RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- The Pacific softball team kicks off the 2022 season as the Tigers hit the road and take on Portland State on Friday, Feb. 11, at the Amy S. Harrison Softball Field in the Lynn Russell Miller Classic.
 
Senior utility player Carly Lucchetti is the top returning offensive player for the Tigers, who led the team with a .280 batting average during the 2021 season. Senior Bethany Hammer, junior Vanessa Strong, and sophomores Amiyah Aponte and Avery Croxall return with 2021 experience on the mound.
 
The Tigers will also feature a team with nine incoming freshmen. Emily Budelli, Kyla Eck, Emma Dazell, Hannah Glad, Talissa Montez, Nikki Enriquez, Stephanie Tupper, Nina Davis, and Delaney Scully join the team as first-year players to help a team that finished in third place in the West Coast Conference standings with a 14-14-1 record from a season ago.
 
The Tigers are set to face-off against Vikings for the fourth time since the 2017 season. The Tigers hold a 2-1 record over the Viking during that span, with both wins coming at Bill Simoni Field. The Tigers earned two-straight victories over the Vikings during the 2017 season, outscoring the Vikings, 13-3 in that stretch. The Vikings, however, prevailed in the most recent meeting, earning a 6-0 win over the Tigers on February 15, 2019.
 
The Tigers were slated to finish in sixth place in the preseason coaches poll as the poll was selected solely by a vote of the conference's six head coaches.