PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland State softball team will close out an eight-game homestand at Hillsboro Ballpark with five games this week. The Vikings host Oregon State for a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 14 beginning at 2:00 p.m., before welcoming Northern Colorado for a three-game series on Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18.

The final week at the Vikings' new home will feature several promos and themed events. Tuesday's doubleheader against Oregon State will serve as Staff & Faculty Appreciation Night, with a ceremonial first pitch from PSU athletics' faculty representative, Dr. Chris Carey. Portland State will then celebrate Women in Leadership during Friday's doubleheader against Northern Colorado, featuring a first pitch from PSU President Dr. Ann Cudd.

The Vikings will close out their home schedule with Senior Day on Saturday, April 18, honoring Alison Harris, Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung, Grace Johnson, Gracie Walters and Jolee Benson with a postgame ceremony recognizing their careers and final home games at Portland State. 

All five games will stream live on ESPN+ with live stats available. Admission is free for all fans.

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2026 PORTLAND STATE SOFTBALL GAME NOTES // WEEK 11

OREGON STATE (17-26, 5-4) vs. PORTLAND STATE (12-26, 2-7) 
Hillsboro, Ore. (Hillsboro Ballpark)
Game 1: Tuesday, April 14 - 2:00pm //  Live Stats - ESPN+
Game 2: Tuesday, April 14 - 4:30pm // Live Stats - ESPN+

NORTHERN COLORADO (19-22, 5-4) vs. PORTLAND STATE (12-26, 2-7) 
Hillsboro, Ore. (Hillsboro Ballpark)
Game 1: Friday, April 17 - 2:00pm //  Live Stats - ESPN+
Game 2: Friday, April 17 - 4:30pm // Live Stats - ESPN+
Game 3: Saturday, April 18 - 1:00pm // Live Stats - ESPN+

OREGON STATE (17-26, 5-4): Oregon State has won three of its last four, taking a WCC series over Pacific (CA) last weekend with two wins in Corvallis. The Beavers are hitting .282 as a team and averaging 4.79 runs per game. Junior Jaeya Butler leads the offense with 19 home runs, a single-season program record. In the circle, the Beavers carry a 4.97 team ERA into Tuesday's matchup, led by Bailey Murray, who owns a 4.56 ERA across 89.0 innings pitched.
All-time series  » Oregon State leads, 98-39-1
Home: 18-39-1; Away: 19-55; Neutral: 2-4
Under McWhorter: 4-9; Streak: L2; Last 10: 4-6
Last meeting: 4/9/25 DH - Beavers won, 11-1 (5) and 9-2
Notes:The Vikings have had strong success against the Beavers in recent years, posting a 4-3 record in the series since 2022. That year, Portland State snapped a seven-game losing streak to its in-state foe with a 6-1 win over then-No. 24 Oregon State in Corvallis. The Vikings followed with three straight wins across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, including a doubleheader sweep in Hillsboro in 2024 with back-to-back 1-0 victories. Oregon State took the last two matchups a season ago, winning 9-2 and 11-1 in Corvallis.

NORTHERN COLORADO (19-22, 5-4): Entering the final two weeks of Big Sky play, the Bears are one of three teams in the conference with a 5-4 record. They opened league action with series wins over Sacramento State and Montana before dropping their most recent series to Idaho State, falling in two of three games. The Bears rank second in the conference offensively with a .302 team batting average, while their 6.09 team ERA ranks fourth in the Big Sky. Senior infielder Amailee Morales leads the conference with a .444 average entering the weekend, which ranks 45th nationally.
All-time series  » Portland State leads, 30-24
Home: 18-7; Away: 9-14; Neutral: 3-3
Under McWhorter: 13-15; Streak: L4; Last 10: 2-8
2025 Series result: Bears won (WW) - Greeley, Colo. (only played two games due to weather)
Notes: The Vikings have lost four straight to the Bears, with their last win coming in the 2024 Big Sky Tournament championship game to force a deciding game. The Bears went on to win that finale, 9-5 in 10 innings, to claim the title. Portland State is seeking its first series win over the Bears since 2022, when the Vikings took two of three games in Hillsboro.

LAST TIME OUT: VS WEBER STATE

• Despite outplaying Weber State in several key areas, the Vikings dropped the series 2-1 at Hillsboro Ballpark (April 10–11), with both losses coming in Friday's doubleheader by a single run.
• Portland State out-hit the Wildcats 24-21 and posted a .276 team batting average compared to Weber State's .256, highlighted by a season-high 13 hits in a 9-1 run-rule win in Saturday's finale.
• Weber State committed eight errors across the three-game series, while the Vikings had just two
• Portland State scored in the opening inning of all three games, stranding a total of 18 baserunners

TIGHT GAMES

• The Vikings have struggled in close games this season, dropping 11 contests by two runs or fewer.
• Portland State is 2-7 in one-run games and 1-4 in games decided by two runs.
• Four of the Vikings' seven conference losses have come by two runs or fewer, including three by a single run.
• Portland State is 0-4 in extra-inning games this season.

