Chipola Baseball opens Panhandle Conference play at home vs. Tallahassee

First pitch between the Indians & the Eagles from Jeff Johnson Field is at 1 PM

Chipola Baseball opens Panhandle Conference play at home vs. Tallahassee
March 7, 2025

MARIANNA, Fla. – The 19-10 Chipola Indians begin Panhandle Conference play on Friday against Tallahassee State (12-10). The Indians and Eagles will meet on Saturday at Jeff Johnson Field in Marianna at 5 PM. The two teams will meet again on Saturday at Eagle Field in Tallahassee. First pitch is set for noon CST. Each day's game will be a single nine-inning game.

The Indians enter conference play on a five-game win streak and they have won nine of their last ten. Friday's game is their 20th out of 21 games to be played at Jeff Johnson Field, where the Indians are 12-7 this season. Chipola will look to improve on that home record when they face the Eagles to open conference play.

Game Information

Season Update

After being selected as the 12th ranked team in the NJCAA Preseason Rankings, Chipola found themselves outside the Top 25 when the first regular season rankings were released on February 24. The Indians have not lost a game since that first poll of the regular season and, in the latest rankings released March 3, Chipola is receiving votes and just three slots away from making a return to the Top 25. The Indians are seventh in the latest FCSAA Coaches Rankings.

Sophomore J.C. Vanek leads Chipola at the plate with a slash line of .438/.564/.738 and has hit 6 home runs. Another sophomore, Zaid Diaz, leads the team in RBIs with 27 and is just behind Vanek with 5 round-trippers.

On the mound, another pair of returning sophomores have led the way for the Indians with near identical numbers. Miguel Hugas is 5-1 on the season with an ERA of 3.49. He has struck out 21 in 28.1 innings pitched.

Austin Brown is 4-1 on the mound and started out the year being named the NJCAA Pitcher of the Week. In his first two starts, Brown was 2-0 and struck out 11 and did not allow a hit or a run in seven innings of work. Through 28 innings pitched this season, Brown has an ERA of 3.54 and leads the team in strikeouts with 31.

Freshman Colin Guerra has made his presence known in the Chipola lineup during the non-conference portion of the schedule. The infielder is slashing .325/.477/.487. Guerra leads the team in doubles with seven, hit two home runs, and has driven in 22 runs. Along with Vanek, he also leads the team in walks with 22. He is the only player to have played in every game this season for the Indians.

Another returning sophomore has made his presence felt at the plate and behind it. Catcher Cole Garner is second on the team in batting average at .333 and has swiped four bases without being caught. He leads the team in sacrifice bunts (3) and he and Vanek share the lead in hit by pitches with 5. Garner has also made his presence known behind the dish, throwing out 8 of 24 opposing runners on the basepaths.

Know Your Opponent

The Eagles are 12-10 on the season and come in to this weekend's two-game series having won seven of their last eight games. TSC is just 3-7 away from home but have a steady 9-3 record at Eagle Field, where they currently have a six-game win streak.

Tallahassee is batting .259 while their opponents are hitting .284. The Eagles are led at the plate by sophomore outfielder, Andrew Duncan, .433/.514/.567. On the mound, the Eagles have a team ERA of 5.89. Sophomore Harbersting Abreu has made the most starts on the mound for the Eagles (five) and has a record of 2-3 with an ERA of 5.95. He has 25 strikeouts in 24 innings of work.

Panhandle Conference

Traditionally one of the toughest conferences in NJCAA Division I Baseball, the Panhandle Conference schools play one another six times during the regular season. Three teams in the conference are receiving votes in the latest NJCAA Rankings: #3 Northwest Florida, #14 Gulf Coast, and Chipola (RV).

In the first round of play, the teams will play a two-game series, nine inning games home and away, on either Friday/Saturday or Monday/Wednesday. In the second round, teams will play single nine inning games at one location on Tuesday/Thursday then play a doubleheader (seven inning games) at the other team's field. Since there are five teams in the conference, one team has a "bye" during each conference matchup.

Along with Chipola-Tallahassee this weekend, Northwest Florida & Gulf Coast will play at 2 PM in Niceville on Friday and at 1 PM on Saturday. Pensacola State has the weekend off.