The Northwestern and Northern Lehigh junior varsity baseball teams didn't fare too well during the high school season.

But don't tell the Northern Valley Connie Mack players that as they approach the final week of the regular season. The team is comprised of mostly players from those high school JV teams.

Sitting at 9-5 as of Sunday with five games remaining in the regular season, all of which are scheduled for this week, Northern Valley controls it's playoff destiny and hopes to be one of 10 teams that qualify for the upcoming tournament.

It's been a pleasant surprise thus far for the Chargers.

"No matter what happens, it's been a success considering what we thought we had," head coach Erik Klein said. "They were happy after the fourth game. They won more games than they did all year."

While many of these players hadn't experienced much success in spring, the early portion of the Connie Mack season brought plenty of wins.

Northern Valley's 7-1 start to the season has been one of its best ever. Although the offense has struggled in recent games, that early success provided the team with a cushion as the season winds down.

"My main thing was getting them to play as a team and they have," Klein said. "We were hitting the the ball very well the first 10 or 12 games, and now we've been facing a little bit better pitching."

Assuming Northern Valley earns a spot in the postseason, Klein believes his team's consistent defense and hitting will be key in its final stretch before the playoffs.

The playoffs begin on Monday, July 14.

"The main thing is we have to come together and play tough defense because it's going to be hard to keep pitching for five games straight with the rules," Klein said. "We're going to have to hit the ball and play good defense to stay in the games. Hopefully we can pull a couple out."

At one point, the Connie Mack team was in jeopardy after low numbers forced either it or junior legion to be without a squad. But after the decision came to put together a Connie Mack team, Klein has been extremely impressed with his team's approach to the game all season long.

"It was actually a choice of Connie Mack or junior legion," Klein said. "I opted to keep Connie Mack because of the team I coached this year, 16 of 20 kids can play for me next year.

"What I'm most impressed with is the kids' attitudes and willingness to learn new positions that they know may help them in the future for their high school careers."

The Lehigh Valley Connie Mack All-Star Gam is on Saturday, and three players were selected from Northern Valley: Zach Rex, Evan Meixsell and Isaac Fatzinger

Klein's approach has always been the same over his coaching tenure. Giving every player equal practice time and a fair opportunity on the field is most important.

"I have no favorites," Klein said. "My favorites are good baseball players. I have 20 kids on the team. Like it or not, they can be the best 20, but you still have to judge them one through 20."