If there’s one thing head coach Ed Roman wanted to stress about his Balliet Vikings Connie Mack team, it was consistency.

The team has only been in existence for two years, but in that time they’ve won nearly 40 games, including a 20-6 record this season, have had two Lehigh Valley playoff berths and two state playoff berths.

“Consistency was the hallmark of our success,” Roman said. “We have a lot be proud of. We should be very proud to have performed at such a high level.”

Unfortunately for Balliet, it was another heartbreaking end to their season that also followed a similar path last year. Last season at states, the team dropped two, one-run contests late in the game to be eliminated from the tournament that traditionally features tough teams from the Bux-Mont League. And this year, it was another one-run loss that ended their season.

Balliet defeated the top seed, Warrington, 7-6 in what many considered an upset. But it was a 6-5 loss to the same Warrington team who got a little revenge ending the Vikings season.

Still, this Balliet Vikings team probably exceeded expectations when looking back to their start in the league.

“When we started two years ago, the main objectives were to keep the kids together and solidify fundamentals,” Roman said. “Our goal was to win 10 games and that would be a good season. Two years later, we’re close to 40 wins. I had no idea the level of competition. It was a difficult schedule. But, I go back to consistency. They were highly committed.”

Roman wanted to point to a core of players who have been there for both seasons. He called them veteran players who were the heart and soul of the team and models of consistency. Those players were: A.J. Brosious, Zach Brodeur, Derek Buskirk, Braden Glad, Devon Olsovosky, Rob Roman and Justin Welch.

With that core now moving on, the future of the team has some questions.

“I hope the young guys continue in the footsteps and continue the success of this team,” said Roman. “I hope they continue the tradition.”

Roman also wanted to thank the Balliet Stadium staff as well as his two assistant coaches, Tyson Schlener and Brian Onushco.