BANGOR – The Bangor Christian softball team was stuck inside Monday afternoon, but no amount of rain outside could dampen the Patriots’ spirits during practice.

Instead of going through a rebuilding year, which is about what expectations were for some team members after graduating 10 seniors from last year’s squad, Bangor Christian went 10-6 and earned the top seed in Eastern Maine Class D.

“We’re really excited,” said outfielder Adrienne Ricci, the team’s only senior. “I thought this was going to be a building year because we have a lot of young players. But at the same time, you can mold the young players. They’re really easy to work with.”

The Patriots will play Thursday in the quarterfinals. They’ll take on the winner of today’s preliminary game between No. 8 Jonesport-Beals and No. 9 Wisdom of St. Agatha.

Bangor Christian will spend Tuesday – if the rain holds off – scrimmaging Central of Corinth. The Patriots are thrilled to get in a tuneup against the Red Devils, who are the two-time defending Eastern Maine Class C champions.

“Playing the better teams is going to help us get ready for the playoffs,” said BC coach Robert Leathers. “We see a lot of good pitching, good hitting, a lot of fielding. We’re really appreciative that they’re going to scrimmage us. That’s going to help us get ready as well.”

It’s also a tribute to Bangor Christian, which plays a tough mix of Class C and Class D teams. Five of the Patriots’ six losses came against Class C Central, Penobscot Valley of Howland, and Dexter. The sixth loss was a 1-0 defeat at the hands of 2006 Class D champ Lee, which lost to Bangor Christian earlier in the season.

The 10-3 win over the rival Pandas was a fine way to start the season, but a 5-2 victory at Dexter on May 25 proved huge for the Patriots. Not only did it provide a good boost of Heal points, it also showed Bangor Christian could beat its tough Class C competition.

“That proved to us when you gel as a team, you can accomplish your goals,” said junior pitcher Jillian French.

What those goals were may have been a bit unclear early in the season as the Patriots began the rebuilding process after losing so many seniors.

“We started from the bottom,” said junior third baseman Christin Pelletier. “It was all just basics and fundamentals of softball.”

The young defense has improved, Leathers said. Pelletier is the only returning position player from the 2006 Eastern Maine final. Bekah Smith, this year’s second baseman, was the designated hitter in the 10-3 finals loss to Lee.

The rest of this year’s starters were either on the bench or didn’t play. They include catcher Chelsea Brasslett, first baseman Kelly Robinson, shortstop Katherine Bragg, and outfielders Ricci, Monica Alexander, Libby Long, and Moriah Bach.

“Defensively, we’ve cut down on errors and, offensively, it’s been a mixed bag,” Leathers said. “Really, I think our strength is that we have different players contributing in different areas. They support each other really, really well.”

French, who works with pitching coach Bob Mercer in the offseason, can throw four pitches.

“She’s developed as a pitcher,” Leathers said. “Last year she just overpowered people and this year she’s mixing up her pitches.”

Alexander has backed up French, who averages about 10 strikeouts per game.

Should French and her teammates prevail Thursday, they could face Lee in a semifinal Saturday. The No. 5 Pandas host No. 12 Fort Fairfield today.

It’s a matchup both teams would likely enjoy as a friendly rivalry has developed between the two schools in several sports. The BC girls soccer team beat Lee twice in the regular season but lost to the Pandas in the semifinals. The Pandas defeated the Patriots in the 2006 semifinals – the seeds, like this year, were No. 5 vs. No. 1 – and then there was this year’s regular-season split.

“If we face Lee again, I think we’ll be ready for it,” Ricci said. “If it comes to that, I think we’re going to play our hearts out.”