PORTLAND, Ore. -  After opening the season with 22 road games, the Portland State softball team will finally play on its home turf when they host Saint Martin's for a doubleheader on Thursday, March 23 at Hillsboro Stadium (1:00 p.m.).

Due to weather conditions, the doubleheader will be played on the turf field at Hillsboro Stadium, across the street from the Vikings' home field. Due to the location change, the doubleheader will not be live-streamed.

Thursday marks the Vikings' latest home opener since the 2017 season. Coming off a bye week, PSU enters the doubleheader at 6-16 overall, while the Saints are 13-6 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
 

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GAME NOTES: vs. Saint Martin's – Thursday, March 23
Hillsboro, Ore. – Hillsboro Stadium  
Live Stats (Game 1) | Live Stats (Game 2)
 

SAINT MARTIN'S (13-6) AT PORTLAND STATE (6-16)

All-time series: Series tied, 0-0
 
The Saints head into Thursday with a 13-6 record, winning four of their last five games. As members of the GNAC (NCAA DII), the Saints have already begun conference action, going 4-2 against GNAC opponents. The Saints are hitting .282 this season, totaling six home runs and 85 runs over 19 games. Freshman outfielder Haley Agena leads the way with a .415 batting average. The Saints' pitching staff has been impressive so far this year, entering Thursday with a 2.91 ERA. Junior Tia Ridings leads the staff with a 7-2 record and 2.32 ERA. Head Coach Jim Peterson is in his sixth season at the helm. Saint Martin's finished the 2022 season with a 31-20 record and a 17-7 conference mark.
 

LAST TIME OUT –  BOISE STATE SERIES

The Vikings dropped three games to the Broncos two weekends ago. Boise State was dominant offensively, scoring 47 runs during the series and winning all three games in five innings. The Vikings performed well at the plate, finishing the weekend with a .333 batting average, scoring 13 runs.
 

BIG SKY PLAYERS OF THE WEEK 

Emily Johansen (Feb. 20) - Johansen was named Big Sky Player of the Week for the second time in her career following her performance at the Littlewood Classic. Over five games, the senior first baseman hit .615 (8-for-13) with three doubles, two home runs, and ten RBI.
Paetynn Lopez (March 6)- Lopez went 7-for-14 (.500) with two home runs, two doubles and five RBI at the Trailblazer Tournament. The junior catcher went 3-for-3 against UVU on Saturday, hitting two home runs in the contest. She finished the weekend with a .611 on-base percentage, 1.071 slugging percentage and 15 total bases, recording a hit in four of the Vikings' five games. 

NOLAND NOTABLES  

• Junior transfer Bailee Noland leads the Vikings in five offensive categories (batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, total bases and home runs)
• Noland leads the Big Sky in slugging percentage (.804) and home runs (7)
• Her .393 batting average ranks second in the conference 
• Noland led the Vikings' offense at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic going 7-for-11 (.636) with four RBI, two doubles and two home runs and a .692 on-base percentage
• Noland hit a home run in three consecutive games at the Trailblazer Tournament (March 4-5)

QUICK HITS

• The Vikings' 14 home runs this season ranks second in the Big Sky
• They've hit eight home runs in their last six games, recording at least one in five of their last six
• Three Vikings are hitting above .300 (Bailee Noland, Logan Riggenbach, Emily Johansen)
• Logan Riggenbach continues to thrive with runners on base. She's 13-for-32 (.406) with runners on base, and 11-for-20 (.550) with runners in scoring position. Riggenbach also leads the Vikings with eight multi-hit games
• Trinity Holden heads into Thursday looking to extend a four-game hit streak
• Paetynn Lopez has reached base in eight-straight games
• The Vikings have recorded double-digit hits in five games this season, winning three of those contests
• PSU had a season-high 13 hits in its 6-5 extra-inning win at Utah Tech on March 4
• The Vikings are 4-1 when out-hitting opponents and 0-14 when out-hit by opponents
• The Vikings are 4-1 when holding opponents to less than five runs  
• The Vikings' defense has recorded just two errors in their last eight games, their .964 fielding percentage is the second-highest in the Big Sky

ERRORLESS STREAK

Junior outfielder Logan Riggenbach hasn't committed an error in 83 starts, tallying 135 putouts without a single error. Rigggenbach has only one error in her 2.5 year career with the Vikings. Her steak dates back to February 27, 2021.
 

