MADISON — The final record may say 10-20, but first-year Warren Central coach Josh Abraham feels his Vikings made big strides in 2009.

The Vikings’ season ended Saturday with an 11-0 loss to Madison Central in the Madison Central Class 5A Regional. The Vikings got their first playoff win since 2006 by eliminating Starkville 10-9 on Friday night in Madison. They also managed to get into double figures in wins for the first time since 2006.

Abraham now believes he can build on what WC did well and return the program back into a playoff contender in next year’s new 6A class.

“It happens in steps and as a team, this team got better in all phases,” Abraham said of WC’s progress on defense, hitting and pitching.

The defense was certainly better. In three regional tourney games, the Vikings made just four errors and this was with two sophomores starting in key positions with Beau Wallace at short and Carlos Gonzalez behind the plate.

The offense was much better, too. After coming into the playoffs with a team batting average of .269, the Vikings belted out 25 hits in two games against Starkville and five more in the Madison Central loss.

Right fielder Darrick White had a  particularly good  tournament, going 5-for-10, with a triple and two doubles in the leadoff spot.

“I think we just settled down at the plate,” White said.

Pitching, though, appears to be the key area where the Vikings must improve on. The staff lacked an ace and collectively allowed 30 runs over three games, an average of 10 per game.

Dylan Wooten, who started the first playoff game for the Vikings, said the pitching progress remains a work in progress.

“We need consistency with the strike zone and we need to develop our secondary pitches,” Wooten said. “I know I need a little more work on my mechanics.”

Abraham said those things will be emphasized when the Vikings return for summer action beginning near the end of May.

“We’re going to make all of our pitchers better and we’ll get them ready,” Abraham said.

“I think we’ve got three or four guys who can become our No. 1 pitcher,” Wooten said. “I think it can come together.”

Jay Harper, who emerged as a dependable reliever, could be a candidate. Harper threw four shutout innings to help WC come back after falling behind 6-0 after two innings. He finished 2-2 on the season but his five innings against Starkville was his longest outing of the season.

The Vikings will have some holes to fill, with three senior starters leaving. Adam Lee, a mainstay at third base, had a terrific senior season, batting nearly .400 and led the team in RBIs and extra base hits. Keaton Sanders started mostly at second base when he wasn’t pitching, and batted .281 while Jason Pettway was a DH and also finished third in total innings pitched.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com