PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland State softball team will return to action this weekend at the Mardi Gras Mambo in Youngsville, La. The Vikings (6-4) will play five games in The Bayou State from Feb. 25-27 in their third consecutive road tournament.
MARDI GRAS MAMBO SCHEDULE
Game 1: vs. Southeastern Louisiana – Feb. 25 (12 p.m. PT) | Live Stats
Game 2: vs. Louisiana Tech – Feb. 25 (2 p.m. PT) | Live Stats
Game 3: vs. #20 Louisiana – Feb. 26 (1 p.m. PT) | Live Stats
Game 4: vs. Nicholls State – Feb. 26 (3 p.m. PT) | Live Stats
Game 5: vs. Northwestern State – Feb. 27 (7 a.m. PT) | Live Stats
HISTORY AGAINST OPPONENTS
Portland State will play Southeastern Louisiana, Louisiana, Nicholls State, and Northwestern State for the first time in the program's history this weekend.
The Vikings hold a 3-1 series lead over Louisiana Tech heading into Friday's contest. All four of the previous meetings occurred during the 2002 season. The Bulldogs earned a 2-1 victory in the first game before the Vikings battled back with three-straight wins.
ROSTER RUNDOWN
Despite losing a handful of upperclassmen in 2021, the Vikings return a core group of starters from a year ago. Honorable Mention All-Big Sky selections Olivia Grey, Emily Johansen, Maddie Thompson, Olivia Dean, and Paetynn Lopez are among the returners.
The roster features seven new faces, including six freshmen. Playing the final season of her career at Portland State is senior catcher Jenny Marnin, a transfer from Southwest Oregon Community College. Marnin is the Vikings' lone senior in 2022. Freshmen outfielders Neveah Smith (Medford, Ore.), Kiara McCrea (Hillsboro, Ore.), and Grace Johnson (Roseville, Calif.), infielders Ellie Babbitt (Albany, Ore.), Natalia Martinez (Salinas, Calif.), and pitcher Annie Lemos (Roseville, Calif.) are making their collegiate debuts this season.
LAST TIME OUT: LITTLEWOOD CLASSIC
The Vikings were put to the test in Tempe, Ariz. last weekend. They earned their first victory over a Pac-12 opponent in seven years with a 7-1 win over Cal on Friday before dropping a five-inning 9-1 game to No. 23/21 Arizona State. The Vikings finished the weekend with a 4-1 win over UTEP and a pair of losses to Cal (11-2) and Illinois State (6-2).
BIG OPENING WEEKEND: LYNN RUSSELL MILLER CLASSIC
Portland State began its 2022 campaign outscoring its opponents 48-13 at the Lynn Russell Miller Classic in Riverside, Calif. The 48 runs were the most to start a season in program history. The Vikings finished the weekend 4-1, earning wins over Utah Valley, UC Riverside, and Pacific (Calif.). PSU hit .387 over three days, totaling 58 hits and 70 total bases.
LEADING THE BIG SKY
The Vikings lead the Big Sky in eight different offensive categories heading into the weekend. They sit atop the rankings in batting average (.332), runs scored (64), walks (33), hits (89), sac flies (4), on base percentage (.417), RBIs (58) and stolen bases (17).
The Vikings lead the conference with a .983 fielding percentage which ranks 18th in the country. They've committed just four errors in ten games.
OLIVIA GREY – OWNING THE CIRCLE
Olivia Grey, who led the Vikings to a Big Sky Championship last season, picked up right where she left off in 2021. To begin the season, the junior right-hander was named Big Sky Pitcher of the Week two weeks in a row. Grey holds a 5-0 record in the circle, tossing three complete games while holding her opponents to a .198 average at the plate. The Woodland, Wash. native leads the Big Sky with a 1.26 ERA and 37 strikeouts through 33.1 innings of work.
MADDIE THOMPSON – OFFENSIVE LEADER
Maddie Thompson was named the Big Sky Player of the Week following her performance at the Lynn Russell Miller Classic in week one. She hit .619 over five games while leading the nation in hits (13).
Heading into the Mardi Gras Mambo, Thompson ranks third in the Big Sky with a .432 average and ranks 20th in the nation in hits (16). Thompson is 7-for-7 on stolen base attempts and has yet to record a strikeout in 37 at-bats.
KIARA MCCREA - BIG DEBUT
It took freshman outfielder Kiara McCrea just two games to etch her name in the Vikings' record book. The Hillsboro, Ore. native became the first Viking since 2015 to notch 6-RBIs in a game, doing so in the Vikings 14-3 victory over Pacific (Calif.) in week one. McCrea went 4-for-4 with two doubles against the Tigers. She finished the weekend hitting .368 with a team-high nine RBIs.
LONG BALL LOPEZ
Paetynn Lopez knocked three home runs over five games at the Littlewood Classic last weekend. The sophomore ranks second in the Big Sky with an .810 slugging percentage and ranks third on the team with seven RBIs.
PRESEASON POLL
The Vikings were picked second in the 2022 Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll released on Jan. 31. Totaling 28 points and two first-place votes, PSU was chosen below defending regular-season Champion Weber State, who received 34 points and four first-place votes.