RECORD CHASING

• Senior Emily Johansen ranks in the top ten of nine career offensive records at Portland State (DI batting average, DI home runs, DI on-base percentage, RBI, walks, sacrifice flies, slugging percentage, home runs, and hit by pitch) 
• She ranks third in all-time home runs with 24 and is just eight behind Jackie Heide, the Vikings all-time leader (32).
• Her 101 RBI ranks fourth all-time and fourth in the DI era. Mandy Hill holds the all-time and DI record with 135
• Entering the season, Johansen's .321 career batting average ranked sixth in the Vikings' DI era

SPEED KILLS

Olivia Dean and Maddie Thompson combined for 36 stolen bases in 2022. Thompson ranked third in the Big Sky with 16 stolen bases, while Dean led the conference with 20. Both are on track to break the current DI era record of 41 career stolen bases, set by Marissa Bruno in 2021. Dean's 35 stolen bases rank second in the DI era and fourth all-time. Thompson has 33, tied for third in the D1 era and seventh all-time. Cynthia Macom holds the all-time record with 68.

HIGHLIGHTS IN THE CIRCLE

Olivia Grey -  Grey had a stellar opening weekend at The Spring Games, picking up right where she left off in 2022. The Woodland, Wash. native pitched 16.1 innings without allowing a single earned run. Compiling a 2-1 record, Grey picked up a shutout win over Colgate to open the season, followed by a win over Butler. She finished the weekend holding Michigan to just one hit through five innings in the Vikings' 9-1 loss to the Wolverines.
Marisol Gaona - In her first start in over a year, Gaona recorded her first victory of her senior season in the Vikings' 5-2 victory over Utah Valley on Friday, March 3
Annie Lemos - Lemos led the Vikings to an extra-inning win over Utah Tech on Saturday, March 4, holding the Trailblazers to four hits and one earned run in 7.2 innings of work.
 

WALK-OFF WINNERS

Three of the Vikings' six wins have come in walk-off fashion.
Feb. 18 (Littlewood Classic) - Olivia Dean clinched the Vikings' 9-8 win over 2022 Women's College World Series participant, Oregon State with a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh.
Feb. 19 (Littlewood Classic) - Logan Riggenbach led the Vikings to a thrilling victory over DePaul, clinching the 7-6 win with a two-out walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh. 
March 4 (Trailblazer Tournament) - Maddie Thompson was the hero against Utah Valley at the Trailblazer Tournament, securing the 6-5 win with a two-out bases loaded single in the bottom of the eighth. 
 

MCWHORTER'S 100TH WIN

Seventh-year head coach Meadow McWhorter earned her 100th win at Portland State on Feb. 19 as the Vikings beat DePaul 7-6 in the bottom of the seventh inning. McWhorter is now 102-178 (.367) at PSU and 570-324 (.640) after becoming just the third coach in the program's history to reach the 100-win mark.
 

2023 BIG SKY PRESEASON POLL

The Vikings were picked third in the Big Sky Preseason Poll released on Jan. 31. Weber State and Sacramento State topped the polls with 21 points each, while the Vikings followed with 20. The Defending Big Sky Champion, Weber State received three first-place votes, Sacramento State received two and the Vikings earned one. Montana (12), Idaho State (11), and Northern Colorado (5) rounded out the poll.
 

2022 STAT LEADERS

• Grey returns for her fourth season after finishing 2022 with an 18-8 (.692) record in the circle, the second-highest single-season win percentage in program history. She held opponents to a .203 average and led the Big Sky in strikeouts (214), which ranked 31st in the nation
• Riggenbach had a stellar season in 2022, leading the Vikings with a .380 batting average and 41 RBI. She recorded 82 putouts and 0 errors, finishing the year with a 1.000 fielding percentage
• Senior first baseman Emily Johansen led the Vikings in home runs (9) and on-base percentage (.482) a season ago, hitting .615 with eight RBI at the 2022 Big Sky Tournament
•  Dean had a team-high 20 stolen bases in 2022, ranking first in the Big Sky 

2022 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

• The Vikings finished 2022 with a 28-18 record, the winningest season since 2011
• PSU went 10-5 in Big Sky action, finishing third in the Big Sky tournament as the No. 3 seed
• Six Vikings earned all-conference honors, including first team selections Olivia Grey, Paetynn Lopez and Logan Riggenbach
• Riggenbach (third team outfield) and Grey (second team pitcher) were NFCA All-Pacific Region selections