Tobin Echo-Hawk enters her fifth season as the head softball coach at Portland State after spending two seasons as an assistant coach with the Vikings.
In just four seasons on the Park Blocks, Echo-Hawk has led the softball team to four conference titles and three NCAA tournament appearances, and has been named league coach of the year four times. Her 2009, 2011, and 2012 squads won the Pacific Coast Softball Conference titles to advance to NCAA regional action, while the 2010 team won the PCSC Mountain Division title and fell one victory short of another trip to the national tourney.
In the Vikings’ final year in the PCSC in 2012, Echo-Hawk led her team to a 28-25 overall record while going 15-5 in PCSC play to claim a third consecutive Mountain Division title. The Vikings then took two straight from Saint Mary’s in Moraga, Calif. to claim their second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and third in the past four years.
After the Vikings lost the opening contest of the tournament, Echo-Hawk recorded her first career NCAA Tournament win as a coach with a 2-0 win over Mississippi State.
The Vikings opened the conference season by going 3-1 at Utah Valley and at home against Idaho State. PSU then split their four-game set at Northern Colorado to move to 8-4. The Vikings would lose only one more conference game, a 1-0 in 10 innings against Seattle, thanks in large part by the tremendous pitching of junior Anna Bertrand.
Bertrand appeared in 18 of the Vikings 20 conference games making 15 starts. She posted a 12-4 record and 1.35 ERA en route to being named the PSCS Mountain Division Pitcher of the Year. She threw 11 complete games and eight shutouts, two combined with fellow pitcher Raya Johnson. Bertrand pitched six consecutive complete games, including four consecutive shutouts, to help the Vikings secure the Mountain Division title.
Five players earned All-PSCS Mountain Division honors. Seniors Jenna Krogh and Karmen Holladay, along with Bertrand and freshman Alicia Fine all earned first team honors with Crysta Conn and Carly McEachran earning honorable mention. All 15 Vikings who finished the season earned PSCS Commissioner’s Honor Roll honors.
In 2011, the Vikings captured their second straight PCSC Mountain Division championship and then went on to sweep Loyola Marymount in the best-of-three PCSC Championship Series. That catapulted PSU to their third NCAA tournament appearance since 2006, where they played in the Seattle Regional.
Portland State finished the year 34-18 overall and 16-4 in the Mountain Division. At one point during the preseason, Portland State's record stood at 12-8. It may not sound all that impressive, but up to then they had played seven games against teams that made the NCAA tournament the previous year and it was the best record by a PSU team through 20 games since 1997.
After opening conference play 1-3, the Vikings concluded the regular season by winning 15 of their final 16 league contests, before taking a pair of games from LMU at Erv Lind Stadium to win the PCSC Championship Series. In the NCAA tournament, the Vikings opened with a 6-2 loss to No. 14 Washington, and then saw their season come to an end despite battling No. 21 Auburn in a 2-1 defeat.
The Vikings batted .308 as a team, the first time a PSU team had hit over .300 at the DI level, and the best average since 1996. They set single season school records with 244 runs batted in, 20 sacrifice flies and a .408 slugging percentage, while scoring 269 runs, three short of another record. Five starters batted well over .300 and junior Jenna Krogh led the PCSC with a .398 mark.
A school record 10 players received all-conference honors, led by sophomore second baseman Carly McEachran, who was named the PCSC Mountain Division Player of the Year after batting .475 during league play. Senior Nichole Latham was tabbed as the Mountain Division Pitcher of the Year and Echo-Hawk was selected as the Mountain Division tri-Coach of the Year.
Krogh, Latham and Anna Bertrand all earned second team Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Pacific Region recognition, giving PSU their most honorees in one season.
The 2010 season marked the first year of the expanded Pacific Coast Softball Conference, with Portland State becoming a member of the Mountain Division. The Vikings were the unanimous selection to win their half of the PCSC and that is just what they did, steamrolling to the title with an 18-2 record. The Vikings swept four of their five four-game PCSC series and won their final 13 conference games to set a new school record.
Portland State went on to lose the best-of-three PCSC Championship Series, two games to one, to Coastal Division winner Saint Mary's, and concluded the year with a 30-27 record.
