AUBURN — It was supposed to be a building year of sorts.

The Edward Little softball team was hoping to set a tone for the future. Little did the Eddies know the kind of reverberation they would make this season.

“We talked at the beginning of the season that we were young,” said EL coach Elaine Derosby. “We had people in new positions. We weren’t looking ahead to 2014, but we were building for 2014, with no seniors and six juniors on this year’s team.”

The timetable for development quickened this spring, despite a 2-4 start. EL enters the post season having won eight of its past 10 games, including back-to-back wins over Cony and Oxford Hills.

“Knowing that we’re capable of beating a No. 1 or No 2 team, I don’t doubt that we can go far,” junior pitcher Emily Schario said. “Without those two wins, we’d be in a different place. Before, we thought we were capable but we hadn’t really shown it.”

Despite a one-run loss to end the regular season at Hampden, the Red Eddies finished the season at 10-6 and earned the fifth seed in Eastern A. They’ll play at Skowhegan in a quarterfinal Thursday.

“They’ve finally learned that they could be good,” Derosby said. “We talked all year that we were as good as anyone and could compete with anyone. After we beat Cony and Oxford Hills, that Friday practice was the best practice all year. They finally believed. They were practicing like they were the No. 1 seed. They truly believe in themselves and their teammates and everything that we’re doing.”

Though EL had most of its team back from last year, the Red Eddies were more experienced on paper than on the field, especially with new players in new positions. The lineup also featured a regular collection of freshmen and sophomores.

“It was very interesting,” junior shortstop Danny Rock said. “We only lost one player from last year. We didn’t have any returning seniors. Then we really got jumbled all around. We tested people in different places. We started out 2-4, and we knew we were better than that. So we wanted to push our limits and show who we really are.”

Rock had moved from third to short. Kennedy Hubbard went to center after two years behind the plate. Only Kory Norcross, at first, was returning to a starting role she had in the field last year.

Schario was stepping into an even larger role in the circle. Schario had pitched more than she had expected last year. She knew this season was going to require more leadership and a stronger mental game as many of her fellow juniors had to provide the kind of guidance expected from seniors.

“I realized that the pitcher has to be the glue,” Schario said. “There’s sometimes I just want to throw my glove on the ground, but I have to suck it up and get the job done.”

EL lost to Messalonskee, Mt. Ararat, Cony and Oxford Hills early in the season. The team was prone to unearned runs and often looked like the young team they claimed to be. Half their runs allowed were given away. Still, they kept improving. EL won three straight over Erskine, Lewiston and Mt. Ararat before losing to Brewer. Then after two wins over Brunswick and Mt. Blue, EL pulled a stunner by handing Cony its first loss of the season, ending the Rams’ 32 game winning streak.

“That was a game we went into thinking we weren’t going to win, but we wanted to give them a good fight,” Schario said. “We did more than that. We beat them 9-1, which was unheard of.”

The very next day, the Red Eddies beat the Vikings, another team in the top five of the standings at that time.

“Our confidence went through the roof,” Rock said. “It just felt good. We felt like we could do something. Before, when we lost, it pushed everybody down in ways. It felt really good to say, ‘We can do this,’ and to beat Cony and Oxford Hills, that added even more.”

It has the team well ahead of schedule now. The Red Eddies are building in the moment and are excited to see what they can do in the tournament.

“The last two weeks we’ve been building for next Thursday,” Derosby said. “A wise man during the winter told me that any day after game 16 is a blessing and it’s a reward for the hard work that they’ve put in through the regular season. We didn’t make the playoffs last year. So this is a reward for us for two years of hard work.”

Final Heal Point standings were still not final as of Saturday but most playoff positioning is settled. Preliminary games are scheduled for Tuesday with quarterfinals on Thursday.

A win over 11-5 Skowhegan could earn EL a rematch with top-ranked Brewer. Also in Eastern A, Oxford Hills finished 11-6 and earned the sixth seed. The Vikings will play at Messalonskee (12-4). Oxford Hills finished the regular season losing four of its last five games.

In Western B, Oak Hill finished third overall at 12-3 and claimed its first MVC title with a 12-8 win over Madison Friday.  They’ll host the winner of Tuesday’s prelim between Maranacook and Gray-New Gloucester (11-5).

In other Western B prelims, Mountain Valley finished fifth at 10-4 and host 12^th-ranked Yarmouth (8-8). Ninth-ranked Spruce Mountain (10-6) plays at Lincoln while 10th-seeded Poland (10-6) plays at Falmouth.

In Western C, the defending regional champs from Dirigo finished second at 11-5. Telstar took the third seed at 9-5. The Rebels will host sixth-ranked Monmouth (7-7) in the quarterfinals. The Mustangs just beat Telstar last week, 2-1. Mt. Abram (5-10) took the eighth-seed and hosts Sacopee Valley in a prelim.

In Western D, Rangeley finished third at 7-6. They’ll have to get through second-ranked Greenville to reach the regional final for a second straight year. Buckfield (6-10) claimed the fourth spot and will host Forest Hills in a quarterfinal for the right to play top-ranked Richmond.

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