Seniors at Northwestern Lehigh have officially graduated, and the school year for underclassmen is winding down.

On the baseball field though, the Tigers still have work to do as they open play in the PIAA tournament with a quest for a state championship ahead of them.

Being legitimate contenders for state championships has become a habit at Northwestern, with three fall teams winning state titles, and individual athletes also being crowned state champs.

For the spring season, both baseball and softball are four wins away from being crowned the best in the state.

When a team reaches this point in the season, it’s difficult to know very much about the competition they are facing.

Sometimes, coaches have contacts who can fill them in and thanks to the internet, it’s possible to find some videos to assess.

Coach Brian Polaha has done all of the due diligence leading into Monday’s game against Pope John Paul II High School, and has come away with a significant finding.

“They are probably the best offensive team we have faced all season,” said Polaha, whose team just happens to be filled with quality pitchers to battle the Golden Panthers’ bats. “They have a bunch of guys who can hit the ball, and they stay disciplined at the plate.”

As a team, PJP hit .379 this season, compared to the .316 average put up by Northwestern. The Tigers’ numbers would have been better if not for an offensive slide that hit them in the middle of the season.

Of late, the Northwestern offense has literally been hit and miss.

The team hit .292 in their three Colonial League playoff games, but went just 5-for-26 (.192) in the finals against Southern Lehigh and had to settle for silver medals.

In its two district games, Northwestern had just one hit against Cole Hubert and Saucon Valley, but found a way to win a 2-1 game.

It then won district gold medals against Tamaqua, and hit .355 (11-for-31) in the win there.

Northwestern has been able to win even when the offense struggles thanks to a strong, deep pitching staff. Seven hurlers have thrown anywhere from 9 2/3 innings to 47 innings for the team this season.

Aidan Freeman, who outdueled Hubert in districts, has pitched in 10 games — nine starts — and has a 1.79 ERA this season with 53 strikeouts in 47 innings. Cole Dynda has seven starts and two relief appearances and a 3.05 ERA. Leading the relief corps is Watson Church, who made 10 relief appearances covering 12 innings and has a team-best 1.75 ERA and 18 strikeouts to his credit.

Josh Farber (4.20 ERA) and Jake Carson (2.71 ERA) have both provided important innings for Northwestern throughout the year as well.

“Our pitching has gotten better as the year progressed, especially Freeman. He gave us a gutty effort against Saucon Valley, he was aggressive, throwing strikes, and he carried out the game plan perfectly,” said Polaha.

“Our pitchers have to stay aggressive in the strike zone, and our defense has to keep playing well behind them. We’re facing better competition, so pitching needs to be consistent, and we need to be pitching our best.”

If the Panthers are the best offensive team Northwestern has faced, they are also close to one of the best pitching teams that have come up on the schedule. With a staff ERA of just 1.91, the Tigers will likely need to play a game like they did against Saucon Valley, where they showed good plate discipline and take advantage of every little miscue that the Panthers make.

Many of the pitchers are also among the top hitters on the Pope John Paul II team.

A.J. Diaddezio has a 2.33 ERA in six games, and adds three home runs and an average of .444 to that. Sophomore Tyler Tindall is tied with classmate Carson Glose for the most outings on the mound with nine. The duo has a combined ERA of 2.00, and has combined for four home runs and 31 RBIs with a combined average of .393 this season.

The roster for Pope John Paul II is an interesting one with nine seniors, just one junior, and eight sophomores. The younger players have played a strong supporting role to help get the team to states.

The baseball program was the first to win a state championship for Pope John Paul II when they took gold in the 3A classification. That was the last baseball championship for the school.

Northwestern is in search of their first-ever baseball gold medals.