Final exam?

For the Portland State softball squad, it’s the biggest weekend of the year as they head to Palo Alto, Calif. for the first round of the NCAA tournament. 

After cruising to a conference title behind a 15-5 record, the Vikings will put their skills to the test against the strongest teams in the nation. 

They will take on the eighth-seeded Regional host, Stanford, on Friday night to kick off the four-team tournament that will determine who advances to the round of 32.

Nevada and Cal-Poly round out the Regional field, with the four teams engaging in a double-elimination round-robin style tournament for the right to move on.

Portland State Vikings
Record: 29-24, 15-5 Pacific Coast Softball Conference
Finish: Won PCSC
NCAA Appearances: Two (2006, 2009)
Key Wins: DePaul, Oklahoma State, Boston College, Boise State, Oregon, Oregon State

Breakdown: For the Vikings to have a chance, they will need to be firing on all cylinders on offense and eliminating any mental errors on defense.

Fortunately for them, they are led by the newly minted PCSC Coach of the Year, Tobin Echo-Hawk, who will be navigating her team through their second NCAA playoffs in four years. 

Senior Jackie Heide, the PCSC Co-Player of the Year, will look to continue her offensive onslaught by adding 32 career homeruns to her school record. Joining her at the plate are Portland State’s four other All-PCSC honorees, Jana Rae Slayton, Jamee Rauch, Jenna Wilson and Kristen Wilson. 

On the mound for the Vikings will be rising star Nichole Latham, the PCSC Pitcher of the Year, whose stifling pitching has meant trouble for opposing batters all season. Also in the bullpen for PSU is junior Tori Rogers, a second-team All-PCSC member, who is coming off a stellar 8-2 conference run. 

Stanford Cardinal
44-9, 13-8 Pac-10 Conference
Finish: Fourth place in Pac-10
NCAA Appearances: 12 (1998-Present)
Key Wins: Indiana, Cal Poly, Washington, Arizona State, Notre Dame, Arizona

Breakdown: Fresh off a Pac-10 finish of 13-8, good enough for fourth place in the conference, the Cardinal will have the looming advantage of playing at their home field where they are 27-1 this season. 

From April 22 to May 3, Stanford won seven straight contests, four of which were shut-outs against San Jose State, Oregon, Oregon State and Arizona.  Since that point however, they finished their regular season by losing three straight.

The Cardinal are led by junior Alissa Haber, an All-American outfielder, who leads the squad in batting average (.439), runs (54), hits (79) and stolen bases (18). 

Cal Poly Mustangs
39-10, 18-3 Big West Conference
Finish: First place in Big West Conference
NCAA Appearances: Two (2007, 2009)
Key Wins: Oregon State, Nevada, BYU, California, Temple, Sacramento State

Breakdown: Riding high on a banner year, the Mustangs will look to extend their winning ways into the post-season. 

After winning 18 of their last 19 games, Cal Poly finished the conference with a best-ever 18-3 record and their second Big West title in three years. On March 22, they defeated California, then-ranked 10th in the country, by a score of 4-1. 

Their cause is spearheaded by sophomore left-handed pitcher Anna Cahn, who was recently crowned the Big West Pitcher of the year after tallying 27 victories in 2009. She fanned 151 batters on her way to posting a 1.71 ERA on the year. 

Nevada Wolfpack
39-17, 15-5 Western Athletic Conference
Finish: Second place in WAC
NCAA Appearances: Three (2006, 2008, 2009)
Key Wins: Portland State, Colorado, Oregon, Fresno State, UNLV
Breakdown: Making their second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, the Wolf-Pack received an at-large bid after falling to Fresno State in the Western Athletic Conference finals.

In a regular season preview of Friday’s match-up, Nevada took on Cal Poly earlier in the season, falling 1-0.  The Wolf Pack also matched-up with the Vikings on Feb.14, defeating PSU in 6 innings by a score of 11-2. 

Nevada’s biggest threat at the plate is senior outfielder Brittany Puzey, who belted a team-high 12 homers this season, driving in a total of 45 RBI.
 
Friday
Game 1: Cal Poly vs. Nevada
3 p.m.
Game 2: Stanford vs. Portland State
6 p.m.

Saturday
Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
TBA
*Loser is eliminated from NCAA Tournament
Game 4: Game 3 winner vs. Game 1 winner
TBA
Game 5: Game 4 winner vs. Game 2 winner
TBA

Sunday
Regional Final: Winner advances to Sub-Regionals of NCAA Tournament
TBA

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