Coplay head coach Scott Rodriguez hasn't been afraid to honestly evaluate his club's performance in the Lehigh Valley Connie Mack season.

"It has been a rough season for us so far," said Rodriguez of his team's 4-10 mark to begin this week's play. "We're a very young team that has been learning along the way. We have a number of guys who played on the Whitehall JV team last year. But we also have a number of first-year players here. This has been a real learning process for us so far this season."

Along with an overall lack of experience on his team, Rodriguez has dealt with a revolving depth problem, as he has constantly been faced with having enough players every game.

"It has been tough to set a lineup and keep it there," he stated "We have kids who have been having other commitments for other programs. If we can keep a lineup in place, we can have some success.

"But it has been difficult to have the same kids here for each game. Couple that with our inexperience, and we have had an uphill battle from the start."

With some steady factors working against his team, Rodriguez noted how his team has been the victim of five 10-run rule games this season. Yet, Coplay has a recent 15-3 win over West Allentown and an earlier 17-2 victory over Salisbury in their pocket.

"In the beginning of the year, it was difficult to keep the kids motivated," said Rodriguez. "They would be competitive in some games, and then they would be involved in a couple of blowouts. But we have been seeing improvement and we need to keep moving in the right direction."

Catcher Nate Weschler has been the team's most consistent performer, as he has been among the leaders in hitting, homers, and RBIs. Weschler has hit better than .600 and his on-base percentage has been better than .700 for the majority of the season.

"He (Weschler) has just done a tremendous job for us," said Rodriguez. "He has really carried us at times this year. He has developed such a good eye at the plate. I can trust him with a 3-0 count up there. Anything we have asked him to do, he had done."

Along with Weschler, Tyler Cyriax has been a solid contributor and has manned the center field position for Coplay.

"He (Cyriax) is one of the older players here and has been a leader for us as well," said Rodriguez. "He has been very consistent with his bat and his glove. We look for him to have a great finish to the season."

With a budding team, Rodriguez knows the future of the program can be a bright one.

"These kids will get better," he said. "They know what they are facing and they all get along well. I know they respect me and I have developed a good relationship with them. They have a year under their belts and they'll be back next year. We just want to be able to finish this year on a high note."