BINGHAM — Prior to opening day, Valley baseball coach Paul Belanger figured he had a competitive team that could win just as many as it lost.

“I thought that we’d do all right,” he said. “I thought that we would compete and finish about .500.”

Midway through the season, Belanger began to feel differently about his young Cavaliers.

“Halfway through the season, I said that if we get into the playoffs that we could shock some people,” Belanger added. “Then it kind of happened.”

The third-seeded Cavaliers, a young team that includes three eighth-graders, finished the regular season 8-6 and earned the third seed in the Western D playoffs.

Valley, which finished 1-12 last season, ousted No. 2 Greenville in the semifinals 5-4 to earn a trip to the regional championship game. It will play top-seeded Buckfield (16-1) at 3 p.m. today at St. Joseph’s College in Standish.

“Pretty amazing,” Belanger said. “We started putting it all together. We’ve been on a good streak.”

Valley has won five straight after starting 3-6.

Belanger says it is simple how the Cavaliers turned their season around.

“We have good veterans who kept the younger guys focused,” he said. “I expected the eighth-graders to be behind, but they are finally catching up. But our older guys, our experienced guys, have made sure everybody is focused and knows what to do.”

Valley carries three eighth-graders compared to just a pair of seniors — Caleb Wade and Matt Hunnewell.

Those two, along with sophomore Devan Belanger, have helped stabilize a predominately young roster.

“It’s crazy,” said Wade, who is 3-0 on the mound and will start Wednesday. “I think we all thought we’d be a good team but we didn’t know how good we would be because we were so young. But it hasn’t been bad. All those guys know the rules and know not to mess up. We’re all very hungry. None of us have won pretty much anything.”

Added Belanger, a catcher who is hitting over .600: “I had to take more of a leadership role, which was different. But I’ve played since I was in eighth grade, too, so this is my third year. Most of the younger guys do what they are told anyway. It just feels good to be one of the best teams.”

Eighth-grader Cody Laweryson, along with Wade, leads the pitching staff. Laweryson, Coach Belanger says, is the team’s ace.

“Cody’s delivering for us,” Belanger said.

Wade will start Wednesday, however, because it is his turn in the rotation.

Infielder Luke Malloy and outfielder Colin Miller, both eight-graders, also play significant roles for the Cavaliers.

“The way we’ve been playing, starting about two weeks ago, I thought that we could beat anybody,” Belanger said. “Our eight-graders have played a full season now. Our older guys have great seasons. Everything just jelled. Hopefully, we can keep going.”

It won’t be easy.

Valley dropped both its games to Buckfield by a combined 26-4. The Bucks have scored at least 10 runs in 10 of their 17 games. They also feature seven seniors.

“The reality is that Buckfield is a very, very good team,” Belanger said. “They don’t have any weak spots. They have a lot of seniors. But I like where we are at. I like our team. We’re playing with a lot of confidence.”

Added Wade: “It’s a cool feeling coming back in your senior year and to make it this far. Before, we haven’t had a lot of good seasons.”

Bill Stewart — 621-5640

bstewart@centralmaine.com

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