Sharks Reclaim Florida Crown, Earn Spot in JUCO World Series

Tampa, FL - After battling through a winner-take-all showdown Sunday morning, the Miami Dade College Sharks are back on top of Florida Junior College baseball. Behind a dominant outing from Xavier Pelzer and a late three-run blast from Miguel Colmenares, Miami Dade defeated Chipola College 5-1 to capture the 2025 FCSAA Division I Baseball State Championship, the program's first state title since 2021.

With the victory, the Sharks have officially punched their ticket to Grand Junction, Colorado for the NJCAA Division I JUCO World Series.

Miami Dade wasted no time applying pressure in the championship finale. In the second inning, Miguel Colmenares reached and later crossed home on an RBI groundout from Leamsi Montanez to give the Sharks an early 1-0 advantage.

Chipola answered in the third after loading the bases, tying the game on a Kane Moye RBI walk, but Pelzer limited the damage and settled in from there. The Baylor commit turned in another clutch postseason performance, tossing six innings while allowing just one run on six hits with four strikeouts to earn his seventh win of the season.

The Sharks regained control in the fifth inning when Colmenares reached on a throwing error that allowed Willy Mendez to score the go-ahead run for a 2-1 lead.

From there, Miami Dade's bullpen slammed the door shut. Devin Grazzal bridged the seventh before Luke Helms recorded the final six outs to secure the championship and pick up his second save of the year.

The defining moment came in the top of the seventh.

After Jendy Gonzalez and Willy Mendez reached base, Colmenares delivered the knockout punch, launching a three-run homer to left field to extend the Sharks' lead to 5-1. The freshman third baseman finished 2-for-3 with a double, home run, three RBIs, and two runs scored in the title-clinching victory.

Jendy Gonzalez paced the offense with three hits, while Mendez scored twice and reached base three times. Miami Dade finished with nine hits and turned two double plays defensively behind a strong effort from the infield.

The championship caps off a remarkable postseason run for the Sharks, who bounced back from Saturday's loss to Chipola to win the decisive finale and reclaim the FCSAA crown for the first time in four years.

Now, Miami Dade turns its attention westward as the Sharks head to Grand Junction in pursuit of a National Championship at the JUCO World Series.