PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland State softball team is headed to the 2026 Big Sky Tournament in Pocatello, Idaho this week as the No. 6 seed and will open play Monday against No. 3 seed Sacramento State.
First pitch between the Vikings and Hornets is set for 10:30 a.m. PT / 11:30am MT. The winner will play a second game Monday against #2 Northern Colorado (3:30pm PT / 4:30pm MT). The loser will move into an elimination game on Tuesday.
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2026 PORTLAND STATE SOFTBALL GAME NOTESÂ
BIG SKY TOURNAMENT / May 4-8 / Pocatello, Idaho (Direct Communications Field)
BIG SKY TOURNAMENT HOME PAGE — Bracket | Program | Tickets
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#6 PORTLAND STATE (14-30, 4-11) vs. #3Â SACRAMENTO STATE (30-18, 9-6)
Monday, May 4 - 10:30am PT / 1:00am MT
Live Stats
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VIKS' BIG SKY TOURNAMENT HISTORY
- BSC Tournament Appearances:Â 9Â - 2013 (#2-CHAMPION), 2016 (#6) , 2018 (#4), 2019 (#5), 2021 (#5-CHAMPION), 2022 (#3), 2023 (#4), 2024 (#4-RUNNER-UP); 2025 (#5)
- Overall BSC Tournament record:Â 18-13Â |Â Under McWhorter:Â 15-11
- BSC Tournament titles:Â 2 -Â 2021 (#5 seed - 4-0); 2013 (#2 seed - 3-0)
- Record vs. higher seed:Â 10-8;Â Record vs. lower seed:Â 8-5Â
HISTORY VS. OPPONENTS
- #1 Idaho State: 2026:Â 1-2; All-Time: 34-24; Tournament: 3-2
- #2 Northern Colorado: 2026: 2-1; All-Time: 32-25; Tournament: 3-3
- #3Â Sacramento State:Â 2026: 0-3; All-Time: 31-65; Tournament: 2-2
- #4 Montana: 2026: 0-3; All-Time:Â 13-24;Â Tournament: 1-4
- #5 Weber State:Â 2026: 1-2; All-Time: 31-25; Tournament: 1-3-0
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
- Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung: First-team All-Conference (pitcher/utility); program's first in that category. Led Big Sky in strikeouts (99), K/BB (2.61), starts (22) and innings (131.2); 3.77 ERA, 9-10 record, 14 CG, 2 SHO, no-hitter vs. North Dakota; 2x Pitcher of the Week; added 11 RBI
- Breanna Lutz: Second-team (3B); hit .400 in conference with 4 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .538 OBP; team-high 12 multi-hit games; 45 PO, 50 AST
- Abigail Carsley: Honorable mention (utility); .325 in conference, team-high 12 RBI; 5 HR, 11 XBH, .432 SLG; played catcher/1B
NARROW MARGINS
- 15 of the Vikings' games during the regular season were decided by two runs or fewer, with Portland State winning four of those contests (4-11)
- 10 of those were one-run games, where the Vikings are 3-7
- Four of the Vikings' conference losses were by two runs or fewer, including three by a single run
- Portland State was 0-4 in extra-inning games this season
KEYS TO VICTORY
- Score first: The Vikings scored first in 12 of their 14 wins this season (86%). They were 2-21 when allowing the opponent to score first, including an 0-8 mark in conference play.
- Avoid playing from behind The Vikings are 0-21 when trailing after the fifth inning
- Win the hit battle: The Vikings are 11-4 when out-hitting their opponent and 2-25Â when out-hit
- Five-run mark: The Vikings are 13-7Â when allowing fewer than five runs and 1-23Â when allowing five or more.
TABLE SETTER
- Leadoff hitter Grace Johnson led the Vikings with a .363 batting average during the regular season
- The redshirt senior hit an impressive .486 (35-for-72) when leading off an inning
- She finished non-conference action with the second-best average in the conference (.425) and led the Vikings statistically in all but one weekend during non-conference play, totaling a team-high 10 multi-hit games
OFFENSIVE STREAKS (3+ games)
NO-NO FROM NAKOA-CHUNG
- Nakoa-Chung 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
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 15-for-16 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.
- 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
