Based on Northampton’s baseball team’s recent success, it is hard to imagine the Konkrete Kids start to the season.

They opened the season without some starters in the fold, and the Kids gave up 37 runs in three games to North Pocono (12-0), Parkland (11-6) and Allentown Central Catholic (14-4) in their 0-3 start.

From there, the Kids had quietly won 12 of their next 15 games, allowing just a total of 51 runs in 17 games. The Kids haven’t been in the same limelight as Liberty, Emmaus, and Parkland.

But the Kids arguably have made one of the more notable runs down the stretch as they head to the district playoff next week. Their recent 4-1 loss to Parkland snapped a three-game winning streak, a run that included wins in seven of their eight previous games. The Parkland loss was in the East Penn Conference (EPC) playoffs, a mark they have made for only the fourth time in the past 12 years.

“It’s easy to forget about those three games,” said skipper Mick Sugra. “We then won 11 of our next 15 games. We have really improved.

“It was nice to get back to the EPC playoffs. We got a run early against Parkland, but we ran into their pitcher who was dialed in. It is what it is.”

Sugra has been happy with his team’s ability to work its way through its division as well as the EPC. Pitchers, senior Hunter Corrow, and juniors Vincent Santostefano and Evan Hughes, have set the pace.

“Our division is a murder’s row,” he said. “To get where we have gotten to is huge. All of our pitchers are positional players, and they have really done well. We have guys like Logan Higgins and Matt Merced who still should have a lot left.”

The Kids will face Hamburg in their final regular-season contest Thursday before they will open the district playoffs May 25. If Liberty wins the district bracket, they will face Emmaus. Should Emmaus win the bracket, the Kids will have another rematch with Parkland.

Earlier this season, the Kids split their series with Emmaus (lost 5-0, won 4-3) and dropped both of their games against Parkland (10-6, 11-5). Sugra indicated that he would like to have two scrimmages before the district opener.

Sugra stated the Kids have played one of the toughest schedules in the league.

“I want to play the toughest competition,” he said. “Every year, we have one of the toughest schedules.

“There aren’t any surprises in the district playoffs. We just have to play mistake-free baseball.”