PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland State softball team will return to tournament play this week as they travel to the Aloha State for the Spring Fling Tournament hosted by the University of Hawaii (Feb. 29-March 2). 

The Vikings (3-9) will play LMU on Thursday, February 29th, followed by a doubleheader on Friday, March 1st, against Tennessee State and Hawaii. The remainder of their schedule depends on the seeding they receive after their first three games.

The four-team tournament will be held at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium in Honolulu, O'ahu. Admission to the stadium is free for all fans. The games will not be live-streamed but live stats will be available.

SPRING FLING TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Day 1 - Thursday, Feb. 29 
Game 1: Portland State vs. LMU (3:30 p.m. HT/5:30 p.m. PT) - Live Stats  

Day 2 - Friday, March 1 
Game 2: Portland State vs. Tennessee State (11:00 a.m. HT/1:00 p.m. PT) - Live Stats 
Game 3: Portland State at Hawaii (4:00 p.m. HT/6:00 p.m. PT) - Live Stats 

Day 3 - Saturday, March 2 (All matchups TBD)
#2 Seed vs. #3 Seed (10:00 a.m. HT/Noon PT)
#1 Seed vs. #4 Seed (12:30 p.m. HT/2:30 p.m. PT)
Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (3:00 p.m. HT/5:00 p.m. PT)
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 (5:30 p.m. HT/7:30 p.m. PT)
 

---

WEEKEND NOTES – SPRING FLING TOURNAMENT (Feb. 29-March 2)

OPPONENT BREAKDOWN
LMU (5-10): The Lions lead the all-time series 28-18 over the Vikings. The teams met as recently as last year when LMU earned an 8-5 win over PSU at the 2023 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. This weekend, the Vikings are looking for their first win over the Lions since 2011. Tennessee State (6-6): Portland State holds a 1-0 series lead over the Tigers after winning the program's only game against TSU, 5-4 in March of 2019. Hawaii (1-9): Hawaii leads the all-time series against the Vikings, 19-7. The Rainbow Wahine picked up an 8-7 win the last time the teams met in February 2020. They enter the weekend having won eight of their last nine over Portland State.

LAST TIME OUT – VS. PACIFIC (OR)
The Vikings had their best outing of the season in their home-opening doubleheader against Pacific on Saturday, Feb. 24. They posted back-to-back 10-0 run-rule shutouts over the Boxers to improve to 3-9 overall. The Vikings' pitching staff held the Boxers to just one hit over ten innings, combining for a no-hitter in game one. Portland State's bats were equally outstanding, delivering 14 hits (14-for-35, .400) and 16 earned runs. Ten Vikings tallied at least one hit during the doubleheader.
 
WHO'S HOT

• Logan Riggenbach has a team-high six doubles and enters the weekend on a four-game hitting streak and a seven-game reached base streak
• Emily Johansen and Lorraine Alo have reached base in five consecutive games 
• Paetynn Lopez has a team-high eight RBI, five of those coming at the Silicon Valley Classic two weekends ago

IN THE CIRCLE

• Grace Kimball earned her first win as a Viking against Pacific on Saturday, striking out a career-high eight batters in 3.2 innings of work. Her and Annie Lemos combined for a no-hit shutout in game one
• Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung notched the first victory of the 2024 season, pitching a complete game against Utah State (2/11) at the Lynn Russell Miller Classic
• Lemos tossed the first complete game of her career in the Vikings' 3-2 loss to Utah State (2/10). She held a hot Nevada team to eight hits and three earned runs while striking out three
• Nakoa-Chung leads the staff with a 2.33 ERA

RECORD CHASING
Fifth-year senior Emily Johansen currently holds top-ten positions in ten of the program's all-time offensive categories. Last weekend she tied the program's career record for sac flies (12), joining Crysta Conn who set the mark back in 2014.

• Current Numbers: Home runs: 27 (Rec. 32) | RBI: 128 (Rec. 135) | Doubles: 30 (Rec. 44) | Walks: 73 (Rec. 84) | Runs scored: 99 (Rec. 133)

TWO-WAY THREAT
In addition to 58 career appearances in the circle, senior Allicitie Frost has had 44 at-bats during her career. In 2023, she had 27 at-bats, recording six hits. She tallied one double, a grand slam and seven RBI.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS
The Vikings landed five All-Big Sky honors last season. For the second consecutive season, three Vikings were named to the first team, including returners Maddie Thompson and Emily Johansen. In addition to her first team nod, Johansen became the Vikings' first-ever Big Sky Player of the Year. Second Team pitcher Allicitie Frost is also among the all-conference returners from last season.  
 
DYNAMIC DUO
Two 2023 first-teamers are manning the Vikings' right side of the infield this season, first baseman Emily Johansen and second baseman Maddie Thompson. The duo was exceptionally outstanding last year in conference action, both hitting above .400. Thompson finished with a .345 overall average while hitting a conference-best .477 (21-for-44) during Big Sky play. Johansen hit .344 on the season (.435 BSC) and produced d a team-high 44 RBI and 13 doubles. Thompson's .441 and Johansen's .460 on-base percentages were the top two in the Big Sky. Defensively, they combined for 104 putouts and 33 assists with just a single error across 15 conference games.  
 
NINE STRONG: VIKING SENIOR CLASS
The Vikings have nine seniors on their roster this season, eight of whom have played their entire careers at Portland State. Emily Johansen and Marisol Gaona are the oldest of the group, using their fifth year of eligibility offered due to COVID-19. Also in her fifth season is transfer Makayla Romeo. This is her first season at Portland State following two seasons at both LMU and Tarleton State. Maddie Thompson, Paetynn Lopez, Alexa Cepeda, Logan Riggenbach, Shea Garcia and Allicitie Frost all began their careers at PSU as freshmen in 2020 (ahead of '21 season). This class has had a lasting impact on the program, winning 61 games, 24 Big Sky contests and nine postseason wins over three years. In three consecutive Big Sky tournament appearances, they've clinched one conference title and secured two top-three finishes. Their impressive achievements have been complemented by notable accolades. Among them, five players have earned at least one all-conference honor, totaling nine honors collectively. Four players have been named first-team All-Big Sky and two have earned All-Region honors.