PORTLAND, Ore. – With 24 road games in the books, Portland State softball is set to make its long-awaited debut at Hillsboro Ballpark this weekend. The Vikings host North Dakota in a Friday (March 20) doubleheader before welcoming Santa Clara for a three-game set Sunday and Monday (March 22–23).

The Vikings open the weekend against the Fighting Hawks on Friday with a doubleheader at 2:00 / 4:30pm. They will then turn their attention to Santa Clara, kicking off the three-game series with a 12:00 / 2:30 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday before closing out the weekend with a single game Monday at noon.

All five games will stream live on ESPN+ with live stats also available (links below). Admission is free for all all fans.

In honor of the program's debut at Hillsboro Ballpark, Hillsboro Mayor Beach Pace will deliver Friday's ceremonial first pitch. Sunday's doubleheader has been designated "Teri Mariani Day," with the PSU hall-of-famer throwing out the first pitch prior to game one of the Santa Clara series. Monday will be "Kids in the Ballpark" day, featuring squishy giveaways and a free 90-minute postgame clinic for players ages 5–18 (sign up here). The clinic will begin immediately after Monday's 12 p.m. finale against the Broncos. 

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2026 PORTLAND STATE SOFTBALL GAME NOTES // WEEK 7

NORTH DAKOTA (19-9, 0-0) at PORTLAND STATE (8-16, 0-0)
Hillsboro, Ore. (Hillsboro Ballpark) 
Game 1: Friday, March 20 | 2:00 PM PT //  Live Stats - ESPN+
Game 2: Friday, March 20 | 4:30 PM PT // Live Stats - ESPN+

SANTA CLARA (13-14, 0-0) at PORTLAND STATE (8-16, 0-0)
Hillsboro, Ore. (Hillsboro Ballpark) 
Game 1: Sunday, March 22 | 12:00 PM PT //  Live Stats - ESPN+
Game 2: Sunday, March 22 | 2:30 PM PT // Live Stats - ESPN+
Game 3: Monday, March 23 | 12:00 PM PT // Live Stats - ESPN+

OPPONENT NOTES / SERIES HISTORY

North Dakota (19-9, 0-0): The Fighting Hawks are 19-9 overall and 5-4 on the road this season, having won 10 of their last 11 games. They begin their trip to the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday with a single game at the University of Washington before traveling to Portland. UND is hitting .285 as a team and carries a 3.88 ERA entering the week. Junior Tegan Livesay leads the pitching staff with an 8-4 record, a 3.10 ERA, eight complete games and one shutout. Offensively, six starters are hitting above .300, paced by freshman infielder Jayden Valdez, who owns a team-best .415 average. The Fighting Hawks finished the 2025 season 26-30 overall, placing fifth out of seven teams in the Summit League.
All-Time Series: PSU leads, 13-8; Breakdown » at home: 5-5; Under McWhorter: 3-5; Streak: L1 Last meeting » March 17, 2019 – L, 5-4 (Neutral)
Notes: After UND departed the Big Sky for the Summit League ahead of the 2019 season, Portland State has faced the Fighting Hawks just twice — both in 2019 — splitting a pair of neutral-site contests in Seattle.

Santa Clara (13-14, 0-0): The Broncos enter the weekend 13-14 overall and 3-6 on the road. They've found their rhythm in March, winning five of their last seven games, including victories over San Jose State, Fresno State and Montana. The reigning West Coast Conference champions were picked first in the 2026 WCC preseason poll and placed four players on the preseason all-conference team. 2025 WCC Player of the Year Cairah Curran leads the Broncos at the plate with a .371 average and .434 on-base percentage, while the team carries a .264 batting average into the week. In the circle, Santa Clara holds a 3.58 team ERA, anchored by underclassmen Cari Ferguson and Ellison Schroeder.
All-Time Series: PSU leads, 30-10; Breakdown » at home: 12-2; Under McWhorter: 2-3; Streak: L3 Last meeting » March 15, 2025 – L, 11-2 - 5inn (Away)
Notes: Despite a commanding lead in the all-time series, PSU has lost three straight to the Broncos — once in 2024 and twice in 2025 — all on the road. This weekend marks Santa Clara's first trip to face the Vikings on their home field since 2009.

OPENING WEEKEND AT HILLSBORO BALLPARK

• The Vikings will host 13 games — five of them this weekend — at their new home, Hillsboro Ballpark, this season.
• Portland State has been without an official home field since the 2024 campaign, its final season at Gordon Faber Field.
• Admission is free to all Vikings softball games at Hillsboro Ballpark throughout the 2026 season.
• Formerly known as Ron Tonkin Field, the stadium previously served as the home of Minor League Baseball's Hillsboro Hops. In addition to the Vikings, Hillsboro Ballpark will also house Portland's newest professional franchise — the AUSL's Portland Cascade, one of six professional softball teams in the country.

