PORTLAND, Ore. - With 27 non-conference games under their belt, the Portland State softball team is set to begin their Big Sky schedule this weekend in a three-game series against Idaho State. 

As a result of ongoing renovations at Idaho State's softball field, the series initially scheduled in Pocatello will now be played in Nampa and Boise. A single game is set for Friday at Northwest Nazarene's Bobby Welch Halle Field (9 a.m. PT/10 a.m. MT), followed by a doubleheader on Saturday at Boise State's Huber Field starting at 3:00 PM PT/4:00 PM MT.

Due to the location change, the series will not be live-streamed. However, live stats will be available.
 

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SERIES NOTES – PORTLAND STATE (11-16) vs. IDAHO STATE (18-17) | March 29-30 - Boise/Nampa, Idaho
GAME LINKS: LIVE STATS

SCOUTING THE BENGALS
The defending Big Sky regular season champion Bengals were picked first in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll. They enter Friday with an 18-17 record despite having lost four of their last six. Their pitching staff ranks second in the conference with a 3.30 ERA. Offensively, they rank first in home runs (23) and slugging percentage (.422) while their .285 team batting average ranks second.

SERIES HISTORY 
Portland State leads the all-time series, 28-20. PSU has taken three-straight series over ISU as the Bengals look for their first series win over the Vikings since 2019 this weekend.

LAST TIME OUT – PACIFIC (CA) SERIES
The Vikings' eight-game winning streak came to an end last weekend, as they fell in two of three games to Pacific in Stockton. PSU earned a 1-0 shutout victory in game one before dropping the following day's doubleheader, 10-5 and 11-8.
 
EIGHT IN A ROW

• The Vikings notched their longest winning streak since 2011 last weekend, winning eight consecutive over Seattle, Oregon State, Western Oregon and Pacific
• The Vikings have outscored their opponents 22-9 over those eight games, recording five shutouts
• During those eight games, Allicitie Frost and Grace Kimball pitched 57.2/60.0 innings
• The duo combined for 48 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched, both tallying career-high strikeouts in separate complete-game performances against WOU on Friday, March 15th

BACK-TO-BACK BIG SKY PITCHERS OF THE WEEK

• Allicitie Frost and Grace Kimball's impressive performances in the circle landed consecutive Big Sky Pitcher of the Week honors, each earning the nod for the first time of their careers
• (March 11th) - Kimball earned the weekly honor after playing a pivotal role in the Vikings' sweep of Seattle three weeks ago, boasting a 2-0 record, one complete-game shutout, a 0.00 ERA and eight strikeouts. She held the Redhawks to a .154 average across 10.2 innings pitched.
• (March 18th) - Frost earned the honor after delivering a pair of complete-game shutouts against OSU and WOU two weeks ago. She tossed an 11-inning complete game performance against the Beavers before striking out a career-high 13 batters in her shutout against WOU, including the first nine she faced. She finished the week with 18 scoreless innings and 18 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a mere .117 batting average.

OFFENSIVE LEADERS

• Lorraine Alo leads the Vikings with a .367 batting average (22-for-60), .517 slugging percentage and .441 on-base percentage
• Maddie Thompson's 12-game hitting streak came to an end against the Tigers last weekend. She tallied 20 hits over 12 games, recording multi-hit games six times during that span. She enters conference play having tallied at least one hit in 18 of 23 starts while striking out only four times in 84 plate appearances
• Logan Riggenbach has a team-high nine doubles, which ranks fourth in the conference
• Paetynn Lopez has a team-high 13 RBI, five of those coming at the Silicon Valley Classic. Her six extra-base hits ranks second on the team behind Riggenbach. Lopez also leads the Vikings with 11 walks

CHASING (& 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 Saturday against Pacific, she became the all-time RBI record holder after knocking her 136th career RBI. She later added to her total as she enters the weekend with 137. Current Numbers: Home runs: 29 (Rec. 32) | Doubles: 32 (Rec. 44) | Walks: 78 (Rec. 84) | Runs scored: 105 (Rec. 133)

RECORD ANALYSIS 

• The Vikings are 9-0 at home, outscoring their opponents 41-9 at Gordon Faber Field 4
• Away from home, the Vikings are 1-10 in road games and 1-6 in neutral-site games
• Nearly half of the Vikings' losses (7-of-16) have occurred by two runs or less
• The Vikings have scored nearly half of their runs (44-of-95) in the fourth and fifth innings
• The first inning is crucial for the Vikings defensively, who hold a 1-10 record when their opponent scores in their opening at-bat. They've allowed 23 runs in the first and are 1-8 when trailing after the first inning
• The Vikings are 9-1 when leading after four innings of play
• The've yet to recover from a late-inning deficit this season, entering conference play with a 0-13 record when trailing after five innings

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.