PORTLAND, Ore. – With 31 non-conference games behind them, the Portland State softball team will open its Big Sky slate this weekend in Ogden, Utah, where they'll face Weber State in a three-game series starting Friday, March 28, at Wildcat Softball Field.

The series kicks off on Friday with a doubleheader, beginning at 12:00 p.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. MT. The series finale will take place on Saturday, March 29, at 11:00 a.m. PT / 12:00 p.m. MT.

All three games will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with live stats also available (links below).

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PORTLAND STATE SOFTBALL GAME NOTES // WEEK 8
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All-Time series: Vikings lead, 29-21
Last meeting: May 10, 2024 (W, 12-5) - Big Sky Conference Tournament Quarterfinals
2024 series result: Weber State won, 2-1 (Hillsboro, Ore.)
Notes: While the Wildcats took the series in 2024, the Vikings won the series, 2-1 their last trip to Ogden in 2023. Weber State enters the weekend with an 11-7 record, having won three of their last five games, most recently defeating Utah State 4-3 on the road Tuesday. The Wildcats are hitting .277 on the season and enter conference play with a conference-low 9.45 ERA. 

LAST TIME OUT - RUTGERS / PACIFIC (CA)

• The Vikings went 1-4 last week against Rutgers and Pacific (CA) at home. Their comeback effort against Rutgers on Wednesday fell short, as they rallied from an 8-0 deficit to pull within two, but ultimately lost 8-6. They then hosted Pacific for a three-game series on Saturday and Sunday, splitting the series-opening doubleheader before dropping the third game. The VIkings were edged 5-3 in the opener but bounced back with a 6-5 victory in game two, ending the game with a bases-loaded double play to clinch the win. However, the Tigers took game three on Sunday, 11-7, to win the series.

SHERREIGH NAKOA-CHUNG NAMED BIG SKY PITCHER OF THE WEEK

• For the first time in her career, junior Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung was named the Big Sky Pitcher of the Week this past Monday. Her week in the circle was highlighted by a scoreless outing against Rutgers on Wednesday, where she limited the Scarlet Knights to just two hits in 4.2 innings while striking out five. She later threw 3.1 innings against the Tigers over the weekend, finishing the week with a 2.62 ERA and holding her opponents to a .200 batting average.

AT THE PLATE

• For the second consecutive weekend, the Vikings posted a season-best weekend batting average, hitting .289 across three games against the Tigers.
• Over the past nine games, the Vikings have raised their team batting average from .200 to .222, recording season-high 11 hits against both Columbia (March 15) and Pacific (March 23).
• In addition to being named Pitcher of the Week, Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung also led the Vikings at the plate last week against Rutgers and Pacific, hitting .417 (5-for-12) across four games. She recorded at least one hit in all four games. Nakoa-Chung opened the week with a 1-for-2 game against Rutgers, including her first career home run, a two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh inning. She continued her hot bat against the Tigers, hitting a team-best .400 (4-for-10) with a .455 on-base percentage.
• Redshirt junior Grace Johnson leads the Vikings with 27 hits, a .307 batting average (27-for-88), 22 runs scored, five sac bunts, and 14 stolen bases. She heads into the weekend on a five-game hitting streak.
• Junior Alison Harris also enters the weekend on a five-game hitting streak after a solid week at the plate against Rutgers and Pacific, hitting .333 (4-for-12) with a team-high seven RBIs. She also hit her first career home run against Rutgers on March 19.
• Johnson's five sac bunts this season ranks first in the Big Sky, while her 14 stolen bases rank second in the conference.
• Senior Natalia Martinez leads the team with 17 RBI, recording at least one RBI in 14 of the Vikings' games this season.

OFFENSIVE STREAKS

• Active Reached Base Streaks (3+ games): E. Babbitt (9 games); S. Nakoa-Chung (9 games); N. Martinez (7 games); G. Johnson (5 games); A. Harris (5 games)
• Active Hitting Streaks (2+ games): G. Johnson (5 games); A. Harris (5 games) S. Nakoa-Chung (4 games); D. Hoyle (2 games)

IN THE CIRCLE

• Four different pitchers have earned victories in the circle for the Vikings this season: Grace Kimball (2), Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung (1), Annie Lemos (1), and Anna Jardin (1).
• Kimball has pitched a team-high 69.2 innings across 18 appearances and 15 starts, completing four games. She has a 5.12 ERA and 40 strikeouts, which ranks second in the Big Sky.

GRACE KIMBALL'S PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONOR

• Grace Kimball was named the Big Sky's Co-Pitcher of the Week following an impressive weekend at the Cardinal Classic last month.
• She pitched two complete games, totaling 15 innings while shutting out her opponents in 13 of them. She held UC Davis and UC Riverside to a .207 batting average, yielding just two earned runs for a 0.93 ERA on the weekend. On the final day, she threw nine innings against the Highlanders—eight of them scoreless—allowing just five hits and no earned runs.
• She finished the weekend with eight strikeouts, just three walks, and only three extra-base hits allowed. The honor was the second Big Sky Pitcher of the Week honor of her career. 

