St. Joseph by-the-Sea HS head softball coach Nicole Mancusi is the type of person who tosses bouquets like they were manhole covers. But even she has been impressed by the 2024 Vikings.

“I try not to look ahead,” said Mancusi, following Wednesday’s ho-hum 8-0 CHSAA victory over visiting St. Joseph Hill. “But we have the team that, if we stay within ourselves and play to our ability, can play with anyone.”

That was the case last season when Sea reached the state championship game, where they fell to Long Island powerhouse St. Anthony’s — the same school that has tagged Sea with its lone loss in 14 overall contests this year.

That’s not to say there aren’t other hurdles to vault here on Staten Island, with the biggest obstacle being Moore Catholic. The Mavericks dropped a tough 2-0 decision to the Vikings early in the campaign and will get another shot at them in Huguenot this coming Monday, April 29.

Still, any team looking to take down the third-ranked team in the state will have to play an almost flawless game to do so — because the Vikings are stacked.

Much like the Sea girls’ basketball team, which ran roughshod through the borough before capturing a State Federation title, the softball squad is a lethal combination of being young and experienced. In hoops, the Vikes only had two seniors (although one of the graduates is Sea’s all-time leading scorer Danielle Williamsen).

But in softball, the 2024 club has no seniors on the roster. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

“The good thing is that they’re young, but they’re no lacking for leadership,” said Mancusi. “They just play nice and loose. Pressure is a privilege, but the biggest competition is themselves.”

When asked about dealing with pressure, the stars of Wednesday’s win shrugged and even laughed.

“Not really. We’re just loose,” said junior Scarlett Peralta, who slugged a two-run homer over the centerfield fence in the first inning following Ashley Weisenstein’s RBI single, as the Vikings posted a 4-spot in both the first and second frames.

Emily Rizzo lined a solo homer off the left-field pole in the first. In the second, a Mia Artsen double was followed by RBI singles from Weisenstein and Peralta. And after Julia Sorrentino’s single, Madeline Lanza’s RBI hit capped the scoring.

It was more than enough for Artsen, who fanned 11 in five no-hit innings.

“It was really important to win and not look past Hill,” Artsen said. “You don’t want to get too overconfident.”

“We’re working hard every practice, and it shows,” added Rizzo.

Of course, saying Sea has a successful softball program is the quintessential broken record. The Vikings are annually one of the best teams in the city, especially during the heyday of legendary head coach Kathy Kelly.

“I, and our whole coaching staff, played for [Kelly],” said Mancusi, a 2005 Sea graduate who took the managerial reins in 2019. “We have such a rich history that it’s important for the players to know where this comes from. For me, it’s an honor to coach here.

“You want the kids to get better as players, but it’s more important to learn the life lessons from the field … things like how to handle adversity, knowing how to win and how to lose … building character.”

Whether or not the Vikings have to deal with any adversity this season — at least, until another rematch with St. Anthony’s — remains to be seen.