What the Chukars need to clinch a first-half playoff spot; how the new weekly home run derbies work

IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho Falls Chukars have 10 games to make up four and jump two spots into a playoff spot.

The first half of the Pioneer Baseball League season ends on July 13. As of the end of play on July 2, the Missoula PaddleHeads and Oakland Ballers are tied at the top of the league’s standings table, with identical 29-10 records. The Chukars, currently riding a two-game losing skid and carrying a 1-4 record over their last five games, are in fourth place in the league, with a 24-14 record.

Between the Chukars and tie at the top is the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers, with a 26-12 record.

That means, Idaho Falls has some significant ground to make up in just over a week if it is to claim a first-half playoff spot.

So how are the PBL playoff spots distributed?

The league consists of 12 teams, each of which will play a 96-game regular season.

That season is split into two halves, with two playoff spots up for grabs in each half — going to the two teams with the best record in that half. This means the PaddleHeads and Ballers currently hold the two first-half playoff spots available.

If a team is among the top two in both halves of the season, an additional spot will be created for the team with the best overall record — among those not already holding a playoff.

What does this all mean for the Chukars?

In order to claim one of the first-half playoff spots, and avoid the stress of the late-season scramble for one of the two remaining spots, the Chukars will need to jump two teams over the next week-plus.

There are some positives, though.

Firstly, Idaho Falls will bid farewell to an Ogden Raptors team that has had their number, following a series finale at Melaleuca Field Thursday night.

Ogden (22-16) boasts a 6-2 record in their previous eight games against the Chukars — each of which coming in Idaho Falls. Against all other opponents, the Chukars are 22-8. They will watch with glee as the Raptors buses depart the Melaleuca Field parking lot Thursday night.

The other advantage for the Chuks is their next opponent.

There is no better way to make up ground in a playoff push than head-to-head matchups with teams you need to jump, and the Chukars will welcome Yuba-Sutter to Idaho Falls for a three-game weekend set beginning with a day game on Friday.

The fact that Friday’s July 4th game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start is impactful, in that the Chukars will be hosting Thursday night’s game and Friday’s game, meaning they will not be traveling.

The High Wheelers, on the other hand, will play a night game in Kalispell, Mont. before getting on a bus and riding seven hours through the night in preparation for the quick turnaround of a day game after a night game.

Idaho Falls will then finish the first half with a six-game set in Great Falls, Mont., against the last-place Voyagers (7-31).

The High Wheelers will complete their first-half schedule with six games at the Grand Junction jacakalopes (15-23).

Oakland will finish its first-half schedule with 10 games against the Rocky Mountain Vibes (21-16) — the next four in Colorado Springs, Colo. and the following six in Oakland. The Ballers have won the first two games of that home-and-home 12-gamer.

The PaddleHeads will close out a three-game set, of which they have won the first two, against the Voyagers in Missoula, Mont., on Friday. Then they will host the Glacier Range Riders (13-25) for three before heading to Ogden for six games against the Raptors.

Projecting

If the Chukars can salvage one game against the Raptors, then take two-of-three from the High Wheelers and finish the first half with a sweep of the Voyagers, that would mean they finished the first half with a 33-15 record.

In order to leapfrog the High Wheelers in that case, they would need Yuba-Sutter to go no better than 6-4 over their final 10 games — including the three in Idaho Falls.

The Chukars would also need either Oakland or Missoula to lose at least six of their remaining 10, in order to jump into second.

Sure, the stars would need to align, but that process has already begun given the Chukars’ remaining schedule.

Prior to their current 1-6 slide, the Vibes had been among the top two teams in the league, meaning Oakland may be the riper of the two targets for the Chukars and their fans.

But as players have said in every sport, at every level, the Chukars need to focus on the team across the field, not the ones on the out-of-town scoreboard. An 11-1 finish is a tall task in and of itself, regardless of the competition.

The fun part: weekly home run derbies?

BOTH HOME RUN DERBY HITTERS HAVE GONE DEEP ALREADY @PBL1939 pic.twitter.com/RbueFlQChV

— Idaho Falls Chukars (@ifchukars) June 22, 2025

While PBL teams are not affiliated, the league itself is in partnership with Major League Baseball. And as part of that partnership, the PBL received permission from MLB to use the copyright term “home run derby.”

MLB has also given the PBL marching orders to hold weekly derbies.

Throughout the season, from June through August, every Saturday, teams across the league will compete in home run derbies.

The rules of those derbies are similar to those recently used by MLB — with players getting two minutes to swing for the fences and compile as many homers as possible.

But there is a little twist: it is a team competition. Each team will pick two hitters, with each player getting two minutes — two rounds of head-to-head swing-offs — with the winning team declared based on total homers hit.

Thus far this season, Gabe Vasquez and Trevor Rogers have served as the Chukars’ derby hitters.

If after eight minutes of mashing there is a tie, again in similar fashion to recent MLB derbies, there will be a “blast off” round. Each team will pick one of their two hitters for the blast off, with the two each getting three swings. Which ever hits more bombs in those three hacks will be declared the winner.

And there is added incentive for the teams and players.

Cash prizes will be awarded at the end of the season to the team with the most derby wins. Additionally, the player with the most total derby home runs at the end of the year will receive a separate cash prize.

According to Chukars General Manager Chris Hall, some of the derbies will be scheduled to take place post-game while others will be pre-game. This week, the Chukars will face the High Wheelers in a pre-game derby — so get to your seats early for Saturday’s 7 p.m. game.