Portland State University’s softball team is set to compete in the OUTRIGGER Classic in Honolulu from February 26 to 28. The tournament, hosted by the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, will see the Vikings play five games over three days—three against Mercyhurst and two against Hawai’i at Rainbow Wahine Stadium.
The Vikings currently hold a 3-7 record this season. Their opening game is scheduled for Thursday against Mercyhurst, followed by doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday. None of the tournament games will be streamed online, but live statistics will be available for fans.
Mercyhurst enters the tournament winless after four games this season and is playing its first year as an NCAA Division I institution following a move from Division II in July 2024. This week’s matchup marks the first meeting between Portland State and Mercyhurst.
Hawai’i holds a 5-9 record and has recently struggled, losing nine of its last ten games. The Rainbow Wahine are under new leadership with Panita Thanatharn serving her first year as head coach. Historically, Hawai’i leads the all-time series against Portland State 21-7 and won all four meetings in their most recent matchups during the 2020 and 2024 seasons.
Portland State’s last appearance was at the Littlewood Invitational in Tempe, Arizona, where they finished with one win—a 7-2 victory over Pacific (Calif.)—and four losses to teams including No. 22 Arizona State.
Among standout performers for Portland State is Gracie Toney, who has hit two home runs in just 15 at-bats this season and leads the team with a .333 batting average. Grace Johnson has reached base in eight out of ten games so far and posted a .357 average at the Littlewood Invitational; her .469 on-base percentage ranks sixth in the Big Sky Conference entering this weekend’s play.
Pitcher Gracie Walters has completed all three of her starts this season with a team-best ERA of 3.67 across 21 innings pitched. Anna Jardin also recorded a complete game during opening weekend without allowing any earned runs.
Grace Johnson continues to climb program records with five stolen bases on five attempts through ten games this season; she now sits fourth all-time for stolen bases during Portland State’s Division I era.
Earlier this month, head coach Meadow McWhorter reached her 150th career win at Portland State after defeating Cal State Fullerton on February 7. She became only the second coach in program history to reach that milestone.
The Vikings’ roster features a mix of experience and new talent with twelve returning players and thirteen newcomers—including seven freshmen—for their planned forty-six-game regular-season schedule. Senior Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung was named to the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team after leading last year’s squad in several offensive categories.
Portland State was picked fifth in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches’ Poll released last month. The team also celebrated academic achievements with a record-breaking fall term GPA of 3.74, including eight student-athletes earning perfect grades—the highest mark in program history.
