PORTLAND, Ore. —The Portland State softball team has proven that regular season records and seedings mean little in the postseason, entering the 2025 Big Sky Tournament riding four straight top-three finishes—with just one coming as a top-three seed. Looking to continue that streak, the Vikings head to Greeley, Colo., this week as the No. 5 seed—the same rank they held when they won it all in 2021.

The four-day, double-elimination tournament will be held May 6-9 at Gloria Rodriguez Field, home of the 2024 regular season and tournament champion Northern Colorado Bears. The Vikings will face the fourth-seeded host in Tuesday's tournament opener at 10:00 a.m. PT/11:00 a.m. MT.

All of the games this week will stream live on ESPN+, with live stats also available (links below),

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PORTLAND STATE SOFTBALL GAME NOTES - POSTSEASON // WEEK 13

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• All-Time Series vs. PSU: PSU leads, 33-22
• Postseason (BSC Tourn.): PSU leads, 3-2 (2013, 2016, 2022, 2023, 2024) | Last Tourn. Meeting: 2024 — PSU 6, ISU 5
• Record Under McWhorter: 15-11 overall | 2-1 in postseason
• 2025 Series Result: ISU won series, 2-1 (L-W-W) — Hillsboro, OR
• Notes: The Vikings and Bengals have met in each of the last three Big Sky Tournaments, with Portland State winning one-run games in 2022 and 2024. Idaho State claimed a 5-1 win in the second round of the 2023 tournament in Ogden, UT.

#2 SACRAMENTO STATE (26-21, 10-5 BSC)

• All-Time Series vs. PSU: PSU trails, 31-61
• Postseason (BSC Tourn.): PSU leads, 2-1 (2019, 2022, 2024) | Last Tourn. Meeting: 2024 (Semifinals) — PSU 9, SAC 7
• Record Under McWhorter: 11-15 overall | 2-1 in postseason
• 2025 Series Result: SAC won series, 2-1 (W-W-L) — Hillsboro, OR
• Notes: The Vikings and Hornets have a track record of tight postseason games, with all three tournament matchups decided by two runs or fewer—including two extra-inning games. They've met in the semifinals twice: Sacramento State won 4-3 in extras in 2022, while Portland State answered with a 9-7 win in 2024 to reach the title game. Their first tournament meeting came in the 2019 quarterfinals, where PSU edged the Hornets 2-1 in 11 innings.

#3 WEBER STATE (24-29, 8-7 BSC)

• All-Time Series vs. PSU: PSU leads, 30-23
• Postseason (BSC Tourn.): PSU leads, 5-2 (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023⁽²⁾, 2024⁽²⁾) | Last Tourn. Meeting: 2024 (Quarterfinals) — PSU 12, WSU 5
• Record Under McWhorter: 13-15 overall | 5-2 in postseason
• 2025 Series Result: WSU won series, 2-1 (W-L-W) — Ogden, UT
• Notes: The Vikings have faced the Wildcats seven times in the Big Sky Tournament—their most frequent postseason opponent—and have won four of the last five matchups. Last season, Weber State handed the Vikings a one-run loss in the tournament opener, but PSU bounced back to eliminate them in the quarterfinals two days later.

#4 NORTHERN COLORADO (16-28, 7-7 BSC)

• All-Time Series vs. PSU: PSU leads, 30-23
• Postseason (BSC Tourn.): PSU leads, 3-2 (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024⁽²⁾) | Last Tourn. Meeting: 2024 (Championship x2) — PSU 4, UNC 3 (8) | UNC 9, PSU 5 (10)
• Record Under McWhorter: 13-14 overall | 3-2 in postseason
• 2025 Series Result: UNC won series, 2-0 (Gm 3 canceled) — Greeley, CO
• Notes: The Vikings and Bears battled through a memorable Championship Saturday last season in Pocatello, with both games going to extra innings. After clawing through the loser's bracket to reach the championship, Portland State forced a winner-take-all game with a 4-3 win in eight innings over the Bears, but Northern Colorado secured the title with a 9-5 win in the 10^th inning of game two.

#6 MONTANA (8-40, 1-14 BSC)

• All-Time Series: PSU trails, 13-21 
• Postseason (BSC Tourn.): PSU trails, 1-4 (2016, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023) |  Last Tourn. Meeting: 2023 — PSU 13, UM 0 (5 inn.)
• Record Under McWhorter: 12-16 overall | 1-3 in postseason
• 2025 Series Result: PSU won series 2-1 (L-W-W) — Hillsboro, OR
• Notes: Though they trail in the all-time series, the Vikings have won seven of their last 10 games against the Griz, including three straight regular-season series. Their last postseason meeting came in 2023, when Portland State knocked out Montana with a dominant 13-0, five-inning no-hitter.

The Vikings dropped their final regular-season Big Sky series to Idaho State on April 25-26 at Hillsboro Stadium. However, they played arguably their best game of the season in the series opener on Friday, handing the Bengals just their second conference loss of the year, 6-2. Portland State out-hit the conference-leading Bengals 9-6 and belted two home runs in the win. The Vikings continued to play well in game two but were edged 3-2 as the Bengals evened the series. ISU then sealed the series with an 11-0, run-rule win in the finale on Saturday, tossing the program's first-ever perfect game. 

KEYS TO VICTORY

• Early scoring was key for the Vikings during the regular season, scoring first in nine of their 12 wins—including first-inning runs in eight of those contests
• PSU has struggled when playing from behind, carrying a 3-30 record when allowing their opponent to score first.
• The Vikings have found success when keeping opponents in check, going 9-9 in games where they allow five runs or fewer.
• They've also done well at protecting leads, posting a 10-2 record when ahead after four innings and a 9-1 mark when leading after six.

