Meadow McWhorter and her squad will open the season against 25
th ranked Iowa State (11 a.m. MT) followed by a 1:30 P.M. matchup with GCU. The Vikings will play their Saturday doubleheader in Tempe, Ariz. beginning with a rematch against ISU (11 A.M. MT) followed by a meeting with No. 13 Arizona State (2 P.M. MT). Portland State will head back to Phoenix to close out the tournament in a matchup with the second-ranked Oklahoma Sooners (9 A.M. MT).
VIKING QUICK HITS
- McWhorter enters her fifth year at the helm after earning her 50th win as head coach of the Vikings during the shortened 2020 season
- PSU returns 14 players from its 2020 roster, eight of those being seniors
- Marissa Bruno, Tayler Gunesch and Katie Schroeder will return for their sixth year of eligibility as their senior season was cut short in 2020, taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA
- Serafine Parrish, Olivia Grey, Haley Schimmel, Marisol Gaona, and Schroeder will all return to the circle for the Vikings this year after combining for 106 strikeouts as a staff through 24 games last season
- Olivia Grey led the pitching staff as a freshman in 2020 posting a team-best 3.61 ERA in 14 appearances
- Bruno led the Vikings' offense with a .384 batting average last season while freshman Emily Johansen belted a team-high 8 home runs and 26 RBI
- The Vikings added nine freshmen to their roster this season along with Olivia Dean, a Junior transfer out of Centralia College
Full Season Preview
NO. 25 IOWA STATE
Friday, Feb. 26 – 11 A.M. MT – Phoenix, Ariz.
Saturday, Feb. 27 – 11 A.M. MT – Tempe, Ariz.
Series Record: 2-0 ISU
Iowa State will enter Friday with a 9-1 record, its only loss coming against Florida Atlantic on Feb. 20. The Cyclones made history this past week after being tabbed 25
th in the USA Today/ NFCA DI Coaches' poll, the first appearance in the top 25 in program history.
This will be just the third meeting between the two programs as Iowa State holds a 2-0 all-time series record. McWhorter and the Vikings last saw the Cyclones in 2018 in Palo Alto, dropping a close one, 3-2.
GRAND CANYON
Friday, Feb. 26 – 1:30 P.M. MT - Phoenix, Ariz.
Series Record: 1-0 GCU
Grand Canyon will enter the tournament with a 5-5 overall record, clinching three of its last four games. They are led by veteran coach Ann Pierson who is in her 18
th season at the helm. GCU was picked to finish fifth in the Western Athletic Conference preseason poll.
This will be the second meeting between the two programs, the only game occurring in 2017 when GCU earned a 2-0 victory.
NO. 13 ARIZONA STATE
Saturday, Feb. 27 – 2:00 P.M. MT - Tempe, Ariz.
Series Record: 10-0 ASU
The Sun Devils will enter the tournament ranked No. 13 in the national polls after opening their season 6-0. Arizona State was picked fourth in the PAC-12 Preseason Poll while earning recognition in both the NFCA Preseason Poll (No. 16) and D1 Softball rankings (No. 17).
ASU holds a 9-0 all-time series lead over the Vikings, the last meeting coming last season resulting in a 10-0 Sun Devil win.
NO. 2 OKLAHOMA
Sunday, Feb. 28 – 9:00 A.M. MT - Phoenix, Ariz.
Series Record: 1-0 OU (Pre-Division I era)
The Sooners enter the weekend as the second-ranked team in the nation behind UCLA. Opening the year with a perfect 7-0 record, Oklahoma has scored a total of 95 runs and ranks second in the nation with a .512 team batting average. The OU pitching staff has recorded four shutouts so far this year.
This will be the first matchup with the Sooners in Portland State's Division I era, the only meeting occurring in 1980 which resulted in a 12-0 Sooner win.
