{"id":283108,"date":"2026-04-24T02:40:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T02:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/283108\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T02:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T02:40:08","slug":"vikings-close-regular-season-at-sacramento-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/283108\/","title":{"rendered":"Vikings Close Regular Season at Sacramento State"},"content":{"rendered":"

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PORTLAND, Ore. \u2013\u00a0With the final Big Sky standings still wide open, Portland State softball heads to Sacramento State this weekend to close out the regular season with a three-game series against the Hornets at Shea Stadium, Friday and Saturday (April 24\u201325).<\/p>\n

The series, which will be the Vikings’ first on the road in 20 days, begins with a doubleheader on Friday at 12:00 p.m., followed by a single game on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.<\/p>\n

All three games will stream live on ESPN+ with live stats available (links below).<\/p>\n

\n2026 PORTLAND STATE SOFTBALL GAME NOTES \/\/ WEEK 12<\/p>\n

PORTLAND STATE (14-27, 4-8)\u00a0 at\u00a0SACRAMENTO STATE (27-17, 6-6)\u00a0
Sacramento, Calif. (Shea Stadium)
Game 1:\u00a0Friday, April 23\u00a0– 12:00pm \/\/\u00a0\u00a0Live Stats<\/a>\u00a0– ESPN+<\/a>
Game 2: Friday, April 23 – 2:30pm\u00a0\/\/ Live Stats<\/a> – ESPN+<\/a>
Game 3: Saturday, April 24 – 12:00pm \/\/\u00a0Live Stats<\/a> – ESPN+<\/a><\/p>\n

SACRAMENTO STATE (27-17, 6-6): The Hornets enter the final week of the regular season at 27-17 overall, tied for third in the Big Sky with a 6-6 conference mark, and are coming off a series loss to Idaho State last weekend. Their pitching staff has led the way this season, topping the conference with a 3.02 team ERA. Offensively, senior outfielder Lafulafu Malepeai leads the Hornets with a team-best .403 average, while the team’s .294 average ranks third in the conference.
All-Time Series: Hornets lead, 62-31
Home:\u00a015-17;\u00a0Away:\u00a012-41;\u00a0Neutral: 3-4
Under McWhorter: 11-16;\u00a0Streak:\u00a0L1;\u00a0Last 10:\u00a03-7
Last meeting: 5\/8\/25 – BSC Tournament\u00a0– Hornets won, 15-4 (5inn)
Notes: Portland State and Sacramento State met four times during the 2025 season, with the Hornets winning three, including two of three in the regular season, before eliminating the Vikings from the conference tournament in Greeley with a 15-4 victory. The Vikings are seeking their first series win over the Hornets since 2021, when they swept Sacramento State in Hillsboro. The last meeting in Sacramento (2024) was shortened to two games due to weather, with the teams splitting the series.<\/p>\n

BIG SKY STANDINGS\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tIdaho State and Montana sit atop the standings at 8-4 and face each other this weekend to decide the regular-season champion
\n\tThe final four tournament seedings are up for grabs, giving the Vikings a path to finish as high as third or as low as sixth; they will likely need at least two wins for a chance at third
\n\tPortland State is tied for sixth with Weber State at 4-8 (WSU holds the head-to-head tiebreaker), while Sacramento State and Northern Colorado are tied at 6-<\/p>\n

LAST TIME OUT: VS NORTHERN COLORADO<\/p>\n

\tThe Vikings secured their first series win of the year last weekend, taking two of three from Northern Colorado
\n\tBoth teams posted run-rule wins on Friday before the Vikings took the rubber match, 4-3, on Saturday
\n\tThe Vikings hit .300 as a team for the weekend, despite being held to one hit in game two<\/p>\n

NAKOA-CHUNG\u00a0TABBED BIG SKY PITCHER OF THE WEEK\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tSenior Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung<\/a> earned her third career Big Sky Player of the Week honor on Monday, and her second this season
\n\tShe went 2-0 in the circle with two complete games, 10 strikeouts and a 1.75 ERA, holding opponents to a .184 average
\n\tHer first win came in Friday’s opener, allowing three hits and one earned run with three strikeouts in a 10-2 run-rule victory
\n\tShe followed with a complete-game effort in the series finale on senior day, striking out seven over seven innings while allowing five hits and two earned runs<\/p>\n

NARROW MARGINS<\/p>\n

\t15 of the Vikings’ games this season have been decided by two runs or fewer, with Portland State winning four of those contests (4-11)
\n\t10 have been one-run games, where the Vikings are 3-7
\n\tFour of the Vikings’ eight conference losses have come by two runs or fewer, including three by a single run
\n\tPortland State is 0-4 in extra-inning games this season<\/p>\n

KEYS TO VICTORY<\/p>\n

\tScore First:\u00a0The Vikings have scored first in 12 of their 14 wins this season (86%). They are 2-17 when allowing the opponent to score first, including an 0-5 mark in conference play.
\n\tAvoid Playing from Behind: The Vikings are 0-18\u00a0when trailing after the fifth inning
\n\tWin the Hit Battle: The Vikings are 11-4 when out-hitting their opponent and 2-22\u00a0when out-hit
\n\tFive-Run Mark: The Vikings are 13-6\u00a0when allowing fewer than five runs and 1-21\u00a0when allowing five or more.<\/p>\n