RANKED OPPONENTS 

• The Vikings have played three opponents ranked in the Top 25 this season and five schools in power four conferences
• They hosted #10 Florida State for their home-opening doubleheader at Hillsboro Stadium (March 11), dropping both games to the Noles, 11-0 (6 inn.) and 18-5
• Portland State took on then-No. 20 Stanford in week two, falling 16-5 in five innings, and faced No. 12 Oregon on Feb. 28, losing 9-1 in six innings. 
• The Vikings also played Grand Canyon (L, 9-0 in 5 inn.), a team that's received votes in the national polls several weeks this season
• The Vikings' last win over a ranked opponent came in 2022 when they defeated No. 24 Oregon State 6-1 in Corvallis.

THE VIKINGS' 2025 ROSTER

• The Vikings return 12 players from last year's team that went 23-24 overall, 6-8 in Big Sky play, and finished as the Big Sky Tournament runner-up
• Three returners earned all-conference honors (Lorraine Alo, Grace Kimball, Natalia Martinez), while all four 2024 Big Sky All-Tournament selections (Alo, Martinez, Kimball, Ellie Babbitt) are back
• The roster includes 11 newcomers: eight freshmen and three transfers
• Freshmen: RHP Delaney Hoyle, C Kendall Nevin, C Scarlett McEwen, C Samiya Wright, OF Gracie Toney, OF Nichole Orozco, OF Elise Sanchez, MIF Rylee Gaustad
• Transfers: LHP Sophia Guerra (CSU Bakersfield, Guatemala), RHP Anna Jardin (Rhode Island, Wilsonville, Ore.), C Abby Carsley (Kansas, McMinnville, Ore.) –will redshirt this season.

ALL ABOUT ALO

• As a freshman in 2024, designated hitter Lorraine Alo had one of the best offensive seasons in program history and the second-best ever in the Big Sky Conference
• She set a single-season program record with a .440 batting average, ranking eighth in the nation, going 55-for-125 with 11 doubles, one triple, five home runs, and 32 RBI. She also set a program record with a .517 on-base percentage
• She dominated the Big Sky Tournament, hitting .632 (12-for-19) over six games with two home runs, four RBI, and a .708 on-base percentage
• Alo became the first player in program history to be named Big Sky Freshman of the Year, earning first-team utility honors
• Additionally, she was named second-team All-Pacific Region by the NFCA and became the program's first-ever freshman to be a TUCCI/NFCA DI National Freshman of the Year Finalist (Top 25)

KIMBALLEN

• A transfer from Boise State, Kimball led the Vikings in the circle in her first season at Portland State in 2024. As a redshirt junior for PSU, she went 15-10 overall and 6-2 in Big Sky play, throwing 153.2 innings
• She posted a 3.42 ERA for the season, with a 2.30 ERA in Big Sky regular season play. She pitched 14 complete games, including four shutouts, while holding opponents to a .256 average with 128 strikeouts
• She had a dominant Big Sky Tournament run, tossing 35 innings over four days with a 3-1 record, three complete games, and 30 strikeouts to lead the Vikings to a runner-up finish
• Kimball was named Big Sky Newcomer of the Year and earned second-team all-conference honors

MEADOW MCWHORTER'S SUCCESS

• Viking Head Coach Meadow McWhorter is in her ninth season at Portland State, carrying a 142-241 (.372) overall record into the weekend
• She's just six wins away from surpassing former PSU head coach Tobin-Hawk Creek's 147 wins, which would make her the second-winningest coach in program history
• She's led the Vikings to a 57-63 (.475) Big Sky record and four straight top-three finishes in the conference tournament, including a title in 2021, third-place finishes in 2022 and 2023, and a runner-up finish in 2024
• McWhorter has coached 24 first- and second-team All-Big Sky selections, four individual award winners (including 2023 BSC Player of the Year Emily Johansen), four All-Pacific Region honorees, and 15 Big Sky All-Tournament selections

 A LOOK AT THE VIKINGS' 2025 SCHEDULE

• The Vikings have 50 games scheduled for the regular season, with 17 at home, 33 on the road, 35 non-conference games, and 15 Big Sky contests
• They'll compete in five non-conference tournaments, four of them consecutively in February, totaling 20 games in 24 days
• Tournament schedule: La Jolla Invitational (Feb. 7-9), Cardinal Classic (Feb. 14-16), ASU/GCU Invite (Feb. 21-23), University of Oregon Invitational (Feb. 28-March 1), and Santa Clara/St. Mary's Invitational (March 14-16)
• Their non-conference schedule includes seven Power Four opponents, three of which finished in last year's final top 25 poll