Marianna, Fla. – The Chipola Softball team will host Lurleen B. Wallace Community College from Andalusia, Alabama, today in a doubleheader at the Chipola Softball field.
Chipola will play on its home field for the first time this season after playing on the road the last two weekends against some of the best teams in the country. Seven of their nine opponents this season were ranked in the NJCAA's Preseason Top 20.Chipola began the season in Waco, Texas, at the Battle on the Basque Tournament hosted by McLennan Community College. The Lady Indians went 2-3 on their opening weekend with wins against #2 McLennan and #3 Odessa College.
Last weekend, Chipola participated in the Paradise Cove Tournament in Naples, hosted by two-time defending NJCAA Champion, Florida SouthWestern. The Lady Indians went 3-1 on the season with wins over #1 Florida SouthWestern, #12 College of Central Florida, and Miami-Dade.
Although the Lady Indians' 5-4 doesn't appear that impressive, three of those wins have come against the three preseason numbers 1, 2, & 3 ranked teams. Chipola is 4-3 against teams ranked in the Top 20 preseason rankings.
The Lady Indians are led at the plate by sophomore catcher, Janelle Martinez. Martinez is batting .455 and leads the team in home runs with two and RBIs (9).
Another returner, Jadyn Burney, has been solid at the top of the lineup for Coach Kelly Brookins. Burney is batting .433 and has an on-base percentage of .485.
Newcomer and Marianna native, Amari Brown, is also making her presence known at the plate and in the circle. Brown is batting .385 for her hometown team and is leading the team in on-base percentage at .515. Brown has been solid in the circle with a win in a start against #3 Odessa and in relief against #1 Florida SouthWestern. She leads the team in ERA at 1.50.
Carrying most of the load for the Lady Indians in the circle has been sophomore Charity Bibbs. With wins over #2 McLennan and #12 College of Central Florida along with a save against #3 Odessa, Bibbs has established herself as one of the top pitchers in the country. In 22.2 innings pitched, Bibbs has struck out 12 opposing batters and carries an ERA of 2.16.
Dymond Roundtree and Sydney Watson have given Coach Brookins productive innings in the circle. Each pitcher has nine strikeouts, which is tied for second on the team behind Bibbs.
LBW comes into today's doubleheader having played only two games. After a doubleheader against Gulf Coast last Friday, the Saints were run-ruled by Bevill State twice the next day.
All Chipola Softball games can be livestreamed at https://team1sports.com/chipolaathletics/. You will need to purchase a subscription.
You can also keep with the Lady Indians' games on the new GameChanger App on your mobile device. Search for "2023 Chipola Lady Indians."
For information and live in-game updates, check out Chipola Softball on Twitter, @ChipolaSoftball.
Stay up to date with all Chipola Athletic Events at www.ChipolaAthletics.com, Twitter - @ChipolaNation, and Facebook - ChipolaAthletics.