PORTLAND – Head Coach Meadow McWhorter and the Portland State softball team will face a Big Sky opponent on Saturday for the first time since 2019 as they open conference play against Montana. 
 
The Vikings will host the Grizzlies in a doubleheader slated for Saturday (1 and 3 p.m.) followed by a single game on Sunday at noon. 
 
All three games will be held at Gordon Faber Recreation Complex - field 4 where fans will be allowed in the outfield. For those unable to attend, the series will be broadcasted live on Pluto TV. 
 

LAST TIME OUT

The Vikings will host the Grizzlies this weekend following back-to-back home doubleheaders against Simpson and New Mexico State.
 
The Vikings had a big showing on Wednesday, March 17 when they captured two-straight victories (12-2 and 5-0) over Simpson. The offense tallied 25 total hits, 17 runs, and seven stolen bases in the doubleheader. 
 
PSU followed up its back-to-back wins with a pair of tight games against New Mexico State on Tuesday, March 23. The Vikings were unable to pull off victories, falling by a single run in both contests (3-2 and 5-4).
 

HOT BATS

The Vikings have recorded 44 hits and 23 runs over their last four games for an impressive team batting average of .389. The Vikings slammed five doubles and six home runs combined in their last two doubleheaders. 

OFFENSIVE LEADERS

Redshirt senior center fielder Marissa Bruno leads PSU in two offensive categories, entering the weekend with a team-high .351 batting average and 10 RBI. Senior catcher Rachel Menlove leads the Vikings offense with five home runs and a .744 slugging percentage. Freshman second baseman Mariah Rodriguez holds a team-best .400 on-base percentage entering conference action.

TOP THREE ARE KEY

The top of the lineup for Portland State came to life at the Husky Classic three weekends ago, recording a .500 average between the three of them. Olivia Dean, Thompson, and Bruno combined for 18 total hits over four games in Seattle, tallying five RBI and 6 runs scored.

The trio added to their impressive totals against Simpson, combining for seven hits and 5 RBI in the doubleheader before combining for seven hits and two RBI against the Aggies this past Tuesday.

BASE THIEVES

The Vikings are 28-29 in stolen bases on the season, seeing 13 of those come in the last four games. Maddie Thompson and Bruno lead the way each going a perfect 8-8 so far this season. Four other Vikings have recorded at least one stolen base this year. 

IN THE CIRCLE

Seven different Vikings have seen time in the circle so far this season. Redshirt freshman Olivia Grey has started a team-high seven games while tallying a team-best 38 strikeouts.

Despite having started just three games so far, freshman Allicitie Frost is tied with Grey for most innings pitched at 27. Frost leads the staff with a 4.00 ERA and has held her opponents to a .206 average in six appearances.
 

TEAM STREAKS

Portland State has stolen at least one base in 12-straight games, sitting at a total of 28 total stolen bases on the year. The offense will enter the series against Montana looking to build on a four-game home run streak.
 

INDIVIDUAL STREAKS

Menlove will enter the weekend on a four-game hitting streak, after slamming a home run in three of the last four games. Bruno is riding a seven-game hitting streak while freshman Mariah Rodriguez has recorded at least one hit in the last six contests.
 

BY THE NUMBERS – SEASON TOTALS

Team Batting Average: .281 (121-430)
Opponent Batting Average: .325 (141-434)
Errors/Fielding Percentage: 17 (.958)
ERA/Strikeouts/Walks: 8.88 ERA, 103 strikeouts, 63 walks

MONTANA GRIZZLIES

Montana will arrive in Portland holding a 6-18 overall record, falling in five of the last six games. The Grizzlies were picked to finish third in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll released in January, sitting just one spot ahead of the Vikings. Montana is led by Maygen McGrath who has a team-high .378 batting average. The Grizzlies have combined for 17 home runs and 100 total runs through 24 games. Holding a team-best 4.62 ERA, Tristan Achenbach will likely see a pair of starts against the Vikings this weekend. 
 

SERIES HISTORY

The Vikings will look to break a five-game losing skid against the Grizzlies, as they trail the all-time series 13-5. Montana earned an 11-5 victory over the Vikings in their last meeting at the 2019 Big Sky tournament.