BREWER – Since clinching the District 3 championship with an 8-4 victory over rival Bangor last month, the Orono-Veazie Senior League All-Stars have had to wait.

But the 21/2-week wait the 15- and 16-year-old players are having to endure to get to the Senior League World Series was nothing compared to the long one they went through after losing to Bangor 6-3 in July of 2002.

“We weren’t happy after losing that game to Bangor last year. It’s been something we’ve been thinking about ever since,” said first-baseman-left fielder Brian Roach. “We’ve been waiting for a second chance since last summer.”

Roach and his 12 teammates – nine of whom were on the field for that bitterly disappointing game – got that second chance and capitalized on it, taking two of three against Bangor and earning a coveted berth in the World Series, which took center stage in local baseball circles last summer.

They get the chance realize the collective dream they’ve had for almost a year and step on the Mansfield Stadium turf for the first time Sunday at 8:30 p.m. against Canada.

“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. We came so close last year, but then lost two games after that,” said second baseman and pitcher Andrew Otis. “I’m just looking forward to meeting all the kids from all over the world and show what we can do.”

What they’ve done so far is hit a robust .384 at the plate while holding opponents to a .234 batting average. Their team ERA (2.74) isn’t bad either as they’ve gone 4-1 and notched 30 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings.

“Fundamentally, this is a pretty strong and sound team,” said manager Jay Otis. “We have guys in the middle who can go deep and we can also play small ball if we have to. And our pitching’s been solid.”

Andrew Patterson of Brewer is the staff ace with a 3-0 record and 2.57 ERA. Duston Thomas of Veazie is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and Kevin McAvoy of Brewer is 0-1 with a 5.25 ERA.

Offensively, Otis leads the team with a .588 batting average with five RBIs. Catcher Thomas is batting .467 with a home run and team-leading nine RBIs. McAvoy is hitting .563 with two homers and eight RBIs. Three other players have three RBIs apiece.

The team is made up of teenagers from Orono, Veazie, Holbrook, Glenburn and Brewer – representing four high schools: Orono, Brewer, John Bapst, and Bangor Christian.

The rest of the team roster includes Ben Davis and Justin Phinney of Brewer; Jeff Green, Mitch Peasley, Hunter Umphrey and Mike Tardiff of Holbrook; George Keefe of Glenburn; and Jamie Hardy of Orono.

Versatility is another strength of this team as each player is capable of pitching and most can play at least three positions.

“We can shuffle guys all over the place,” said Roach. “And a lot of our guys could start for most other teams.”

The only question regarding this team is how it will react in games of this magnitude on this grand a scale. Every player has played in big league, conference, and/or regional title games, but this is the World Series and a class all its own.

“No, they’ve never played in a series like this, but I’ll tell you this: Every time we’ve played a big game, they’ve risen to the challenge,” said Jay Otis. “These guys seem to kick it up a notch in big games.”