KEYS TO VICTORY

• Score First: The Vikings have scored first in 10 of their 12 wins this season. They're 2-17 in games they've allowed their opponent to score first. 
• Avoid Playing from Behind: The Vikings are 0-17 when trailing at the end of the fifth inning and 1-21 when entering the seventh inning behind.
• Win the Hit Battle: The Vikings are 9-4 when out-hitting their opponent and 2-21 when out-hit.
• Five-Run Mark: The Vikings are 11-6 when allowing fewer than five runs and 1-20 when allowing five or more.

LUTZ LOCKED IN

• Junior infielder Breanna Lutz has been on a tear in Big Sky play, hitting .517 (15-for-29) with eight RBI, four doubles and two home runs across nine games.
• She is currently riding an eight-game hitting streak, recording a hit in eight of nine conference games, including five multi-hit performances.
• Lutz led the Vikings against Weber State (April 10–11), hitting .700 (7-for-10) with a .727 on-base percentage and a 1.200 slugging percentage.
• Three of her seven hits went for extra bases (two doubles, one home run), as she totaled 12 bases, five RBI and four runs scored while adding two three-hit games and two multi-RBI performances.
• Lutz enters the final few weeks of the regular season with a team-high 19 RBI, 23 runs scored, 8 doubles and a .589 slugging percentage 

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• Overall Numbers » The Vikings are hitting .255 with a .330 team on-base percentage 
• Big Sky Numbers » The Vikings are hitting .267 with a .352 on-base percentage in conference play, averaging 4.78 runs per game and 7.6 hits per game
• The Long Ball » The Vikings have hit eight home runs across their last eight games, hitting four of those in their series-opening doubleheader at Idaho State on Friday, April 3
• Table-Setter » Leadoff hitter Grace Johnson leads the Vikings with a .371 batting average after finishing non-conference action with the second-best average in the conference (.425). She led the Vikings statistically in all but one weekend during non-conference play, totaling a team-high 10 multi-hit games while notching a season-high nine-game hitting streak.
• Leading Off »The Vikings have consistently set the tone early, with their leadoff hitter reaching base in 38% of innings this season (reached in 99-of-256 leadoff opportunities). Grace Johnson has accounted for 62 of those opportunities and is hitting .484 in leadoff situations. Hitting primarily in the two spot, Breanna Lutz has led off 17 innings this season and reached base in 11 of those opportunities (.647).
• Free Bases »Three Vikings rank among the top 10 in walks in the conference, led by Abigail Carsley, who ranks fourth with 18. Nichole Orozco ranks fifth with 17 and Grace Johnson sits seventh with 16.

OFFENSIVE STREAKS (3+ games)

• Current hitting streaks: Breanna Lutz (8), Grace Johnson (3)
• Current reached-base streaks: Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung (9), Breanna Lutz (8), Abigail Carsley (7), Sierra Llamas (5), Grace Johnson (3)

LEADER IN THE CIRCLE

• Senior Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung leads the Vikings with a 3.88 ERA (3.63 BSC) and a 7-9 record (2-2 BSC).
• She ranks first in the conference and 27th in the nation in complete games (11). She also leads the league in innings pitched (113.2), and ranks second in strikeouts (85).
• Against Weber State (April 10-11), she tossed two complete games, recording a 2.00 ERA across 14.0 innings pitched while striking out four batters and holding her opponents to a .264 average. 
• Earlier this season, she threw a no-hit shutout against North Dakota (March 20), leading the Vikings to a 1-0 win in their home opener.It marked Portland State's first seven-inning no-hitter in over 20 years and the program's third since 2023. She struck out a career-high 10 in the outing and earned Big Sky Co-Pitcher of the Week honors, the second of her career.

SOLID DEFENSE

• The Vikings defense remains atop the Big Sky with a .965 fielding percentage and carry a .968 fielding percentage in Big Sky games
• They've played error-free defense in five of nine conference games so far, bringing their season total to 12  on the season
• The Vikings finished 2025 with a program-low .931 fielding percentage — a stark contrast to their defensive performance so far this season.

STOLE THE RECORD

• Grace Johnson broke Portland State's Division I-era career stolen base record on Friday, April 10 vs. Weber State, swiping her 49th career base to pass Olivia Dean after being tied for seven games without an attempt.
• Johnson is a perfect 15-for-15 on stolen base attempts this season, tied for the most in the Big Sky.

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

A NEW HOME

• The Vikings made their debut at Hillsboro Ballpark on March 20 against North Dakota.
• Portland State had been without an official home field since the 2024 season, its final year at Gordon Faber Field.
• Admission is free for all Vikings softball games at Hillsboro Ballpark during the 2026 season.
• Formerly known as Ron Tonkin Field, the venue was previously home to the Hillsboro Hops.
• In addition to the Vikings, Hillsboro Ballpark will host Portland's new professional team, the AUSL's Portland Cascade—one of six teams in the league.

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