POCATELLO, Idaho – After 35 non-conference games, the Idaho State Bengals open the 2024 Big Sky Conference season this week taking on the Portland State Vikings.
The Bengals are no strangers to adversity and this week will be no different. After a delay with renovations happening at Miller Ranch Stadium, the series which was set for home in Pocatello will now be played on the other side of the State in Boise.
The Bengals will play a single game on March 29 in Nampa, Idaho at Northwest Nazarene University starting at 10:00 AM MT
Idaho State and Portland State will then play a doubleheader Saturday, March 30 at Boise State University with first pitch at 6:00 PM MT.
How to Follow
Because of the move to a neutral site venue, only Live Stats will be available to follow all three games.
Click Here for the statistics link to follow the games.
Bengal Bites
· Coming out of non-conference play, the Bengals are sitting at 18-17 a .514 winning percentage.
· Three Bengals are hitting over .300 on the season. Gracie Smith leads the team with a .417 average, Alyssa Yee is up next at .357 and Olivia Robison rounds out the trio at .324.
· The Bengals lead the Big Sky Conference in Slugging at .422 on the season.
· The Bengals are No. 1 in Runs scored, Hits, RBIs, Home Runs, Total Bases and At Bats showcasing the potent offense of the Orange and Black headed into the conference season.
· Smith leads the Big Sky in Runs Scored, Hits, and total bases.
· Three Bengals are in the top 5 in the conference in Home Runs, Yee with six and Smith and Ava Brown with five each.
· Taylor Fitzgerald and Marley Goluskin lead the Bengal pitching staff headed into the series with the Vikings. Fitzgerald has a team low ERA of 3.14 with Goluskin right on her heels at 3.19.
· The duo have combined for a 12-9 record with both pitchers having six wins each.
· Goluskin leads the team with 30 strikeouts on the year.
Quick Look – Portland State
· The Portland State Vikings are 11-16 on the year and are coming into the series on a hot streak, having won eight out of their last 10 games. The Vikings picked up a pair of wins over PAC-12 Oregon state near the beginning of the month.
· Offensively, the Vikings are led by #20 Lorraine Alo and #9 Maddie Thompson who are bating .367 and .363 respectively.
· The Vikings are batting .242 as a team while opponents are outhitting them at .283 average.
· The long ball has not come easily to the Vikings this season as they have only hit three home runs as a team. Two of which coming from #6 Emily Johansen.
· The Vikings pitching staff is throwing a 3.59 combined ERA. #15 Allicitie Frost leads the Vikings with a 2.78 ERA.
· #23 Grace Kimball has thrown the most games for the Vikings with a 6-7 record throwing a 4.07 ERA. On average opponents are hitting .271 against Kimball and as a staff opponents are hitting .284 vs the Vikings, fourth best in the conference.
· The Bengals are 23-29 vs the Vikings all-time. The last matchup of the two programs came in the opening round of the 2023 Big Sky Tournament when the Bengals took down the Vikings 5-1.
On Deck
Next Week is the 2024 home opener for the Idaho State Bengals as the Sacramento State Hornets come to town. Friday, April 5 is set for a doubleheader at Miller Ranch followed by a single game on Saturday April 6 to close out the series.