VIKS' LAST TIME OUT

• The Vikings had their first winless weekend of the season at the LMU Tournament last weekend, going 0-4 against LMU and Southern Utah
• They dropped both games by a single run on Saturday, falling 6-5 to LMU in extra innings and 3-2 to Southern Utah
• The Vikings hit .274 across four games in Los Angeles 

SOLID DEFENSE

• Despite a five-error weekend in Los Angeles, the Vikings still lead the Big Sky defensively with a .966 fielding percentage
• They've recorded seven error-free games this season, including three at the Blue Collar Classic two weekends ago, committing just two errors across five games in Boise
• The Vikings finished 2025 with a program-low .931 fielding percentage — a stark contrast to their defensive performance so far this season

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• Overall Numbers » The Vikings are hitting .263 with a .323 team on-base percentage through 24 games.
• Table-Setter » Leadoff hitter Grace Johnson leads the Vikings with a .413 batting average, .458 on-base percentage and nine multi-hit games. Her batting average ranks third in the Big Sky while her OBP ranks fifth. 
• Run Producer » Freshman Mia Martinez leads the Vikings with 13 RBI, recording at least one in nine games this season. Additionally, she leads the team with four home runs and 36 total bases. Eight of her team-high 12 RBI have come with two outs in the inning.
• Timely Hitting » Jolee Benson has been key to the Vikings' run production, hitting .478 with runners in scoring position and .361 with runners on base, compared to .194 with the bases empty. Benson had a team-long 10-game hitting streak earlier this season and has recorded at least one base hit in 13 of the last 15 games. 
• Who's hot? » Grace Johnson and Sierra Llamas both hit .500 for the Vikings at the LMU Tournament last weekend. Llamas had two hits for extra bases, including her first career home run against SUU on Friday. Prior to the LA trip, Llamas had started just seven games for the Vikings and had 22 at-bats. 
• Tough to Strike Out » Portland State averages just 3.79 strikeouts per game at the plate — the lowest mark in the conference.
• Leading Off » The Vikings have consistently set the tone early, with their leadoff hitter reaching base in 43% of innings this season.
• Long Ball » The Vikings hit five home runs at the Blue Collar Classic two weeks ago — nearly half of their season total at the time — including two in one inning against Boise State. Abigail Carsley has homered three times in the last six games. 

OFFENSIVE STREAKS

• Current hitting streaks: Sierra Llamas (5), Grace Johnson (4), Mia Martinez (3)
• Current reached-base streaks: Sierra Llamas (5), Nichole Orozco (5), Grace Johnson (4), Jolee Benson (4), Mia Martinez (3)

DUAL THREAT 

• Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung leads the Vikings in the circle with a 4-5 record, 4.31 ERA and 39 strikeouts, holding opponents to a .294 average across 13 appearances (61.2 IP).
• She also has 41 at-bats on the yaer, going 9-for-41 with three doubles, one home run and seven RBI.
• She put together a true two-way performance against Boise State, hitting her first home run of the season while pitching a complete game and allowing just one run in the 4-1 victory (3/6)
• In the circle, Nakoa-Chung has pitched seven complete games, going the distance in six of her last six starts
• She has a 4-2 record since Feb. 26 with wins over Boise State, Hawai'i and Mercyhurst (twice). One of her victories over Mercyhurst was a one-hit, complete-game shutout to lead the Vikings to a run-rule victory

CHASING THE RECORD

• Grace Johnson leads the Big Sky with 10 stolen bases and is a perfect 10-for-10 on the season
• She is one of just 13 players nationally with a 1.000 stolen base percentage among players with 10 or more steals
• Johnson now has 44 career stolen bases, ranking third in the program's Division I era and four shy of the record held by recent alum Olivia Dean (48)

MCWHORTER'S 150TH WIN

• The Vikings' 3–1 win at Cal State Fullerton (2/7) marked a milestone for head coach Meadow McWhorter — her 150th career win at Portland State. She became just the second coach in program history to reach the milestone

PRESEASON NOTES

• The Vikings will play a 46-game regular-season schedule, including 31 non-conference games and 15 Big Sky contests
• Portland State's 2026 roster features 12 returners and 13 newcomers, including seven freshmen
• The Vikings finished the 2025 season 12-39 overall and 5-9 in conference play, placing fifth in the standings
• Senior Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung was named to the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team after a standout 2025 season, becoming the first player in program history to earn all-conference honors as a pitcher/utility player (second team)
• Nakoa-Chung led the Vikings in five offensive categories in 2025: batting average (.313), on-base percentage (.436), slugging percentage (.500), doubles (9), and home runs (3)
• Senior second baseman Grace Johnson returns after leading the team with 43 hits in 2025 and setting the program's DI-era single-season stolen base record with 22
• The Vikings return 51% of their innings pitched from last season, led by upperclassmen Gracie Walters, Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung, and Anna Jardin
• The Vikings were picked fifth in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll released last month
• Portland State's roster features two multi-sport athletes, Claire Masters (Fr.) and Kainani Jacang (Jr.), who are also members of the Portland State soccer team
• Along with assistants Kellie Wilkerson and Meghan Romero, two 2025 graduates and program alums are part of the staff this season: Natalia Martinez (assistant coach) and Ellie Babbitt (director of player development)
• The Vikings posted a record-breaking fall term in the classroom with a 3.74 team GPA, including eight student-athletes who earned 4.0 GPAs — the highest term GPA in program history