PORTLAND, Ore. – With its first conference series win of the season under its belt, Portland State softball will look to add another this weekend as it takes on Weber State at Wildcat Softball Stadium in Ogden, Utah (April 7-8). 
 
Due to snow, there have been a few changes made to the original schedule. The three-game series will begin with a single game on Friday at 2 PM PT / 3 PM MT, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 2:00 PM PT / 3:00 PM MT. Check goviks.com for further updates. 
 
Having won five of their last six games, the Vikings enter the series at 11-17 overall and 2-1 in Big Sky action. Friday marks the Wildcats' conference opener as they enter Big Sky play with a 6-20 record.
 

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GAME NOTES: at Weber State – April 7-8
Ogden, Utah – Gordon Faber Recreation Complex
Live Stats | ESPN+

Portland State (11-17, 2-1 BSC) at Weber State (6-20, 0-0 BSC) 
All-time series: Portland State leads, 23-17
Last meeting: May 13, 2021 (W, 2-1) - 2021 Big Sky Conference Tournament
 
Sitting at 6-20 overall, the Wildcats will look to snap a six-game losing skid this weekend in their home opener. Friday's series opener will mark Weber State's first game since March 19 as they look for their first win since March 9 when they beat Boston 2-1. Weber State is hitting .240, led by fifth-year senior McKell McCuistion who holds a .355 average. The Wildcats have are leading the conference defensively, entering the weekend with a .965 average. The Wildcats are led by 10^th-year head coach Mary Kay Amikone.

LAST TIME OUT –  Montana
  
The Vikings took two of three games in their conference-opening series against the Grizzlies last weekend. They opened the series with back-to-back run-rule victories on Saturday, April 1, beating Montana 12-4 and 9-1 in five innings. Montana responded with a 2-1 win on Sunday to avoid the sweep. The Vikings hit .365 over the weekend, while the pitching staff had an impressive performance, combining for a 2.88 ERA over three games.

BIG SKY PLAYERS OF THE WEEK 

Trinity Holden (March 27) – Holden was named the Big Sky Player of the Week following her performance against the Saints on Thursday. 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 UV,  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. 
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.
(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.
 
 DYNAMIC DUO   

• Bailee Noland and Emily Johansen lead the Vikings in ten offensive categories and both batting averages rank in the top ten of the conference
• Noland leads the Big Sky in slugging percentage (.686), while Johansen is second in the conference with a .636
• Noland's seven home runs rank first in the conference. Earlier this season she hit a home run in three consecutive games at the Trailblazer Tournament (March 4-5)
• Johansen leads the conference in runs scored (24), doubles (8), and sacrifice flies (4). Her 14 walks, .432 on base percentage and 27 RBI rank second in the Big Sky
• Johansen leads the Vikings with seven multi-RBI games, while Noland has six

QUICK HITS

• The Vikings lead the Big Sky in four offensive categories: runs scored (143), total bases (291), RBI (125), home runs (19)
• Leading up to conference play, PSU hit 12 home runs over nine games, recording at least one in five-straight games
• Logan Riggenbach leads the Vikings with seven multi-hit games
• Olivia Dean heads into the weekend with a five-game hitting streak, reaching base in nine consecutive games
• Johansen has reached base in eight consecutive games
• The Vikings have recorded double-digit hits in seven games this season, winning five of those contests
• PSU tied its season-high 13 hits in Saturday's second win over Montana

KEYS TO VICTORY

The Vikings are…

• 8-1 when out-hitting opponents and 1-15 when out-hit by opponents
• 9-2 when holding opponents to five or less runs
• 9-2 when scoring in the first inning
• 7-1 when leading after the fourth inning
• 5-1 when playing at home

ERRORLESS STREAK

Junior outfielder Logan Riggenbach hasn't committed an error in 88 starts, tallying 142 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 ten career offensive records at Portland State (DI batting average, DI home runs, DI on-base percentage, RBI, DI runs scored, walks, sacrifice flies, slugging percentage, home runs, and hit by pitch) 
• She ranks third all-time in home runs with 25, just seven behind Jackie Heide, the Vikings all-time leader (32).
• Her 110 RBI ranks fourth all-time and fourth in the DI era. Mandy Hill holds the all-time and DI record with 135
• Her 11-career sacrifice flies ranks second all-time, just one behind the record set by Crysta Conn (12)
• 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 40 stolen bases rank second in the DI era and third 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.
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 107-179 (.369) at PSU and 575-325 (.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 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