Chemistry, according to head coach Mike Bodnar, will be among one of the key ingredients toward the success of the Northampton entry in the Northampton County Legion (NORCO) this summer.

Bodnar believes it is highly possible, mainly due to the merger with Lehigh Township's team this year. With both teams suffering depth problems throughout last year's season, the newly formed Northampton teams should loom as a favorite in the hunt for the postseason.

"We decided to merge the two teams because both of us were just getting enough players for games most of the year last season," stated Bodnar. "We both were finishing games with eight or nine players.

"With the combination, we should have anywhere from 14 to 16 players every night."

Heading into Monday's action, Northampton found itself with a 2-1 record, keeping them near the top of the NORCO West Division.

Northampton High School standout Brandon Heimbach is off to a solid start with the bat and in the field for Northampton as well as high school teammate Mark Szoke and Catasauqua's Zac Edwards, all of whom have paced the club in the early going.

Recent Northampton High graduate Jeff Sell has been among the effective hurlers on the mound for his legion team. K-Kids players Logan Steigerwalt, Evan Grube, and Joey Wittrick have also help mold the initial foundation of the pitching staff this summer.

Wittrick recently twirled a two-hitter in Northampton's 8-1 victory over Nazareth May 27. Grube was impressive in his outing in a 4-3 victory over West Bethlehem, and Steigerwalt has been steady in his outings.

"Pitching will again be a key for us," Bodnar said. "With the addition of the other players, we have more depth this season. Our guys already have been throwing well. We like what we have seen out there so far, and we expect to have some more strong performances."

Another key adaptation for Northampton and the rest of the league has been the introduction of wooden bats from the typical aluminum bat. Bodnar has noticed how his team and the rest of the league has been feeling their way through the process.

"Guys have been trying to make the perfect swing out there," he said. "It is a big difference this year. With the aluminum bat, you can place the ball just about anywhere with good bat speed. With the wooden bat, you have to hit the ball on the right spot. Aluminum makes the difference between a ball going through for a single as opposed to one being dribbled back to the mound."

Bodnar knows his team will have their mettle tested further when the league schedule heightens in the next few weeks.

"We have been doing some good things, but we'll get tested," he said. "We started slow, but the pace of our schedule will pick up. In the past, we had trouble adapting because of numbers. Now we have them and we have some good team chemistry.

"We'll see where we can go from here."