PORTLAND, Ore. ? The Tobin Echo-Hawk era gets under way this weekend as the Portland State softball team starts its fall schedule with four games over two days.

Echo-Hawk was recently promoted to head coach after Amy Hayes left for a head job at Bradley. Echo-Hawk has an extensive coaching background and was a standout softball player at Nebraska from 1993-96.

PSU starts its fall schedule with a 12:00 p.m. game against Columbia Basin College on Saturday. The Viks will face Blue Mountain College later that day at 3:30 p.m.

On Sunday, PSU will face Blue Mountain at 11:45 a.m., and Western Oregon at 1:30 p.m.

The Vikings went 31-27 last season, and return a number of their top hitters.

Among the top returners back is senior 1B Jana Rae Slayton, who led PSU with a .341 average in 2008 while driving in 32 runs and hitting five home runs.

Also back are sophomore INF Arielle Wiser (.327) and junior C/INF Brandi Scoggins (.323), both of which eclipsed the .300 mark, and senior INF Jamee Rauch, who led the Viks with 14 doubles and four triples.