PORTLAND, Ore. - The top two teams in the Big Sky softball standings will face off this weekend when Portland State hosts Sacramento State for a three-game series at Gordon Faber Field in Hillsboro. The series will open with a doubleheader on Friday, April 21 beginning at 1 p.m., followed by a single game on Saturday at noon. All three games will air on ESPN+.

Prior to Saturday's series finale, the Vikings will honor their lone senior, Olivia Dean. Friday's doubleheader will be Pride Day at Gordon Faber Field. Pride gear will be given out to fans while supplies last.

Having won six of their last nine games, the Vikings enter the weekend 15-19 overall and 6-3 in Big Sky action. The Hornets are 23-14 overall and 7-2 in conference action, sitting first place, one game ahead of the Vikings.
 

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GAME NOTES: VS. SACRAMENTO STATE - APRIL 21-22
Hillsboro, Ore. – Gordon Faber Recreation Complex
Live Stats |  ESPN+ 
 
Sacramento State (23-14, 7-2 BSC) vs. Portland State (15-19, 6-3 BSC)
All-time series: Hornets lead, 55-28
Last meeting: May 13, (L, 4-3) - 2022 Big Sky Tournament 
 
Sacramento State heads into the weekend with a 23-14 overall record, winning seven of their last nine games. The Hornets rank second in the conference with a .293 batting average, led by 2022 first team all-conference selection Lewa Day. Former Big SKy Pitcher of the Year Marissa Bertuccio leads the conference in almost every category, including a conference-best 1.61 ERA and 13-6 record. Sacramento State is led by 10th-year head coach Lori Perez. 

The Vikings are 14-12 against the Hornets at home, sweeping them in the last home series in 2021. 
 

LAST TIME OUT –  IDAHO STATE SERIES
 
The Vikings claimed their third straight conference series at home last weekend, taking two of three games from Idaho State. After opening the weekend with a tough 7-3 loss, the Vikings stormed back with two wins to take the series, winning 10-3 and 10-2. They tallied a season-high 16 hits in the game two before following up with 12 hits in the series finale. They finished the weekend hitting an impressive .419, recording 36 hits, including four home runs. Allicitie Frost earned the win in game two, tossing a complete game while allowing four hits and three earned runs. Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung notched the game-three win for the Vikings, tossing six innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs.
 
 
BIG SKY PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

The Vikings have had five Player of the Week honors so far this season, the most in a single-season since joining the conference in 2013. Johansen was the most recent honoree, earning her third nod of the season on Tuesday, April 17.

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. Emily Johansen (April 3) - Johansen picked up her second weekly nod of the season following a big week against Pacific and Montana. She finished the week with a .556 average (5-for-9), tallying a team-high 6 RBI and a .643 on-base percentage over four games. Emily Johansen (April 17) – Johansen was once again tabbed the Big Sky Player of the Week following her performance against Idaho State. She hit .500 (5-for-10), recording two home runs, 6 RBI and 11 total bases. Trinity Holden (March 27) – Holden was named the Big Sky Player of the Week following her performance against Saint Martin's. The freshmen hit two home runs and led the Vikings with five RBI. The honor was the first of her career. Paetynn Lopez (March 6) - Lopez went 7-for-14 (.500) at the Trailblazer tournament with two home runs, two doubles and five RBI. The junior catcher went 3-for-3 against UVU, 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.
 
 
HOT BATS

• The Vikings have been outstanding at the plate the past two weekends, recording 10+ hits in five of their last six games, totaling 43 runs, 69 hits, 12 doubles, seven home runs and a .385 batting average
• PSU leads the conference in eight offensive categories (batting avg, slugging pct, OBP, runs scored, RBI, total bases, home runs and solen bases)
• Emily Johansen (1st), Olivia Dean (2nd) and Bailee Noland (4th), all rank among the top five in the conference in batting average
• Noland leads the conference with 7 home runs. Earlier this season she hit a home run in three consecutive games at the Trailblazer Tournament (March 4-5)
• Johansen leads the conference in eight categories: Batting avg. (.372), RBI (36), Runs scored (30), slugging pct. (.691,) on base pct. (.471), doubles (10), walks (20) and sac flies (4)

 
OFFENSIVE STREAKS

• Olivia Dean heads into the week on a 10--game hitting streak and has reached base in 15-straight games
• Emily Johansen is looking to extend a 9-game hitting streak, having reached base in 13-straight contests
• Maddie Thompson has reached base in 10-straight games and enters the week on a six-game hitting streak

 
KEYS TO VICTORY
The Vikings are…

12-2 when out-hitting opponents and 1-16 when out-hit by opponents
9-3 when recording 10+ hits
12-3 when holding opponents to five or less runs
11-4 when scoring in the first inning
11-1 when leading after the fourth inning
7-2 when playing at home
 

ERRORLESS STREAK
 
Junior outfielder Logan Riggenbach hasn't committed an error in 94 starts, tallying 150 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.
 

CHASING RECORDS
 
Senior Emily Johansen ranks in the top 10 of 11 career offensive records at Portland State (batting avg., OBP, runs scored, total bases, doubles, home runs, RBI, sacrifice flies, slugging pct, walks and hit by pitch). She ranks in the top five of four all-time career record categories:
 
11 Sac Flies – 2nd all-time (Crysta Conn holds record with 12)
27 home runs – 3rd all-time (Jackie Heide holds record with 32)
119 RBI – 4th all-time (Mandy Hill holds record with 135)
64 walks – 4th all-time (Jackie Heide/Brittany Hendrickson hold record with 84)
 
 
QUEEN OF THE BASE PATHS
 
Olivia Dean entered her final season with 30-career stolen bases after leading the Big Sky with 20 last season. On April 8 against Weber State, Dean broke the program's DI-era record ('00-current) for stolen bases with 42. Dean now ranks second all-time behind Cynthia Macom's record of 68 set in 1991.
 
 
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.
Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung – Nakoa-Chung earned her first career victory in the Vikings' 11-2 win over Saint Martin's on Thursday, March 23. The freshman right-hander struck out nine batters, allowing just one hit in 4.2 innings of work.
Allicitie Frost – Frost had her best performance of the season thus far in the Vikings' 9-1 run-rule victory over Montana on April 1. She allowed just three hits and one earned run while striking out three batters in the complete-game performance.
 
 
WALK-OFF WINNERS
 
Three of the Vikings' 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 111-181 (.369) at PSU and 579-327 (.638) 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 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

• Olivia 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 set a single-season Big Sky record with 214 strikeouts, which ranked 31st in the nation.
• Logan 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
• 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