WHO’S HOT?<\/p>\n

\tJunior infielder Breanna Lutz<\/a> has been on a tear in Big Sky play, hitting .455 (15-for-33) with a .581 on-base percentage, eight RBI, four doubles and two home runs across 12 games
\n\tRedshirt sophomore Abigail Carsley<\/a> leads the Vikings with 12 RBI in Big Sky play, recording three multi-RBI outings over the last five games, including two with three RBI
\n\tSophomore outfielder Rylee Gaustad<\/a> paced the Vikings’ offense last weekend with a .571 average (4-for-7), highlighted by a 3-for-3 performance in the series opener<\/p>\n

TABLE SETTER<\/p>\n

\tLeadoff hitter Grace Johnson<\/a>\u00a0leads the Vikings with a .365\u00a0batting average
\n\tThe redshirt senior is hitting .485 (33-for-68) when leading off an inning
\n\tJohnson owns a season-long nine-game hitting streak and enters the weekend on a six-game streak
\n\tShe finished non-conference action with the second-best average in the conference (.425) and led the Vikings statistically\u00a0in all but one weekend during non-conference play, totaling a team-high 10 multi-hit games<\/p>\n

OFFENSIVE STREAKS (3+ games)<\/p>\n

LEADER IN THE CIRCLE<\/p>\n

\tSherreigh Nakoa-Chung<\/a> leads the Vikings with a 3.68\u00a0ERA (3.16\u00a0BSC) and a 9-9\u00a0record (4-2 BSC)
\n\tShe ranks first in the conference and 26th\u00a0in the nation in complete games (13). She also leads the league in\u00a0innings pitched (125.2) and strikeouts (95)
\n\tEarlier 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<\/p>\n

SOLID DEFENSE<\/p>\n

\tThe Vikings defense ranks second among Big Sky teams with a .965 fielding percentage (one point behind Idaho State)
\n\tThey’ve\u00a0played error-free defense in five of 12\u00a0conference games so far, bringing their season total to 12 on the season
\n\tThe Vikings finished 2025 with a program-low .931 fielding percentage \u2014 a stark contrast to their defensive performance so far this season.<\/p>\n

STOLE THE RECORD<\/p>\n

\tGrace Johnson<\/a> 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.
\n\tJohnson is\u00a015-for-16\u00a0on stolen base attempts this season, tied for the most in the Big Sky.<\/p>\n

MCWHORTER’S 150TH WIN<\/p>\n

\tThe Vikings’ 3\u20131 win at\u00a0Cal State Fullerton (2\/7) marked a milestone for head coach\u00a0Meadow McWhorter<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 her 150th career win at Portland State. She became just the second coach in program history to reach the milestone<\/p>\n

A NEW HOME<\/p>\n

\tThe Vikings made their debut\u00a0at Hillsboro Ballpark on March 20 against North Dakota.
\n\tPortland State had been without an official home field since the 2024 season, its final year at Gordon Faber Field.
\n\tFormerly known as Ron Tonkin Field, the venue was previously home to the Hillsboro Hops.
\n\tIn addition to the Vikings, Hillsboro Ballpark will host Portland’s new professional team, the AUSL’s Portland Cascade\u2014one of six teams in the league.<\/p>\n

PRESEASON NOTES<\/p>\n

\tThe Vikings will play a 46-game regular-season schedule, including 31 non-conference games and 15 Big Sky contests
\n\tPortland State’s 2026 roster features 12 returners and 13 newcomers, including seven freshmen
\n\tThe Vikings finished the 2025 season 12-39 overall and 5-9 in conference play, placing fifth in the standings
\n\tSenior\u00a0Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung<\/a>\u00a0was 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)
\n\tNakoa-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)
\n\tSenior second baseman\u00a0Grace Johnson<\/a>\u00a0returns after leading the team with 43 hits in 2025 and setting the program’s DI-era single-season stolen base record with 22
\n\tThe Vikings return 51% of their innings pitched from last season, led by upperclassmen\u00a0Gracie Walters<\/a>,\u00a0Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung<\/a>, and\u00a0Anna Jardin<\/a>
\n\tThe Vikings were picked fifth in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches’ Poll released last month
\n\tPortland State’s roster features two multi-sport athletes,\u00a0Claire Masters<\/a>\u00a0(Fr.) and\u00a0Kainani Jacang<\/a>\u00a0(Jr.), who are also members of the Portland State soccer team
\n\tAlong with assistants\u00a0Kellie Wilkerson<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Meghan Romero<\/a>, two 2025 graduates and program alums are part of the staff this season:\u00a0Natalia Martinez<\/a>\u00a0(assistant coach) and\u00a0Ellie Babbitt<\/a>\u00a0(director of player development)
\n\tThe Vikings posted a record-breaking fall term in the classroom with a 3.74 team GPA, including eight\u00a0student-athletes who earned 4.0 GPAs \u2014 the highest term GPA in program history<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Story Links Watch on ESPN+ Live Stats …\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":283109,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":["post-283108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/283109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}