Last year, Northampton’s baseball team celebrated a monumental season as the Konkrete Kids won their first conference title since 1998.

However, the Kids also had a special year in 2015.

They posted a 15-9 overall record and advanced to the District 11 Class 3A semifinals where they lost to Parkland, 4-2. Earlier, they shutout Bangor, 5-0, and edged Liberty, 3-1, in districts.

The Kids also had six players extend their career in college.

During the season, senior Noah Durnin tossed a no-hitter (5-1 victory) at a senior night at Parkland, marking their lone defeat until they lost in the state semifinals. The Kids had an eight-game winning streak during the season and advanced to the East Penn Conference (EPC) for the first time since 2009, losing to Stroudsburg, 6-0, in the opening round.

“That was a good year for us,” said Kids’ head coach Mick Sugra. “We had a good senior leadership and good chemistry.

“We were the only team during the season to beat a Parkland team that was really loaded. We played well in all phases of the game and meshed together.”

Durnin, a senior who went on to pitch at Wilkes University, recalled that he took the potential of a no-hitter in stride.

“It really was bigger than it started out,” noted Durnin, who was 6-5 with a 1.69 ERA. “We got beat up by them (11-1 loss) the first time we played them. In the beginning of the game, I was talking to the usual people that I do. It was about the fifth inning when it really started to hit me.

“From then on, nobody was talking to me. Everything really came together for me down the stretch.”

Durnin’s performance was one of numerous examples of how the team jelled to near perfection.

“There were no downfalls,” stated Durnin. “We all just went out and took care of business.”

Senior catcher Ian Luberti, who hit .385 with 17 RBIs, saw a team-wide connection. He immediately noticed a difference from a 10-10 season the previous year.

“Coach Sugra had a tight rein of what we did and he guided us through,” said Luberti, whose senior season at Moravian was cut short. “We didn’t have any drama issues, and it was all about baseball and winning. There were no off-the-field issues.

“We were all motivated from the start after what happened the year before. Coach Sugra prepared us for the next step.”

Fellow senior first baseman Ian Csencsits was on the varsity for the first time and remembered his time with Luberti as well as the overall success. Csencsits hit a team-high .429 with 13 RBIs.

“I didn’t play the first few games, but then became a starter,” said Csencsits, who also had his senior year shortened at Moravian. “I had a friendly competition with my best friend, Ian Luberti, about who would be hitting better. We’d go back and forth, and it made us better competitors.

“I had a cousin, Evan McAndrew, who played at Parkland, and it offered another form of competition. The second time we played Parkland (during the season) was one of the most memorable games I have ever played. Noah Durnin pitched the game of his life.

“We never expected to make it that far, but we played for respect and eventually earned it by season’s end.”

Third baseman Will Stackhouse, who was a sophomore and later began a career at Moravian, quickly realized it would be a good year. Stackhouse hit .329 with a team-high 18 RBIs.

“Going into the year, I was among a group of returning sophomores to the varsity squad,” said Stackhouse. “Expectations were high with many sophomores were on the team, so we had a lot of necessary experience to get the job done.

“We had a special connection with the seniors that seemed to work on and off the baseball field. We had good times and bad times throughout the year, but we never were afraid to confront one another about hustle, dedication to the program, guts, and most importantly being a good teammate.

“Everyone on that squad would have given the shirt off their back for the guy next to him, hands down. Even though we lost to Parkland in the semis, I still remember how hard we played and all the battling we did to get to that spot in the playoffs. I still enjoy talking about it to this day will all of my ex-teammates and family.”