PORTLAND, Ore. – Coming off their first conference series win of the season, the Portland State softball team looks to keep the momentum going as they head to Greeley, Colo., for their final road series of the year against Northern Colorado. The series opens with a doubleheader on Friday, April 18, starting at 1 p.m. PT, followed by a single game on Saturday, April 19, at 11 a.m. PT at Gloria Rodriguez Field.

All three games will stream live on ESPN+, with live stats available as well (links below).
 

PORTLAND STATE SOFTBALL GAME NOTES // WEEK 11
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LAST TIME OUT - SERIES VS. MONTANA

• The Vikings hosted Montana at Hillsboro Stadium over the weekend (April 12–13), in search of their first conference series win of the season—and they got it. After being shut out 7-0 in Friday's opener by a Griz team that entered the weekend winless in Big Sky play, the Vikings bounced back in historic and exciting fashion. They responded with a 4-1 win in game two to split the doubleheader, then clinched the series with a 6-2 victory in Sunday's rubber match.

• Redshirt junior right-hander Gracie Walters has had a phenomenal month in the circle for the Vikings—but none more impressive than her outings against the Griz last weekend.
• In Saturday's 4-1 win, she threw just the second no-hitter by a Viking since 2012, facing 24 batters over seven innings, walking only two, and holding Montana hitless.
• Walters followed that with another standout performance in Sunday's series finale, allowing just one hit over 4.1 innings as PSU sealed the series with a 6-2 victory.
• Across the weekend, she threw 11.1 innings, held the Griz to a .031 batting average, struck out four, allowed only one run, and posted a 0.62 ERA.

• Five different pitchers have earned wins in the circle this season: Grace Kimball (3), Gracie Walters (3), Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung (2), Anna Jardin (2), and Annie Lemos (1).
• Gracie Walters has made four appearances and two starts in conference play, posting a 2-1 record over 23.1 innings. She's thrown two complete games, struck out 10 batters, and allowed just nine hits and three earned runs, holding opposing hitters to a mere .122 batting average.
• Despite Walters' recent heavy workload, Grace Kimball still leads the staff by a wide margin in innings pitched—logging 95.0 innings heading into the weekend at Northern Colorado, which is 43.8 more than any other Viking pitcher.
• Kimball's 20 starts lead the Big Sky this season, while her 59 strikeouts rank second among conference pitchers.
• In less than two full seasons, Kimball has climbed to eighth all-time in career strikeouts during the program's Division I era, entering the weekend with 184 as she closes in on the 200-strikeout mark.

• Before Gracie Walters earned Big Sky Pitcher of the Week honors this past Monday, two other Vikings had already received the award earlier this season.
• Grace Kimball was named the Big Sky's Co-Pitcher of the Week following an impressive weekend at the Cardinal Classic (2/14-16) 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. 
• For the first time in her career, junior Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung was named the Big Sky Pitcher of the Week (3/24), following games against Rutgers and Pacific (CA). Her week in the circle was highlighted by a scoreless outing against Rutgers (3/19) 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 (3/22-23) finishing the week with a 2.62 ERA and holding her opponents to a .200 batting average.

• Early scoring has been key for the Vikings, who have struck first in eight of their 11 wins this season—including first-inning runs in each of those eight games.
• PSU has struggled when playing from behind, holding a 3-27 record when allowing their opponent to score first.
• The Vikings have found success when keeping opponents in check, going 8-8 in games where they allow five runs or fewer.
• They've also been strong at protecting leads, posting a 9-1 record when leading after four innings.

• The Vikings were batting just .200 through their first 22 games, but have seen a significant uptick in the second half of the season—raising it 30 points (to .230) over the last five weeks (22 games) 
• PSU is hitting .249 as a team in BSC play, putting together a season-best weekend at Weber State in their conference-opening series. They posted an impressive .317 team batting average, highlighted by a season-best 16 hits in game two against the Wildcats (3/28).
• Designated hitter Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung leads the Vikings with a .316 batting average, .441 on-base percentage, and .487 slugging percentage, reaching base in 19 of her last 20 games. Additionally, she's leading the team in conference play, hitting .375 (9-for-24) with a team-high three doubles and four RBIs.
• Ellie Babbitt had a breakout weekend against the Hornets two weekends ago (April 4-5), accounting for a third of the Vikings' total hits that weekend, hitting .571 (4-for-7) with an on-base percentage of .667 while extending her hitting streak to seven games.
• Freshman Nichole Orozco shined in her first-ever Big Sky series at Weber State, batting .400 (4-for-10) with four RBIs and hitting her first career home run in the Vikings' game-two victory (April 4).
• Senior Natalia Martinez and sophomore Lorraine Alo have each driven in 24 runs this season, combining for 48 RBI—over a third of the team's total.

• Active Reached Base Streaks (3+ games): Ellie babbitt (3 games); Lorraine Alo (3 games); Gracie Toney (3 games)
• Active Hitting Streaks (2+ games): Lorraine Alo (3 games); Ellie Babbitt (2 games); Grace Johnson (2 games)

• Redshirt junior second baseman Grace Johnson has 20 stolen bases on the season, ranking second in the Big Sky. 
• She's currently just two stolen bases shy of tying the program's division I-era single-season stolen base record of 22, set by Olivia Dean in 2023 Career-wise.
• Johnson has 32 across her three seasons of action as she continues to chase the program's DI career leader, Olivia Dean who has 48

• Of the Vikings' 12 returners this year, none bring more experience than senior third baseman Natalia Martinez, who has appeared in 160 games and made 143 starts over her four-year career at Portland State.
• She's started at least 28 games in each of her four seasons at PSU, tallying 411 at-bats, 106 hits, nine home runs, and 68 RBIs while posting a .258 career batting average.
• A steady presence at third base, Martinez has recorded 109 putouts and 182 assists on 326 total chances
• She notched her 100th career hit on March 28 at Weber State earlier this season 

• 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.

• Viking Head Coach Meadow McWhorter is in her ninth season at Portland State, carrying a 148-246 (.374) overall record
• She recently established herself as the second-winningest coach in program history, surpassing Tobin Echo-Hawk with 148 wins—trailing only Teri Mariani.
• She's led the Vikings to a 61-68 (.473) 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

• 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.

• 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)

• 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

• 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