PORTLAND, Ore. – Following their most successful three-game stretch of the season, the Portland State softball team looks to maintain momentum as they welcome Oregon State for a midweek doubleheader on Tuesday, March 12 at Gordon Faber Field 4 (3:00/5:30pm).
 
The doubleheader will be the Vikings' (6-14) first time hosting the Beavers (12-12) since the 2019 season. Tuesday's games will air on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available at vikslive.com.
 

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GAME NOTES – VS. OREGON STATE (TUESDAY, MARCH 12)

SERIES HISTORY 
The Beavers lead the all-time series 96-37-1. However, Portland State has had recent success against them, claiming victory in two of the last three matchups. Notably, in 2022, the Vikings secured a 6-1 win over the then-24th-ranked Oregon State team, which later advanced to the Women's College World Series. In the most recent meeting last year, the Vikings secured a thrilling 9-8 victory over the Beavers in Phoenix, Arizona, sealing the win with a seventh-inning walk-off.
 
The Beavers enter Tuesday with a 12-12 overall record. They opened Pac-12 play with a home series against 21^st-ranked Arizona this past weekend, earning an extra-inning victory in game one before dropping the final two games.

LAST TIME OUT – SEATTLE SWEEP
The Vikings were in desperate need of a breakthrough and they achieved just that with a sweep of Seattle last Thursday and Friday at Gordon Faber Field. They opened with a 6-4 victory in game one, followed by 2-0 and 5-4 victories to secure the sweep. As a team, the Vikings hit .301 and recorded a .414 on-base percentage, out-hitting the Redhawks in two of the three contests. Grace Kimball claimed two wins in the circle, while Allicitie Frost added another.

KIMBALL NAMED BIG SKY PITCHER OF THE WEEK
For the first time in her career, redshirt junior Grace Kimball was named the Big Sky Pitcher of the Week on Monday, March 11. She played a pivotal role in the Vikings' sweep of the Redhawks last week, boasting a 2-0 record, 0.00 ERA and eight strikeouts, while holding Seattle to a .154 average across 10.2 innings pitched. Her standout performance came in the Vikings' 2-0 win in the second game of the series. She struck out six batters while limiting the Redhawks to just four hits in a complete-game shutout.   
 
WHO'S HOT

• Maddie Thompson's team-high .400 batting average ranks third in the Big Sky. In seven of her 16 starts she's tallied two or more hits. She enters Tuesday on an eight-game hitting streak after going 5-for-10 (.500) at the plate against Seattle.
• Logan Riggenbach has eight doubles on the year, ranking third in the Big Sky
• Grace Johnson was 3-for-4 (.750) against Seattle, finishing the series with an.833 on-base percentage and two RBI
• Paetynn Lopez has a team-high ten RBI, five of those coming at the Silicon Valley Classic. Her five extra-base hits ranks second on the team behind Riggenbach
• Emily Johansen has hit two three-run home runs in the past seven games and is the only Viking to record a home run this season

HIGHLIGHTS IN THE CIRCLE

• Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung leads the staff with a 3.61 ERA. She earned the first victory of the 2024 season, pitching a complete game against Utah State (2/11) at the Lynn Russell Miller Classic
• Grace Kimball notched her first win as a Viking against Pacific (OR) on Feb.24, 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 of the doubleheader
• 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
• Allicitie Frost earned her second victory of the year on Thursday against Seattle, holding the Redhawks to seven hits and three earned runs in a complete-game performance  

SPRING FLING ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM 
Both Maddie Thompson and Lorraine Alo were named to the Spring Fling All-Tournament Team two weekends ago. Thompson had a phenomenal weekend at the plate, hitting .526 (10-for-19). Alo was .385 (5-for-13) with two RBI and an on-base percentage of .429. 

CHASING (AND BREAKING) RECORDS
Fifth-year senior Emily Johansen currently holds top-ten positions in ten of the program's all-time offensive categories. Earlier this season, she tied the program's career record for sac flies (12), joining Crysta Conn who set the mark back in 2014. On Friday, she knocked a three-run home run against Seattle, tying Mandy Hill for the program's all-time career RBI record (135). She's on the verge of breaking Hill's record from 2008, needing just one more RBI to become the sole record holder.

• Current Numbers: Home runs: 29 (Rec. 32)  | RBI: 135 (Rec. 135) | Doubles: 30 (Rec. 44) | Walks: 75 (Rec. 84) | Runs scored: 101 (Rec. 133)

RECORD ANALYSIS 

• Half of the Vikings' losses (7-of-14) have occurred by two runs or less
• Nearly half (34-of-73) of the Vikings' runs have been scored in the fourth and fifth innings
• The Vikings are 4-3 when they out-hit their opponents and 3-4 when they score first
• The first inning is crucial for the Vikings defensively, who hold a 1-8 record when their opponent scores in their opening at-bat. They've allowed 20 runs in the first and are 1-7 when trailing after the first inning

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-team members 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.