Prior to the beginning of the 2009 season, the coaches around the Pacific Coast Softball Conference didn’t think too much of Portland State’s chances at competing for the league title.
Despite tying for second place last season with a record of 13-7, the Vikings were predicted to finish fourth in a poll conducted by the six head coaches in the PCSC.
The Vikings, however, had other plans. Rallied by a core of six dynamic seniors, the squad shocked everyone by rumbling to a 15-5 conference record and seizing the championship for the second time in four years.
Well, everyone but themselves.
“I knew what this team was capable of right from the start,” said head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk, whose first season at the helm likely could not have gone better. “As a coach, you have to have high expectations, and I knew from the first practice that they could win the conference.”
While Echo-Hawk began her tenure as head coach with the utmost confidence in her players, she was determined to earn their respect in return. Having acted as an assistant coach for two seasons, Echo-Hawk was elevated to the head position after the previous coach, Amy Hayes, accepted a job at another university.
Rising to the occasion, Echo-Hawk led the team to its best conference record in Division I history, earning the top coaching honor in the PCSC.
Her job was immediately made easier by the return of a solid core of veteran players, including first baseman Jana Rae Slayton, who finished her Portland State career having played (228) and started in more games than anyone in school history.
Joining her on the field was Jackie Heide, the Vikings’ resident home-run ace, who not only broke the school record for career home runs (32), but was also named PCSC Co-Player of the Year after hitting .369 and bringing home a conference-best 41 RBIs.
“All six seniors impacted our team in a different way, both on the field and off,” Echo-Hawk said. “What they offered day in and day out really set the standards for the younger players to learn from.”
Looking to move into that leadership role next season will be sophomore pitcher Nichole Latham, who proved herself as an undeniable talent on the mound this year while gathering the most wins in the conference (16-11). Her 2.63 earned run average and 142 total strikeouts on the year were enough to make her the unanimous pick for the conference’s Pitcher of the Year award.
Latham and fellow hurler Tori Rogers will be integral in the team’s attempt at a second straight NCAA appearance next year, along with juniors Brandi Scoggins, De’Chauna Skinner and Becca Diede.
For Echo-Hawk, the key to continued success will be maintaining a high-level of play from one game to the next.
“We need to work a little more on consistency next season,” she said. “Some days we were fantastic, and the next day we looked like a different team.”
More toward the fantastic end of the spectrum was the Vikings’ series against Sacramento State, the very team picked to win the conference in the pre-season poll.
Locked in a battle for the conference’s top spot heading into the weekend, the Vikings took three games out of four in the series, securing their position as the number one team.
“That was our senior day, so there was a lot of emotion out on the field,” Echo-Hawk said. “To have the confidence and the ability to win three of four against a tough team was a big step for this group.”
Looking ahead to next season, Echo-Hawk admits that losing her six senior players will be difficult, but she is confident in the team’s ability to regroup and defend their crown.
“Losing [the seniors] will be a big loss, obviously,” she said. “But I think there are a lot of young players on this team that are ready to take over where they left off.