PORTLAND, Ore. – Following a Big Sky series sweep this past weekend, the Portland State softball team will carry its momentum into Tuesday as they look to upset the seventeenth-ranked Ducks at Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene (6 p.m.). 

The Vikings are 24-14 overall and 8-4 in conference action. No. 17 Oregon is 25-13 and 5-10 in Pac 12 play. 

The game will be live streamed for those who cannot attend. A radio broadcast and Live Stats will also be provided. Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate.

Purchase Tickets | Live Stream | Live Stats | Radio

LAST TIME OUT

This past weekend, the Vikings held Southern Utah to just two runs over three games. After beginning the series with a 10-1 run-rule victory, PSU completed the series sweep with 4-1 and 2-0 wins. The Vikings totaled 19 hits, including three home runs. Logan Riggenbach led the Vikings offensively, going 4-for-10 with seven RBIs.

BIG SKY STANDINGS

The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky standings with an 8-4 record. The defending regular-season champion, Weber State, stands at the top of the standings with an undefeated 8-0 record. Sacramento State is third with an 8-3 record against conference opponents.

KEYS TO VICTORY

The Vikings are...

• 19-1 when holding their opponents to less than three runs
• 22-3 when surrendering four runs or less  
• 18-3 when they score the first run of the game
• 11-2 when they score in the first inning
• 19-1 when leading after four innings

SPEED ON THE BASE PATHS

PSU continues to lead the Big Sky with 51 stolen bases, with 12 of those coming against conference opponents. Olivia Dean is tied for first in the conference with 17, while Maddie Thompson ranks third with 15. The Vikings have recorded at least one stolen base in 11 of their last 15 games.

REACHED BASE STREAKS

Olivia Dean (12 games)

Emily Johansen (6 games)

Kiara McCrea (3 games)

HITTING STREAKS

Emily Johansen is riding a six-game hitting streak heading into Tuesday. McCrea, who recorded at least one hit in each of the three games against SUU, will look to extend her hitting streak to four against the Ducks.

RIGGENBACH ON A ROLL

Sophomore outfielder Logan Riggenbach leads the Vikings in six offensive categories (hits, doubles, RBIs, home runs, total bases and slugging percentage). She enters the series with a team-high .364 batting average, ranking fourth in the Big Sky. She's hitting .476 against conference opponents while knocking five home runs, 17 RBIs, five doubles, and one triple. Against the Thunderbirds on Friday, Riggenbach was a single shy of hitting the cycle after recording a grand slam, triple and double in the series opener.  

OWNING THE CIRCLE

Olivia Grey improved to 15-5 in the circle last weekend. She's tossed 15 complete games, including four shutouts while holding her opponents to a .188 average at the plate. She leads the Big Sky with a 1.55 ERA and 182 strikeouts, ranking 19th in the country.

Grey had a career performance against North Dakota State on March 11, striking out a career-high fifteen batters while pitching nine shutout innings.

CHASING HISTORY

Averaging 9.1 strikeouts per game, Grey has a chance to break the program's Division I era single-season strikeout record by the end of the season. Anna Bertrand holds the current record at 229. Grey currently ranks sixth in the record book with 182.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Olivia Grey – Grey picked up back-to-back Pitcher of the week honors after going 5-0 during the opening two weeks of the season. She picked up her third weekly honor after leading the Vikings to a pair of wins at the UO/OSU Invitational.

Maddie Thompson – Thompson earned the first Player of the Week nod of her career during week one after hitting .619 and leading the nation in hits (13) at the Lynn Russell Miller Classic.

Logan Riggenbach – Riggenbach notched her first Player of the Week honor three weeks ago after hitting .714 over four games, leading the Vikings to a 3-1 record against Warner Pacific and Montana.
 

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.
 

RANKED OPPONENTS

Four of the Viking's 14 losses have come against ranked opponents this season (No. 24 Arizona State, No. 20 Louisiana, No.11 Oregon, and No.24 Oregon State). On March 12, the Vikings ended an eleven-year drought, beating No. 24/23 Oregon State 6-1 to clinch the program's first victory over a ranked opponent since 2011.
 

STRONG START

The Vikings began the 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. They hit .387 over three days, totaling 58 hits and 70 total bases en route to a 4-1 start.
 
The following weekend, the Vikings claimed their first win over a Pac-12 opponent since 2015 with a dominant 7-1 victory over Cal at the Littlewood Classic in Tempe, Ariz.

SCOUTING NO. 17 OREGON

The Ducks enter Tuesday at 25-13 overall and 5-10 in Pac 12 action. They've lost eight of their last nine games, all against ranked opponents. This past weekend, Oregon took one game from No. 25 Arizona on the road but dropped the series 2-1. Led by Hannah Delgado, the Ducks have a team batting average of .317. With a 9-4 record in the circle, Stevie Hansen leads the pitching staff with a 3.37 ERA.
 
This will be the second meeting between the teams this season and the 186^th meeting overall. Oregon leads the series 125-61. Their last win against the Vikings came earlier this season on March 11, when they earned a 7-0 win at Jane Sanders Stadium. The Viking's offense was held to just four hits, while Allicitie Frost took the loss in the circle.