@BearsSoftball Zeros In on Portland State

Greeley, Colo - Northern Colorado Softball begins another week of Big Sky Conference Play Friday in the Pacific Northwest. Three games await the Bears and Vikings as both look to climb up the current conference standings.

Scouting the Bears
• UNC leads the Big Sky Conference in the number of batters hit-by-pitch in 2017 with 22. The next closest is Southern Utah with 18.
• The Bears lead the BSC in assists, bolstering 365 so far in 2017. North Dakota is the only school closest with 308 assists.
• Erica Dick's .613 slugging percentage ranks fifth best in the conference.
• Lauren Paige and Chandler Elsner are ranked number one and two in the BSC in relief appearances at 15 and 11, respectively.
• Adeline Coldiron leads the conference in throwing out runners, catching 13 runners trying to steal bases thus far this season.

Scouting the Vikings
• Alexis Morrison leads the team batting .405 from the plate.
• In 23 games, Portland State has only recorded four home runs, while opponents have notched 29 against them.
• The Viking pitching staff has walked 98 batters so far in 2017.
• PSU is one of two teams in the Big Sky Conference that have not recorded a save this season. Southern Utah is the other institution.
• Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in wild pitches with 25. UNC has thrown the least with six.
• The Vikings have only grounded into three double plays this season.
• As a collective, PSU pitching has a team ERA of 8.40.

Who to Watch For
Cheyenne Talmadge- Talmadge is beginning to round in to form for head coach, Shana Easley. In her last 10 games, Talmadge boasts a .407 batting average (second best in that time span on the team), one double, seven runs scored, 12 total bases and is 3-3 in stolen base attempts.

Last Time Out
Northern Colorado split their opening day of Big Sky Conference play last Friday against Southern Utah. A big fifth inning prevented the Bears from winning the weekend series, falling 11-3 in game three.
Last time vs. Portland State
UNC holds a 8-19 record against the Vikings. Last season, the Bears took two of three from Portland State during a late April series in Greeley.
Goodbye Softball
Northern Colorado leads the Big Sky Conference in total home runs in 2017 with 25. Sacramento State sits second with 22.
Steal Patrol
Fourteen times UNC have caught opponents trying to steal bases. That total sits atop of the BSC with the next closest institution only catching eight runners (Weber State).
Taylor Made
Freshman Sophia Taylor is starting to heat up at second base for the Bears. Over the last seven games, Taylor has batted .318 with a home run, a triple, four runs, six RBI and has recorded six putouts and 20 assists with no errors.
Turning the Paige
After a relatively slow start to 2017, Lauren Paige began Big Sky Conference play with a torrid start. Last weekend, Paige went .500 (5-10) at the plate, leading the team in batting average.
Patient Hitting
The Bears continue to show great maturity at the plate in 2017. In all but one game, UNC has a drawn a walk and now have recored at least one in 14 consecutive games. While Northern Colorado has forced 101 walks so far, the pitching staff has only given up 65.
Assisted Living
Shana Easley's pitching staff won't set any records in strikeouts this year, but neither her nor her players really care. Trusting their defense more than ever, UNC leads the Big Sky Conference with 365 assists. With more than 20 games, left in the season, the team is on track to break the 2014 single-season record of 512.
Wearing One for the Team
Northern Colorado is the fifth best team in the conference in on base percentage, mostly in part due to their high number of hit by pitch count. Already with 22 in 2017, the Bears lead the BSC and are on pace to break the 2015 record of 33. Adeline Coldiron leads the team with nine of the 22 free passes.
Don't Even Try It
Adeline Coldiron, who has started each of the ears' 31 games at catcher, has picked off two runners attempting to steal bases. No other pitcher in the Big Sky Conference has accomplished such a feat.
New Year New Staff
Head coach Shana Easley has hired assistant coaches, Travis Owen and Kaelene Curry over the offseason. Owen arrives from a successful Radford program and Curry makes her second stint as part of UNC's staff, arriving from Sonoma State.
New Kids on the Block
UNC adds three new faces to the program in 2017. Hunter Damico, Autumn Anderson and Sophia Taylor all arrive in Greeley looking to make an impact in their freshmen campaigns.
Seeing Triple
Last season, Northern Colorado and Erica Dick led the nation in triples per game by a team and by a player, respectively with .43 and .40.
Early Signing Success
UNC ventured out into four different states to sign new recruits during the early signing period in November. Natalie Joyner (Wash.), Mady Young (Kan.), Ally Steiner (Ariz.) and Emma Brockman (Ore.) will all arrive on campus next season.
Frequent Flyers
The Bears will spend the first month of the season traveling the Southwestern part of the United States. Tournaments in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas keep UNC busy before coming home on March 7 against Colorado State.
Record Watch
2017 could be a monumental year for Erica Dick. The senior ranks top-10 in UNC history in 10 career categories. Dick has already scored more runs than anyone in Bear history with 123 and counting.
Chasing a Legend
Head coach Shana Easley enters 2017 one win behind Jen Schunke for second all-time in UNC DI history. Easley is 26 wins from tying Linda Witt (88) who holds the most wins in the DI era.
Recent Renovations
On top of renaming Butler-Hancock Softball Field to Gloria Rodriguez Field, UNC Softball will welcome a brand new scoreboard and backstop. Renovations to the facility continue with eyes on new dugouts as the next project.

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Players Mentioned

Adeline Coldiron

Hunter Damico

Erica Dick

Chandler Elsner

Lauren Paige

Cheyenne Talmadge

Sophia Taylor

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