After coasting to the Pacific Coast Softball Conference Mountain Division title, the Portland State Vikings are headed to Moraga, Calif., to face Coastal Division winner Saint Mary’s College in the inaugural PCSC Championship Series today and Saturday.
While Portland State (29-25, 18-2 PCSC) has been the hottest team in the PCSC over the past several weeks, winning 13 of its last 14 games and only dropping two conference matchups, Saint Mary’s enters the series riding its own wave of success. The Gaels (28-20, 14-4 PCSC) have won 10 of their last 12 games and own the PCSC’s best overall record this season.
With a core of players that includes freshman pitcher Anna Bertrand, junior pitcher Nichole Latham, senior catcher Brandi Scoggins and senior infielder Becca Diede, Portland State goes into the championship series having matched the best conference record in PCSC history. The 18-2 mark matches Loyola Marymount’s 2007 conference record, and PSU can also tie Loyola Marymount for most conference titles in PCSC history with three apiece if they take this weekend’s best-of-three series.
The Vikings, who swept a school record four conference opponents this season, owe a large part of their success to a pitching staff that has been nearly unhittable. Bertrand and Latham combined to pitch 110 2/3 innings in conference and held the PCSC to a 0.74 ERA. The two hurlers also combined to strike out 126 batters while holding PCSC sluggers to a mere .201 batting average against them.
While Portland State pitchers stymied conference opponents, the Viking lineup did its part in lighting up opposing PCSC pitchers. In conference, the Vikings batted .315 with a slugging percentage of .455, with senior infielder De’Chauna Skinner leading PSU in slugging percentage, clubbing five home runs in only 50 at bats.
Scoggins has been Portland State’s most consistent bat, hitting .467 in conference with eight doubles, while Diede and sophomore designated player Lacey Holm have each added four of their own in conference.
With the team’s strengths clearly defined on the stat sheet, head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk believes that it is the little things that will help to seal a second consecutive championship for the Vikings.
“Everything needs to come together—whether it be our offense that sometimes struggles, sometimes we play a little hesitant on defense—we need to be there the whole time and make sure that we do the little things right and that’s what we’ve been talking about all week, is focusing on the little things,” Echo-Hawk said.
Saint Mary’s counters with a lineup that has been slightly more productive than the Vikings, posting a .717 on-base plus slugging percentage on the season to Portland State’s .681 OPS. Senior catcher Jenna Smith and sophomore infielder Rebecca Sabatini, who have, combined, hit 15 doubles and 13 home runs, lead the Saint Mary’s offense.
While the Gael’s offense has been the cornerstone of their success, their pitching staff is led by sophomore Brittany Linton who, in 179 1/3 innings pitched, allowed opposing batters to hit only .255 while walking only 54. As a whole, the Gael’s have posted a 4.08 ERA in 326 2/3 total innings.
Portland State will be looking to capture their second championship and trip to the NCAA tournament in as many years, while Saint Mary’s looks to gain their first PCSC crown. The Viking’s own the all-time series against the Gael’s 29-15, include winning three of four games against Saint Mary’s last year.
With Portland State knocking out nationally-ranked University of Oregon at the beginning of the month, Echo-Hawk has stressed what she’s told the team all year—that they can beat anyone if they play the game to their own standards.
“We just need to take care of us and play well. As long as we do that no matter who we’re playing, we’re going to win,” Echo-Hawk said.
PCSC Championship Series
Best-of-three series at Moraga, Calif.
#PSU LOGO# #SM LOGO#
Portland State vs. Saint Mary’s
Mountain Div. Coastal Div.
(29-25, 18-2 PCSC) (28-20, 14-4 PCSC)
Game One
Fri., 2 p.m.
Game Two
Sat., Noon
Game Three *
Sat., 2 p.m.