DUAL THREAT

• Junior Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung has had a standout season for the Vikings, leading the team offensively while also playing a key role in the circle with a team-best 5.31 ERA across 18 appearances.
• Entering her junior season with just four career at-bats, Nakoa-Chung made her mark in 2025, leading the Vikings with a .311 batting average (.342 in Big Sky play) and a .436 on-base percentage. She also led the team with three home runs and eight doubles
• Additionaly, Nakoa-Chung reached base in 22 of her last 25 games, including a 17-game streak, with hits in seven consecutive outings. Her 17-game reached base streak was a season-best for the Vikings. 
• She went 3-2 in the circle, making five appearances in Big Sky play (two starts), recording 21.2 innings pitched, 12 strikeouts
• Her best outing of the year came in the final series of the season, tossing a complete-game victory over Idaho State, leading the Vikings to a 6-2 win, holding the Bengals to two earned runs, and striking out four.

AT THE PLATE

• The Vikings were batting just .200 through their first 22 games of the season but have seen a significant improvement in the second half, raising their average by 35 points to .235 over the last seven weeks (27 games).
• PSU hit .258 in conference play, highlighted by a season-best three-game series at Weber State (3/28-29), where the team posted a .317 team batting average, including a season-high 16 hits in game two against the Wildcats (3/28).
• Despite going 0-2 in their shortened series against the Bears (4/19), the Vikings hit an impressive .340 as a team, raising their conference average by .017, from .249 to .266. Five Vikings hit above .400 in that doubleheader, with Ellie Babbitt leading the way with a 3-for-5 (.600) performance.
• Senior Jade Henry has been phenomenal in the second half of the season. Although starting only seven Big Sky contests, she has made the most of her opportunities, going 8-for-20 (.400), with two doubles and two home runs—both of which came during Senior Weekend against the Bengals. She finished the season with a team-high .500 on-base percentage in conference play.
• Seniors Natalia Martinez and Ellie Babbitt, along with sophomore Lorraine Alo, have each recorded 20 or more RBIs this season, combining for 72 RBIs—nearly 50% of the team's total.

IN THE CIRCLE

• Five different pitchers earned wins in the circle during the regular season: Grace Kimball (3), Gracie Walters (3), Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung (3), Anna Jardin (2), and Annie Lemos (1).
• Gracie Walters led the Vikings' staff in Big Sky play, appearing in five games, starting three while posting a 2-2 record across 25.0 innings pitched, During that span, she threw two complete-games, struck out 12 batters while holding opponents to a .157 batting average 
• Despite Walters'  heavy workload during the second half of the season, Grace Kimball still led the staff by a wide margin in innings pitched—logging 100.1 innings, which was 47 more than any other Viking pitcher.
• Kimball's 22 starts led the Big Sky this season, while her 60 strikeouts rank third among conference pitchers
• In less than two full seasons at PSU, Kimball has climbed to eighth all-time in career strikeouts during the program's Division I era, entering this week's tournament with 185 as she closes in on the 200-strikeout mark.

WALTERS' HISTORIC WEEKEND

• Gracie Walters had a career weekend in the circle against the Griz (April 12-13), leading the Vikings to their first series victory of the season, taking two games from Montana
• In the Vikings game two win, Walters threw just the second no-hitter by a Viking since 2012, facing 24 batters over seven innings, walking only two, and holding Montana hitless.
• She 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.
• Her performance landed her first career Big Sky Pitcher of the Week honor

BIG SKY PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS

• In addition to Gracie Walters' Pitcher of the Week honor two weekends ago, two other Viking pitchers have received the award 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.

OUT TO STEAL THE RECORD

• Redshirt junior second baseman Grace Johnson has 21 stolen bases on the season, ranking third in the Big Sky
• She's currently just one stolen base 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 33 across her three seasons as she chases the program's DI career leader, Olivia Dean who has 48

MARTINEZ MAKING HER MARK

• Of the Vikings' 12 returners this year, none bring more experience than senior third baseman Natalia Martinez, who has appeared in 165 games and made 148 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 425 at-bats, 110 hits, 10 home runs, and 70 RBIs while posting a .259 career batting average.
• A steady presence at third base, Martinez has recorded 111 putouts and 188 assists on 3335 total chances
• She notched her 100th career hit on March 28 at Weber State earlier this season 

MEADOW MCWHORTER'S SUCCESS

• Viking Head Coach Meadow McWhorter is in her ninth season at Portland State, carrying a 149-250 (.373) overall record, just one win shy of the 150-win mark at PSU
• She recently established herself as the second-winningest coach in program history, surpassing Tobin Echo-Hawk with her 148th win at PSU—trailing only Teri Mariani.
• She's led the Vikings to a 62-72 (.463) 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

RANKED OPPONENTS 

• The Vikings played four opponents that finished the regular season ranked in the top-25: Oregon (#3), Florida State (#9), Stanford (#17), Grand Canyon (#24)
• They hosted then-#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
•  In week two, they faced then-No. 20 Stanford falling 16-5 in five innings, and faced then-No. 12 Oregon on Feb. 28, losing 9-1 in six innings. 
• The Vikings also lost to Grand Canyon, 9-0 in 5 inn., a team that was recieving votes at the time but eventually made its way into the top-25

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

 A LOOK AT THE VIKINGS' 2025 SCHEDULE

• The Vikings played 49 games during the regular season, with 17 at home, 32 on the road, 35 non-conference games, and 14 Big Sky contests
• Their 49 regular season contests were the most since 2018
• They competed 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 included seven Power Four opponents, three of which finished in last year's final top 25 poll