PORTLAND, Ore. – After a busy 29-game start to the 2026 season, Portland State softball opens Big Sky Conference play this weekend, traveling to Missoula, Mont., for a three-game series against Montana (March 28-29). 

The series at Grizzly Softball Stadium opens with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 28 at 12:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. PT. It concludes Sunday, March 29 at 11:00 a.m. PT. All three games will stream live on ESPN+, with live stats also available (links below).

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2026 PORTLAND STATE SOFTBALL GAME NOTES // WEEK 8

PORTLAND STATE (10-19, 0-0) at MONTANA (8-22, 0-0)
Missoula, Mont. (Grizzly Softball Stadium) 
Game 1: Saturday, March 28 - 12:00 PM PT / 1:00 PM MT //  Live Stats - ESPN+
Game 2: Saturday, March 28 - 2:30 PM PT / 3:30 PM MT // Live Stats - ESPN+
Game 3: Sunday, March 29 - 11:00 AM PT / 12:00 PM MT // Live Stats - ESPN+

MONTANA (8-22, 0-0): Montana enters Big Sky play with the fewest wins in the conference, holding an 8-22 record. Three of those wins came this week in a home sweep of Seattle U, as the Griz beat the Redhawks 7-5, 6-5 and 6-2 on Monday and Tuesday. Montana is hitting .260 as a team, led by sophomore Grace Lopez, who carries a team-best .404 average into the weekend. The Griz's 6.30 team ERA ranks last in the conference, as the pitching staff has allowed an average of 10 hits and six earned runs per game.
All-time series  » PSU trails, 14-21
Home: 7-8; Away: 6-9; Neutral: 1-4
Under McWhorter: 12-16; Streak: W2; Last 10: 7-3
2025 Series result: Viks won, 2-1 (Hillsboro, OR)
Notes: The Vikings have taken four straight series from Montana heading into the 2026 matchup, winning two of three games in each regular-season series from 2022 through 2025. Last year, the Vikings dropped the opener, 7-1, but bounced back with back-to-back wins to secure the series. Current Viking senior Gracie Walters threw a no-hitter in game two of that series, leading PSU to a 4-1 win. Walters became the second Viking since 2023 to no-hit Montana, joining Olivia Grey, who threw a five-inning no-hitter against the Griz at the Big Sky Conference Tournament in 2023 in a 13-0 victory.

LAST TIME OUT: OPENING WEEKEND AT HILLSBORO BALLPARK

• The Vikings opened play at Hillsboro Ballpark this past weekend, hosting North Dakota for a doubleheader (March 20) before welcoming Santa Clara for a three-game series (March 22–23)
• PSU went 2-3 on the weekend, splitting the doubleheader with North Dakota and dropping the series to Santa Clara, 2-1
• Two of the five games were decided by a single run (both vs. North Dakota), while another went to extra innings
• The Vikings were tied or leading entering the fifth inning in all five games but struggled late, allowing 10 of the weekend's 14 runs to score in the sixth through eighth innings.

KEYS TO VICTORY

• Score first: PSU is 8-6 when scoring first, compared to 2-13 when allowing its opponent to score first.
• Limit late-inning damage: The Vikings have allowed 39 runs in the sixth inning this season—nearly a quarter of their total runs allowed.
• Avoid playing from behind: The Vikings are 0-12 when trailing after the fifth inning and 1-15 when entering the seventh inning behind.
• Win the hit battle: The Vikings are 2-16 when out-hit by their opponent and 8-3 when they match or out-hit opponents.

NO-NO FOR NAKOA-CHUNG

• Senior right-hander Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung threw a no-hit shutout against North Dakota on Friday, March 20 in the Vikings' home opener, leading Portland State to a 1-0 win.
• It marked Portland State's first seven-inning no-hit shutout in over 20 years and the program's third no-hitter since 2023, with the other two coming against Montana.
• Nakoa-Chung recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts in the outing and was named Big Sky Co-Pitcher of the Week for her performance, the second weekly honor of her career.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• Overall Numbers » The Vikings are hitting .251 with a .323 team on-base percentage entering conference play
• Table-Setter » Leadoff hitter Grace Johnson has been a force at the plate, leading the Vikings with a .425 batting average and .495 on-base percentage, with her average ranking second in the conference. She has paced the Vikings offensively in all but one weekend during non-conference play, totaling a team-high 10 multi-hit games while reaching base in nine straight contests. Over five home games last weekend, the senior went 6-for-12 with six walks, posting a .667 on-base percentage.
• Run Producer » Freshman Mia Martinez leads the Vikings with 15 RBI, recording at least one in 11 games this season. Additionally, she leads the team with four home runs and ranks second in total bases (37). Over half of her RBI have come with two outs in the inning (8-of-15).
• Productive at-bats » Jolee Benson has also been key to the Vikings' offensive production, hitting .407 with runners in scoring position and successfully advancing runners in 52% of her opportunities. Benson had a team-long 10-game hitting streak earlier this season and has recorded at least one hit in 16 of the last 20 games. 
• Leading Off »The Vikings have consistently set the tone early, with their leadoff hitter reaching base in 43% of innings this season (83-for-193 in leadoff opportunities). Grace Johnson has accounted for 47 of those opportunities and is hitting .553 in leadoff situations. Hitting primarily in the two spot, Breanna Lutz has led off 11 innings this season and reached base in eight of those opportunities (.727).

OFFENSIVE STREAKS

• Current hitting streaks: Grace Johnson (9), Sierra Llamas (4)
• Current reached-base streaks: Grace Johnson (9), Sierra Llamas (4), Mia Martinez (4), Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung (3)

THE LAST 10

• The Vikings' pitching staff has outperformed its season numbers over the last 10 games, posting a 3.82 ERA while holding opponents to a .289 average (season: 5.37 ERA, .318 opponent average). The staff has also limited damage, averaging fewer than three walks and four strikeouts per game. 
• Grace Johnson is hitting .448 over the last 10 games, while Sierra Llamas is batting .429 across the same stretch (9-for-21) with four RBI in six starts. Llamas highlighted the stretch with a .500 showing across four games at the LMU tournament and followed with a .364 performance over the five-game opening weekend. Abigail Carsley has also contributed, totaling seven RBI, two home runs and a triple over the last 10 games.

LEADERS IN THE CIRCLE

• Sixth-year senior Gracie Walters leads the Vikings with a 3.71 ERA in non-conference play and has posted a 2.33 ERA over her last 10 games (six appearances, 21.0 innings)
• With a team-best 5-7 record, Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung has tossed a team-high 77.0 innings entering Big Sky play, ranking second in the conference with 56 strikeouts while leading the team with two shutouts
• Walters and Nakoa-Chung have combined for 12 complete games this season, with Nakoa-Chung's seven leading the conference

SOLID DEFENSE

• Despite committing at least one error in each of the last eight games, the Vikings' .965 fielding percentage still leads the Big Sky, reflecting their consistency through the first 20 games of the season.
• They enter conference play with seven error-free games and have limited damage, committing more than one error in only six games this season.
• The Vikings finished 2025 with a program-low .931 fielding percentage — a stark contrast to their defensive performance so far this season.

CHASING THE RECORD

• Grace Johnson leads the Big Sky with 14 stolen bases and is a perfect 14-for-14 on the season
• She is one of just 9 players nationally with a 1.000 stolen base percentage among players with 10 or more steals
• Johnson tied Portland State's DI-era career stolen base record on Sunday against Santa Clara, recording the 48th steal of her career to match recent alum Olivia Dean. She is now one stolen base away from setting the DI-era record outright and sits 19 shy of the program's all-time record of 68 (including pre-DI era).

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