PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland State softball team will kick off a crucial six-game conference road stretch with a three-game series at Sacramento State this weekend. The series will begin with a noon doubleheader on Friday, April 12^th followed by a single game on Saturday, April 13^th at Shea Stadium (noon).

Friday's opener between the Vikings (15-18, 4-2 BSC) and the Hornets (21-13, 2-1 BSC) will be the 86th meeting between the programs in their eleventh Big Sky series matchup. All three games will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available.
 

---

SERIES NOTES – PORTLAND STATE (15-18, 4-2 BSC) at SACRAMENTO STATE (21-13, 2-1 BSC)  - Sacramento, Calif. (Shea Stadium)
WATCH: ESPN+ | LIVE STATS: GAME 1, GAME 2, GAME 3

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
The Hornets are currently the only team in the Big Sky with an overall record above .500, entering the weekend 21-13. They opened conference play with a 2-1 weekend against defending Big Sky champions Northern Colorado. Last weekend's series against Idaho State was postponed due to unplayable field conditions.

SERIES HISTORY 
The Hornets currently hold a 58-28 lead in the all-time series against the Vikings, having won the last five contests. PSU will look to secure its first series victory over the Hornets since sweeping them at Gordon Faber Field in 2021. The Vikings are 11-40 when playing in Sacramento, with their last road series victory dating back to 2019 when they clinched the series, 2-1. Viking head coach Meadow McWhorter holds a record of 8-12 against Sacramento State.

LAST TIME OUT – WEBER STATE SERIES
Weber State handed the Vikings their first home losses of the season last weekend. The Vikings stranded 19 runners in Friday's doubleheader, allowing the Wildcats to secure the series with 4-2 and 7-2 victories. However, the Vikings bounced back with an 11-hit performance on Saturday to take game three, 8-3 and avoid the sweep.

BIG SKY PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Lorraine Alo was named the Big Sky Player of the Week last Monday following a dominant weekend at the plate against Idaho State. She recorded three multi-hit games during the series, hitting .583 (7-for-12) with a double, home run and a team-high four RBI. 

HOT BATS AGAINST THE BENGALS

• The Vikings had a breakthrough weekend at the plate against the Bengals two weekends ago, recording a .398 team batting average and a .450 on-base percentage across three games, raising their season average by 19 points
• They tallied 39 hits in the series, notching double-digit hit totals in all three games which included a season-high 15 hits in the series finale
• Maddie Thompson, Emily Johansen, Natalia Martinez and Lorraine Alo all hit at or above .500 on the weekend
• The Vikings more than doubled their season home run total in Boise, hitting four against the Bengals despite entering the series with just three total

THE TURNAROUND

• After opening the season 3-14, the Vikings finally hit their stride, winning 11 of 13 games over 23 days in March (beginning with the Seattle series on March 7th)
• During that 13-game stretch, the Vikings scored 54 runs and tallied five shutouts while out-hitting opponents 101-82
• The turnaround included eight consecutive wins, the program's longest winning streak since 2011 which included victories over Seattle, Oregon State, Western Oregon and Pacific (CA)

IN THE CIRCLE

• Much of the Vikings' recent success can be attributed to standout performances of pitchers Allicitie Frost and Grace Kimball, who have tossed all but 11 of the last 114 innings
• Since March 7th, Kimball and Frost have combined for 11 complete games and five shutouts
• Kimball is 8-2 in her last 11 appearances, notching a 1.61 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 65.1 innings pitched

BACK-TO-BACK BIG SKY PITCHERS OF THE WEEK

• Allicitie Frost and Grace Kimball landed consecutive Big Sky Pitcher of the Week honors last month, 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, 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

• Freshman Lorraine Alo leads the Vikings with a .415 batting avg., .585 slugging pct., .478 OBP, two home runs, 20 RBI and 48 total bases. She has knocked 17 RBI over the last 16 games while knocking at least one hit in 12 of her last 13 starts. Her .415 average ranks second in the Big Sky.
• Maddie Thompson has been stellar in the lead-off spot all season for PSU, tallying a hit in all but seven of 29 starts. She has tallied at least one hit in 17 of her last 21 games, which included ten multi-hit performances and a 12-game hitting streak spanning from Feb. 29th to March 21st

HITTING/REACHED BASE STREAKS

• Lorraine Alo - 10-game hitting streak, 13-game reached base streak
• Emily Johansen - 8-game hitting/reached base streak
• Paetynn Lopez - 8-game reached base streak

RECORD CHASING
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) before becoming the all-time RBI leader with her 136th career RBI against Pacific. Fellow senior Maddie Thompson is also approaching a record as she sits just six stolen bases behind the program's DI-era stolen base record of 48 set by Olivia Dean in 2023. Additionally, senior Paetynn Lopez's 18 career home runs is tied 7th all-time.

• JOHANSEN RECORD WATCH: HOME RUNS: 29 (Rec. 32) | DOUBLES: 32 (Rec. 44) | WALKS: 81 (Rec. 84) | RUNS SCORED: 107 (Rec. 133) 
• THOMPSON RECORD WATCH: STOLEN BASES: 42 (Rec. 48 - D1) | RUNS: 97 (Rec. 133)

HOME SWEET HOME
The Vikings are 10-2 at home this season after opening 9-0 at Gordon Faber Field. During those 12 games, they've out-scored opponents 53-23 while recording four shutouts.

TIGHT BALLGAMES
11 of the Vikings' 33 games this season have been decided by a single run. They enter the weekend with a 6-5 record in those games. Additionally, nearly half of their losses (8-of-18) have occurred by two runs or less.

600TH CAREER WIN
Viking Head Coach Meadow McWhorter claimed her 129th victory at Portland State last weekend, moving her career total to 597 wins. 468 of those wins came during her 14-year career at Mt. Hood Community College where she held her only head coaching position prior to PSU. She is three wins away from reaching the 600-collegiate win milestone.

BY THE NUMBERS

• The Vikings have compiled an impressive .335 team batting average in conference play
• They've scored 43% of their runs this season in the fourth and fifth innings
• 49% of the Vikings' RBIs have come with two outs
• The Vikings are 12-1 when leading and 2-16 when trailing after four innings
• They hold a 2-12 record when their opponent scores in the first inning
• 70% of the Vikings' active roster has recorded at least one 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-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.