CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah softball team will make their way to Portland, Oregon this weekend to take on the Portland State Vikings in a three-game series, beginning with a doubleheader tomorrow. Due to weather conditions, the start time for Game One was pushed up to 12:30 PM MT, and both games of the doubleheader have been moved to the turf field at Hillsboro Stadium. It is possible that Friday's games will be moved back to Portland State's traditional home field dependent on weather, but as of now due to the change of location, Friday's games will be unavailable for streaming; however, live stats will be provided.
Series Info
Southern Utah vs Portland State
Dates: April 15-16
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Venue: Hillsboro Stadium/Gordon Faber Field 4
Stream: ESPN+ (only available for Game Three)
Game Schedule:
Friday, April 15
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Game 1: 12:30 PM MT
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Game 2: 3:00 PM MT
Saturday, April 16
Preview
Southern Utah (3-29, 0-9) will be back in action following a road series against Weber State last weekend. The Thunderbirds struggled offensively against a strong and experienced Weber State pitching rotation; but, they will now turn their attention to the Vikings, in hopes of picking up their first Big Sky series win.
Portland State (21-14, 5-4) will provide stiff competition for SUU, as they have differentiated themselves as one of the best teams in the Big Sky this season.
The Vikings have won two of their three conference series thus far, most recently picking up two close victories over Northern Colorado this past weekend after dropping the series opener.
Portland State has relied heavily on their pitching staff this season, particularly on redshirt sophomore Olivia Grey. Grey has put together a phenomenal season in the circle thus far, leading the conference in nearly every statistical category for pitchers, including innings pitched (130.1), ERA (1.67), strikeouts (167), opposing batting average (.196), and saves (3).Â
Sophomore Allicitie Frost holds the number two role in the rotation. Frost boasts a 5.51 ERA in 47 innings pitched this season, while compiling a record of 6-4 on the season.
The PSU pitching rotation has received help from one of the strongest defenses in the country. As a team, the Vikings have only committed 24 errors this season, and they hold the second-highest fielding percentage in the conference at .973.
Portland State has struggled offensively at times this year and currently ranks second-to-last in the conference for hitting.
Logan Riggenbach has been the most consistent Viking at the plate this season; she is currently batting a team-high .360 with an OB% of .409 and has tallied 25 RBI and 6 home runs this season.
Behind Riggenbach, Paetynn Lopez is the only PSU player batting over .300, and she leads the team in both home runs (7) and slugging percentage (.611).
Southern Utah is still seeking their first conference victory this season; but, they have improved throughout conference play.Â
Makenna Calderon leads SUU with a batting average of .368 in nine Big Sky contests thus far. She has also stolen four bases on four attempts and has three multi-base hits, including one triple.
Capri Franzen has also elevated her hitting in conference play, as she holds an average of .333 at the plate against Big Sky competition. Franzen has also blasted three home runs and leads the team in slugging percentage (.750) and RBI (9) against Big Sky opponents.
Makall Whetten continues to lead Southern Utah in overall batting average (.257), as she has done for the majority of the season. Whetten has not been as successful in conference play but has hit three doubles and leads the team in OB% (.464) in nine conference games thus far.
Similar to the Portland State offense, Southern Utah's pitching staff has struggled this season, but they will look to get on track this weekend and shut down the Viking offense.Â
A strong pitching performance from SUU will be key this weekend if they hope to pick up their first conference victory and come away with a road series win.
History
Southern Utah holds a record of 15-18 against Portland State in the all-time series history. The Thunderbirds took the regular-season series against the Vikings last season by winning two of three at home; however, they fell to PSU twice in the Big Sky tournament including once in the championship game.
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