Abington softball coach Jenna Olem figured she could rely on a solid quartet of seniors in the early going.

What she didn’t totally expect was the rest of the roster filling in without a glitch.

The net result is a 12-0 start, one in which the Green Wave have outscored the opposition by a robust 119-17 margin. To date, only Whitman-Hanson has managed to stay with four runs of Abington, losing 4-0 back on April 19.

“I’ve gotta say I am a little surprised,” Olem said. “We had some holes to fill from last year because we lost some good seniors. But I felt good that we had four seniors back who started for me since their freshman year. Those four girls (center fielder Calli Pineau, catcher Kasie Bailey, right fielder Ava DiPietro and first baseman Jess Blyth) have done a tremendous job of leading the younger players – we have two freshmen and two sophomores in the lineup. The younger kids see how they got about their business so the buy-in is there.”

Pitching could have been a potential concern as Shannon Varvitsiotis has been the staff ace for the past two seasons, but sophomore Elsie Testa has stepped right in and the Green Wave hasn’t missed a beat.

“Elsie really wanted to prove that she is one of the top pitchers around,” Olem said. “She goes out there every day, does her job and is a tremendous team player. She’s always doing the extra things, picking up her teammates.”

Abington has also received big contributions from the likes of shortstop Brenna Howley, left fielder Riley Agnew, second baseman Maddie McDonald and third baseman Malia Goldberg.

This group hasn’t been in a tough spot often this year, but the one team they needed to step up, they responded. Trailing 3-0 in the sixth against Hingham, Abington rallied to tie the score, then tallied 10 runs in the eighth to win going away.

“That game told them a lot about themselves,” Olem said. “To be able to come back like that proved a lot to them.”

Youth movement lifts Braintree

Before the start of the season, veteran Braintree coach Bill O’Connell met with his staff and they agreed that this year was as good a time as any to build for the future. They fully realized that it might mean some short-term bumps and bruises as the youngsters became fully acclimated to varsity baseball.

So far, so good.

After a season-opening 6-5 loss to Walpole, the Wamps have ripped off 12 straight wins, including an impressive 4-0 triumph over King Philip on Friday. Even O’Connell, who has guided Braintree to a pair of Super 8 championships in his run at the school, is pleasantly surprised.

“I’d say expecting to be here (at 12-1) is a bit of an understatement,” O’Connell said with a laugh. “We only had one returning starter from last year and with the tough schedule we had, I was little concerned with the results we might have.

“We did know in the preseason that we had a good young group so we were thinking this might be a rebuilding year of sorts and build a team to make a run down the road. We put some of the younger guys in there, gave them a chance to start and the results have been great.”

The staff is led by a pair of underclassmen. Freshman Luke Joyce is 5-0 with three shutouts, including Friday’s win. Sophomore Max Deroche has been equally as impressive with a 3-0 mark and a pair of shutouts to his credit.

“Luke was one of those kids we had an eye on,” O’Connell said. “I don’t ever want to compare anyone to (former Braintree ace) Scott Creedon, but he had that type of potential early on and he’s been terrific for us.”

Offensively, Braintree has received a huge lift from BC High transfer Hayden Regan. The Endicott-bound center fielder has solidified the outfield while delivering more than 20 hits. Senior third baseman Sean O’Rourke is batting more than .440 and leads the team in RBI, while sophomore Peter Brooks has been a revelation at short, both with the glove and the bat. Another key contributor has been junior first baseman Sean Canavan (.350 with a homer and nine RBI).

“The re-entry rule has really been a big benefit for us,” O’Connell said. “We’ve been able to get everyone in the game. We can spot start some guys, pinch-hit them and things like that which allows everyone to be involved. Even if guys aren’t starting the game, they know they’re going to get in at some point.”

Milestones

New Bedford softball coaching legend Harry Lowe reached some rarified heights on Monday when he earned his 600th win as the Whalers defeated Bridgewater-Raynham, 10-4. Lowe has been an icon in the southeastern part of the state for the past 40 years and has a career mark of 600-259. He spent the first 19 years coaching at Old Colony and Apponequet before taking over at New Bedford.

On the softball pitching front, several aces achieved personal milestones over the past week starting with Pentucket’s Molly LeBel, who recorded her 500th career strikeout in a 7-4 win over Newburyport.

North Andover’s Brigid Gaffny reached the 400-strikeout mark in a 6-0 win over Lowell, while Silver Lake’s Delaney Moquin struck out 19 to surpass the 300-mark in a 3-2 win over Plymouth South. Revere’s Danni Randall picked up her 200th career strikeout in a 12-3 triumph over Lynn English.