After the way the Vikings dominated their Mountain Division foes it was of no surprise when Echo-Hawk was tabbed as the division's coach of the year. Senior Brandi Scoggins was named the co-Player of the Year, while Anna Bertrand was named the co-Freshman of the Year and Pitcher of the Year. Eight players earned all-conference recognition, including five to the first team.
Also in 2010, PSU set new school single-season records for doubles (65), strikeouts (355) and saves (6). The Vikings pitching staff led the PCSC in wins, earned run average, saves, strikeouts, shutouts and opponent batting average.
Echo-Hawk was promoted to the top spot on September 12, 2008, and in her first season as head coach she wasted little time putting her stamp on the softball program, leading the team to the 2009 PCSC title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Vikings finished the year at 29-26, including 15-5 in league play. For her teams' achievements, Echo-Hawk was honored as the PCSC Coach of the Year.
The 2009 Viking squad saw seven players land on the all-conference team, including five to the first team. Senior Jackie Heide was named the co-Player of the Year and Nichole Latham was picked as the PCSC Pitcher of the Year. Both players were also voted to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Pacific Region first team.
Portland State's offense vastly improved with Echo-Hawk at the helm. The Vikings hit .286, scored 246 runs and stole 54 bases, all of which were the highest marks since the 1997 season, and their 65 doubles matched the school record set in 2008. The Vikings pitching staff also excelled, as Latham was a first team all-conference member and Tori Rogers was selected to the second team. The duo combined to go 27-18 with a 2.71 ERA, and held opposing hitters to a .220 batting average.
During her two seasons as an assistant coach on the Park Blocks, Echo-Hawk primarily worked with the infielders, and in 2007 she coached three PSU infielders to All-PCSC honors. In addition, she has served as the recruiting coordinator and secured verbal commitments from many of the players currently on Portland State's roster.
“We are thrilled to have Coach Echo-Hawk take leadership of the program,” said PSU Athletic Director Torre Chisholm on the day of Echo-Hawk's hiring. “After an extensive national search, which featured a talented pool of applicants, Coach Echo-Hawk clearly distinguished herself as the best coach and fit for PSU. I look forward to watching her continue the program’s success.”
Echo-Hawk helped the Vikings to a 31-27 record in 2008, making it one of their best-ever since jumping up to NCAA Division I competition. She coached first baseman Jan Rae Slayton to first team All-PCSC honors, and also coached shortstop Arielle Wiser to the PCSC Freshman of the Year award.
Echo-Hawk has an extensive coaching and playing background. Prior to joining the Vikings staff she was the head coach at Broomfield High School in Colorado in 2006. She also spent three years coaching at her alma mater in Colorado, Centaurus High School, and guided the team to a record of 60-15 from 2000-02. Overall as a high school head coach, she compiled a four-year record of 97-26, produced seven all-state performers, and was twice named the league coach of the year.
She began her coaching career at her alma mater, Nebraska, serving as a volunteer assistant during the 1997 and 1998 campaigns. She assisted in the preparation and supervising of all practices, scouting opponents, was a bench coach and assisted with hitting and defensive instruction.
As a player for the Cornhuskers, Echo-Hawk enjoyed a stellar four-year career from 1993-1996 as a third baseman. She was a four-time All-Big XII Conference selection, a three-time All-Midwest Region performer (1994-1996), and was a second team All-American as a junior and senior. She set single-season marks for batting average (.439), doubles (22), runs scored (66) and assists (170). Echo-Hawk also graduated as Nebraska’s all-time leader in hits (226) and doubles (48).
Following her two-year stint as a coach at Nebraska, Echo-Hawk played three seasons (1998-2000) for the Akron Racers of the Women’s Professional Softball League, earning WPSL All-Star honors in 1999 and 2000. She then went overseas, where she starred for three seasons with the Rhea Vendors in the Italian League from 2002-04. In 2002, Echo-Hawk was the Italian League MVP.
Echo-Hawk then rejoined the Racers for the 2005 season.
“I am very excited and thrilled to be named the new head softball coach at PSU,” said Echo-Hawk after the announcement of her promotion. “I have immense respect for this university and this program. I believe in the potential of this team and I am very excited to work with these student-athletes.”
Echo-Hawk is just the third head softball coach at Portland State since 1977. A native of Louisville, Colorado, she graduated from Nebraska with a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1996.
