In its first year as a program, the Burlingame Post 409 17-and-under baseball team won the Area 2 championship last week with a solid display of fundamentals, dominant pitching performances and clutch hitting. So what can Burlingame do for an encore? How about winning the state tournament? For the 17-and-under Legion age group, the state tournament is the final round of the season. And Burlingame is looking to go out with a bang. Burlingame opens up the tourney with a game against Chico at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Veterans Home Stadium in Yountville.

“The kids are pumped up and excited to get things started,” Post 409 manager Brian Blanton said. “We have a few kids coming in early hitting in the cage, and that’s always a good sign. They’re very happy that they’re still playing.”

Post 409 enters the six-team state playoff field as one of the more improbable and impressive success stories of any team at any level or organization around. To wit: Not one time this year has Burlingame played with its full 18-member roster. And nothing is going to change for state, as Blanton will only have 12 players available due to previously planned family vacations. Due to vacations, various football camps and activities, Post 409 has never been at full strength. Somehow, someway, it’s gotten the job done, often in spectacular fashion.

“We manage to keep juggling things and piece together the puzzle,” Blanton said. “It seems we’re always able to round up enough players. We were lean at times but we made it work.”

There were times this season when Burlingame had only nine players available to take the field. Heck, Burlingame’s spot in the area tournament wasn’t decided until the final couple of days in the league season. Peninsula League champion San Mateo had already locked up first place, but four teams were battling for the final two playoff berths. Burlingame finished in third place, locking up the final bid.

Burlingame also fielded one of the youngest teams in the area, with four to five starters being the tender age of 15. Despite those obstacles, nothing could stand in the way of Post 409 coming together when it counted the most — in the area tournament. It opened up postseason play with a 4-1 win over Deer Valley before knocking off last year’s area champion San Mateo, 4-2 — its first win over the Bulldogs in five tries.

Then it knocked off Berkeley 3-2, scoring all of its runs with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. After suffering its only loss of the tournament to San Mateo in the next game, Burlingame beat San Mateo again in the championship round, 4-0, behind another masterful pitching performance from ace Forrest Armanino. Even though Post 409’s first win against San Mateo was a big deal, Blanton said the team’s victory over Deer Valley set the tone for its title run.

“Don’t get me wrong — the (first) San Mateo win was huge, and we were hungry for a victory over them, but to open up the tournament against a team that I believe has won two state titles in the last couple of years opened up our eyes a bit,” Blanton said. “It kind of enlightened the kids and made them understand the championship was within grasp.”

Burlingame’s title run started with pitching, as Armanino delivered two six-inning gems. Frank Cooke and Justin Kuh also delivered strong starts, while Chris Blanton, Ryan Bender, Stephen Neeley and Hardeep Gujral all made an impact throughout the season. Brian Blanton doesn’t know what to expect for the state tourney. It’s all new to him. But he’s confident his team can play with anyone. Catcher Bryan Kuh has been a stalwart behind the plate, Nick Martinez has provided a steady presence at the leadoff spot and Mitch Foley has been a proven run-producer at the No. 3 spot.

“What we’ve been able to do in our first year has been huge,” he said. “We’ve had a great season, but it’s not over yet by a longshot.”

Whatever happens, Burlingame should be primed for many more years of championship runs.

“The kids are continuing to grow, which is awesome to see,” Blanton said. “Our young guys will be here for a while.”