Chipola Baseball starts crucial series with #16 Gulf Coast tonight at home
Indians and Commodores are battling for the top spot in the Panhandle Conference.
MARIANNA, Fla. – With only two weeks remaining in the 2025 regular season, the Chipola Indians Baseball team (28-17; 9-7) controls its own destiny for a Panhandle Conference Championship and berth to the Regionals of the FCSAA State Tournament.
The Indians have 7 conference losses while the Gulf Coast, Northwest Florida, and Pensacola all have 8. The top two teams advance to the Regionals and one of those two will be the Conference Champion. The 3rd place team will have a play-in game to get in to the Regionals. The 4th place team will be left out. Chipola and the Pirates have 8 games to play (4 against one another). The Raiders and Commodores have four.
Chipola begins a four-game series with #16 Gulf Coast State College (28-12; 12-8) tonight at Jeff Johnson Field. The two long-time rivals will play single 9-inning games tonight and Thursday in Marianna then wrap up the series with a doubleheader on Saturday in Panama City. Following Tuesday's night game, fans can stick around to enjoy the 3rd Annual Fireworks Show.
Game Information
Tuesday (4/15/25) Chipola vs. Gulf Coast 5 PM CDT (9) Streaming ($) Stats (GameChanger)
Thursday (4/17/25) Chipola vs. Gulf Coast 5 PM CDT (9) Streaming ($) Stats (GameChanger)
Saturday (4/19/25) Chipola vs. Gulf Coast 1 PM CDT (DH) Streaming Stats (GameChanger)
Where we stand
Last week, Chipola enjoyed the conference bye while the other four teams met up on the diamond. Both series, Gulf Coast vs. Tallahassee and Northwest Florida vs. Pensacola, ended in a 2-2 split allowing the Indians a chance to seize control of the conference race.
Although the Commodores and Raiders currently lead the Panhandle with 12-8 records, the Indians have the advantage of only losing seven games in conference play. This means Chipola can win the title by sweeping their final two conference series of the regular season. Chipola is the only team that would not need help from another team to win the title outright.
Easier said than done
Along with Gulf Coast this week, Chipola has a four-game series with Pensacola next week. With both teams still in contention for the conference championship, Chipola has the toughest road to navigate. Here is what the rest of the league has remaining:
- Gulf Coast will wrap up its conference season this week with Chipola College. With a sweep of Chipola, Gulf Coast would claim at least a share of the Conference Championship.
- Northwest Florida has the conference bye this week and will face Tallahassee next week. The Raiders could also claim at least a share of the Conference Championship with a sweep of the Eagles and a Chipola loss in any of their remaining games.
- Pensacola takes on Tallahassee this week before facing the Indians next week. The Pirates would claim at least a share of the Conference Championship with a sweep of the Eagles and the Indians.
- Tallahassee would need at least 7 wins in their final eight against Pensacola and Northwest Florida to have a shot at the play-in game.
Indians and Commodores split earlier meetings
Earlier this season, Chipola and Gulf Coast split a pair of nine-inning games with each team winning on the other's home field.
With the game tied, 7-7, in Marianna after seven innings, the Commodores scored two in the eighth and three in the ninth to leave town with a 12-8 win. All five runs scored with two outs.
In Panama City, Chipola held a four-run lead heading to the bottom of the eighth when the Commodores' final two at-bats of the game almost got the Indians again. After adding a run in the eighth on a two-out double to make the score, 8-5, a two-run home run in the ninth, again with two outs, pulled the Commodores to within one. After a two out walk put the winning run at the plate, Ismael Borrero came in to get a strikeout and end the game.
