For the second-straight season of their existence, the Balliet Vikings are headed to the Connie Mack state tournament.

The Vikes finished 17-4, tied with Salisbury for the best record but had to settle for the second seed, however the top-four teams earned automatic state bids. The Vikings are now in the middle of the league tournament, earning a first-round bye before a Tuesday night win opened up their league playoff schedule. The Vikes are hoping to capture the league title before states on July 21.

No matter how you slice it, the Vikings have a lot of reasons to feel good about their first two years in Lehigh Valley Connie Mack, as well as heading back to states to take on teams from the Bux-Mont League.

“We’re going in a bit more of a mature team and a more experienced team,” said head coach Ed Roman. “We feel positive we can make a deep run into the playoffs.”

Last year, the team suffered two, heartbreaking, late-game losses in states and will look to avoid that led by a powerful offense.

“The key to our success has been our offense,” Roman said. “It’s been extremely strong.”

Rob Roman led the team with a .472 average while Justin Welch was close behind at .463. Both players tied for the team lead in hits with 25. Zach Brodeur hit .453 while A.J. Brosious knocked in 20 runs.

Braden Glad batted .311 this season and Mike Morren chipped in with 18 RBIs. Josh Larock was a key contributor as was Zach Anglestein who scored 10 runs and swiped 10 bases this year.

The pitching staff was led by Welch who had a 6-1 record before the league playoffs started. Brodeur had three wins.

With the top four teams earning byes, eight other teams squared off in play-in games, with the loser going home and the winner staying alive for a league title.

The Vikes beat Nazareth Tuesday 11-9 and moved on to play Hellertown in the semis Wednesday, after Press deadlines. Should the Vikings win that game, they would play the winner of the other semifinal game between Salisbury and Emmaus. The finals are Thursday evening.

Once again, Roman and the team wanted to thank the staff at Sammy Balliet Stadium in Coplay for providing a “remarkable field and a remarkable place to play.”