PORTLAND, Ore. - After achieving their first-ever Big Sky opening sweep, the Portland State softball team looks to maintain their momentum as they prepare to host Weber State for a three-game series at Gordon Faber Field 4 this weekend. The series will open with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader on Friday, April 5th followed by a single game on Saturday, April 6th beginning at noon. 

Similar to the Vikings, the Wildcats secured a conference opening sweep last weekend by defeating Montana in Ogden. This weekend's series will be the Vikings' first home series against Weber State since the 2019 season, due to the cancelation of the 2022 series due to rain. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+, with live stats also accessible.
 

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SERIES NOTES – WEBER STATE (15-16, 3-0 BSC) at PORTLAND STATE (14-16, 3-0 BSC)  - Hillsboro, Ore. 
GAME LINKS: LIVE STATS | ESPN+ | GAME NOTES (PDF)

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Weber State heads into the weekend with a 15-16 overall record, having completed a sweep of Montana last weekend. The team boasts a .279 team batting average, spearheaded by freshman Kiaira Smith, who has 17 RBI and a .352 average. On the rubber, junior pitcher Brooke Merrill leads the pitching staff with an 8-6 record, having struck out 45 batters over 66.2 innings pitched.

SERIES HISTORY 
The Vikings hold a 27-18 record over the Wildcats as Friday's opener will mark the 46th meeting between the programs. PSU has won five of the last six games against WSU, two of which came in the Big Sky Tournament a season ago. Earlier in the 2023 season, the Vikings snapped the Wildcats' 18-conference series win streak, taking the series 2-1 in Ogden. Viking Head Coach Meadow McWhorter is 10-10 against WSU with four of those wins coming in the postseason.

LAST TIME OUT – IDAHO STATE SWEEP
The Vikings had a phenomenal start to their conference schedule last weekend, sweeping preseason favorite Idaho State in Boise. The sweep marked the program's first-ever Big Sky-opening sweep since joining the conference in 2013.  They opened with a 3-1 victory on Friday before concluding the weekend with 7-4 and 9-4 wins on Saturday.

BIG SKY PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Lorraine Alo was named the Big Sky Player of the Week on Monday following a dominant weekend at the plate against the Bengals. 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

• The Vikings had a breakthrough weekend at the plate against the Bengals, 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

RECENT SUCCESS 

• After opening the season 3-14, the Vikings finally hit their stride, winning 11 of their last 13 games (beginning with the Seattle series on March 7th)
• During that 13-game stretch, the Vikings have scored 54 runs and tallied five shutouts while out-hitting opponents 101-82
• Their recent success 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' turnaround can be attributed to standout performances of pitchers Allicitie Frost and Grace Kimball, who have tossed all but 10.2 of the last 93 innings
• Over the past 13 outings, the Vikings' pitching staff has held opponents to a .229 average while compiling a 1.88 ERA
• Since March 7th, Kimball and Frost have combined for nine complete games and five shutouts
• Frost has tossed 31.0 innings during that span, going 4-0 while holding her opponents to a .186 average
• Kimball is 7-1 in her last nine appearances, notching a 1.77 ERA and 43 strikeouts over 51.1 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 .403 batting avg., .583 slugging pct., .469 OBP, two home runs and 42 total bases. She has knocked 13 RBI over the last 13 games, going 18-for-41 (.439) during that span while knocking at least one hit in nine of her last 10 starts. Her .403 average is tied for fifth in the Big Sky.
• Senior Paetynn Lopez has a team-high 17 RBI, adding to that total with a pair of two-run home runs on Saturday against the Bengals. She also ranks fourth in the conference in walks, drawing a team-high 13 so far this season
• Maddie Thompson has been stellar in the lead-off spot all season for PSU, tallying a hit in all but five of 26 starts. She has tallied at least one hit in 16 of her last 18 games, which included nine multi-hit performances and a 12-game hitting streak spanning from Feb. 29th to March 21st
• Logan Riggenbach has a team-high 10 extra-base hits which included nine doubles and one triple

HITTING STREAKS

• Lorraine Alo - 7 games
• Logan Riggenbach - 6 games
• Paetynn Lopez and Emily Johansen - 5 games 

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: 79 (Rec. 84) | RUNS SCORED: 106 (Rec. 133) 
• THOMPSON RECORD WATCH: STOLEN BASES: 42 (Rec. 48 - D1) | RUNS: 95 (Rec. 133)

HOME SWEET HOME
The Vikings enter the weekend with a 9-0 record at Gordon Faber Field this season. During those nine games, they've out-scored opponents 41-9 while recording four shutouts.

TIGHT BALLGAMES
11 of the Vikings' 30 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 (7-of-16) have occurred by two runs or less.

BY THE NUMBERS

• The Vikings have scored 43% of their runs this season in the fourth and fifth innings
• 45% of the Vikings' RBIs have come with two outs
• The Vikings are 11-1 when leading and 2-15 when trailing after four innings
• They hold a 1-10 record when their opponent scores in the first inning
• PSU has clinched victory in 82% of games when surrendering less than five runs
• 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.