New to the Lehigh Valley Connie Mack league this year, the Balliet Vikings made quite an impression.

The team finished 13-4-1 and swept Bangor in the Lehigh Valley playoffs to earn a trip to the state tournament. Comprised of players from Central Catholic, however not a school-sanctioned team, the guys played their home games at Sammy Balliet Stadium in Coplay as a way to extend their season and get some additional playing time together as a team.

The experience left Ed Roman, one of the head coaches, impressed with what he saw in the Lehigh Valley.

"I was pleasantly surprised at the talent. We saw a lot of good pitching," Roman said. "We got to play teams we wouldn't normally play in other Lehigh Valley leagues, like Stroudsburg and Bangor. We saw teams we typically don't play. We really got to see other talent."

Roman said the strength of the Vikings was the offense, led by Robert Roman and A.J. Brosious.

Robert Roman hit over .400 and stole 26 bases while Brosious hit three home runs and had 30 RBIs on the year. On the mound, Jake Patridge, Justin Welch and Zach Brodeur led the way earning 14 of the team's 16 total victories in the regular season and playoffs. Also key to the team was catcher Killian Mailander, who did a brilliant job of calling games, Roman said.

After sweeping Bangor in the Lehigh Valley playoffs, the Vikings got off to a great start at states knocking off Deep Run of the Bucks-Montgomery League. However, what followed was two, late-inning losses, which eliminated the Vikings from states. But, there wasn't a lot of reason to hang heads following their exit, especially playing Bucks-Mont teams that feature players who are a little older.

"It was both heartbreaking and encouraging," Roman said, who will return a good number of his own players next season. "We got in and played well. We deserved to be there. We lost in the bottom of the seventh in both losses, but it was very encouraging and we showed a lot of upside."

Mike Sodl was the other head coach while Tyson Schlener assisted.

Roman said it was also a great experience for the team to play home games at Sammy Balliet this year.

"The guys at Balliet are just great," Roman said about the ground crew. "The renovations are coming along and it was just a thrill to play there this summer. The guys who take care of the field are just the best."