Eastern Class A

Local players to watch: Edward Little — Lew Jensen P/IF, Elijah Roe 1B, Jarod Norcross-Plourde P/IF, Brandon Varney C, Drew Lashua 2B, Austin Cox SS, Damien St. Pierre P; Oxford Hills — Blake Slicer P/OF, Brady LaFrance CF, Bailey West P/OF, Matt Smith C, Jake Spinhirn SS, Aiden Heikkinen OF; Mt. Blue — Colton Lawrence P, Ryan Pratt P/IF, Tye Nichols OF, Amos Herrin P/IF, Evan Roberts P; Lewiston — Mike Wong P/SS, Brady Cusson 2B, Carter Chabot 1B, Kyle Ullrich OF, Austin Wing 3B/P.

Favorites: Reigning high school and American Legion state champion Bangor took a while to gain momentum, but the Rams concluded the regular season with nine consecutive wins to claim the top seed. Trevor DeLaite is 5-0 on the hill and Sam Huston, Derek Fournier and Andrew Hillier lead a potent lineup.

No team was hotter than EL after the first week of the season. The Red Eddies won 11 of 12 in one stretch, then rebounded from a loss to Bangor by taking their second win in three meetings with the champs to capture the KVAC title. Sophomore pitchers Plourde and St. Pierre have been sensational. Messalonskee has a veteran club with ample regional and state championship game experience, led by Jake Dexter and Trevor Gettig. The Eagles customarily thrive off being a middle-to-lower seed.

Dark horses: Brewer suffered one-sided losses to Bangor, Cony and Messalonskee, but the Witches also routed EL and shut out Messalonskee in the season finale. Oxford Hills started the season 8-1 before one-run losses to Mt. Blue and Bangor triggered a tailspin. The Vikings were 1-6 down the stretch. If the defense bounces back, they’re a dangerous opponent.

Prediction: Bangor.

Western Class B

Local players to watch: Gray-New Gloucester — Tyler St. Pierre P/SS, Tanner Mann OF, Zach Mann IF/P, Evan Harmer C/P, Evan Plummer IF, Thomas Wood OF.

Favorites: Only four teams in the bracket have a winning record. York has the fewest losses in the pack, with four. The Wildcats took home the state title two years ago. Matt Pratt and Cole Merritt lead a lineup that averaged just under seven runs per game in the second half of the season. Cape Elizabeth bounced back from a 4-12 season to the top seed. The Capers swept Class A contender Falmouth and topped reigning state champion Greely in the final game of the regular season. The Rangers struggled at the plate late in the campaign but were 3-1 against the other two top seeds.

Dark horses: Wells beat Falmouth and the three higher-seeded teams in the tournament, so there is no fear factor for the Warriors. Lincoln reached the regional final a year ago and was in five one-run games in the KVAC. Don’t be fooled by the Eagles’ 7-9 record.

Prediction: Greely.

Western Class C

Local players to watch: Dirigo — Tyler Frost C, Kaine Hutchins P/3B, Mitch Kubesh SS/P, Gavin Arsenault P/CF, Cooper Chiasson LF/3B; Winthrop — Ben Allen P/CF. Matt Sekerak P/LF, Mario Meucci 3B, Dakota Carter C, Ben Caprara RF; Lisbon — Kyle Bourget P/DH, R.J. Sargent 2B, Ryley Austin SS, Tyler Halls CF/P, Joe Philbrick 3B; Monmouth — Hunter Richardson SS/P, Jariah Caissie 3B, Nick Sanborn P/OF, Chandler Harris P/SS; St. Dom’s — Mike Bryant P/SS, Mitch Lorenz P/1B, Gavin Bates C/P, Ray Mosca LF, Caleb Labrie 1B; Mountain Valley — Tim Fitzgerald P, Ian Austin 2B/P, Nick Newman C/P, Caleb Gauvin 1B.

Favorites: Dirigo won 15 consecutive games after a season-opening loss with three missing seniors, nine by shutout. The Cougars put together a streak of 50 consecutive shutout innings during that stretch. The offense has been frustrated at times, but the pitching tandem of senior Hutchins and junior Arsenault, with four-year stalwart Frost behind the plate, has been dominant.

Winthrop avenged a regular-season loss by beating Dirigo in the MVC championship. The Ramblers are senior-dominated and don’t panic when they fall behind early in a game, a credit to their potent lineup. Sacopee Valley is the defending regional champion. The Hawks won’t fly under the radar this year because of that, but they can still get away with playing the “respect card” in a region otherwise dominated by MVC clubs.

Dark horses: Lisbon has an ace in Bourget and is usually strong defensively, especially up the middle. Maranacook won a bundle of close games against Class B competition in the KVAC. It is bizarre to think of St. Dom’s as an underdog, but the Saints have been buried in the standings for most of the season after a 3-4 start. They’ve won eight of nine since Bryant fully returned from an early-season injury, allowing two or fewer runs in each victory.

Prediction: Dirigo.

Western Class D

Local players to watch: Buckfield — Jared Eastman C, Jake Kraske 3B/P, Ethan Jackson SS/P/OF, Sidney Jackson P/OF, Tyler Vallee IF; Rangeley — Mason Cavalier P/C, Ricky Thompson P/1B, Bo Beaulieu 2B/SS, Kyle LaRochelle P/1B, Zack Trafton C/OF.

Favorites: Richmond has perhaps the most dominant pitcher in the field, Mike Stewart, if the senior can fine-tune his control. Searsport handed the Bobcats one of their three regular-season losses and is coming off a semifinal appearance with a young team a year ago.

Dark horses: Buckfield doesn’t have the dominant pitching that produced three consecutive regional title game appearances from 2012-14, but the Bucks were road warriors who scored double-digit runs in five of their victories. Greenville went 9-1 in its last 10 games. Although Wiscasset had only five wins and endured a late-season coaching change, the Wolverines are defending regional champions and faced the toughest schedule in the field.

Prediction: Searsport.