Liberty’s playoff run to the state championship was clearly a magical moment for baseball in Bethlehem, but the Wanderers NORCO Legion team now has to deal with the ramifications of a delayed start to the season.

Filled with players mostly from Liberty’s roster, the Wanderers, didn’t play their first Legion game until June 20 and had to squeeze 17 games in that time span through July 3.

The daunting task for first-year head coach coach Paul Walsh isn’t something he was concerned about, but recognizes the challenges.

“There are the obvious challenges here, namely with pitching,” said Walsh. “While we do have a good staff, no staff is able to sustain that kind of schedule. The not so obvious is the fact that some of these players had never met each other prior to our first game. We had not even had one practice as a full team prior to our first game. So not only were there the personnel issues, but there was also the more pressing issue of fostering team chemistry as quickly as possible.”

Some of the top players from this year’s team include Liberty’s Hayden O’Neill (pitcher) and Reece D’Amico (catcher). Becahi grad and current Moravian University member, Jaden Clements, returns for a final season, while Freedom pitcher Ryan Hoffman is an integral component.

“In terms of team chemistry I like to think that Hayden, Reece, Jaden, and Ryan (while all very different kids) act as the four chambers of the heart of the team,” said Walsh. “Another great aspect of this team is that we also have a bunch of players who did not get a whole lot of varsity playing time but who were on varsity squads. These kids have gotten a lot of opportunities to play for us and have been able to show what they have in ways they may not have during the high school season. It is great to see these kids do well and the varsity starters on our team support them in every way.”

After winning last summer’s NORCO title, the goal is the same for Walsh and company, especially with a team full of players that just made a PIAA state finals run.

That started on Tuesday when they opened the playoffs against Palmer in a best -of-three series. Semifinals are slated to being either Thursday or Friday.

“As always, our goal is to do the same this year,” Walsh said. “While the ultra condensed season in tandem with losing kids to travel ball has provided many more added challenges this year, I am really proud of our guys. Other than this goal, it is really important to me that the Wanderers players build relationships with each other that extend beyond the baseball field and this season. It’s these relationships that end up being the difference when it comes to staging a comeback, an extra inning victory, or winning a championship. I want them to come to know what it means when the coaches and I say ‘Once a Wanderer, Always a Wanderer.’”