PORTLAND — The players on the Portland Junior League Baseball team are all only 13 or 14 years old, but when it comes to tournament play, they are savvy veterans.

A majority of the players on the roster were also members of the Little League squad that played for the New England title in Bristol, Connecticut, two years ago. Before that, the group played in the U10 New England tournament in Cranston, Rhode Island.

Now, as the Maine state champion, Portland is off to the Junior League East Region Tournament in Dubois, Pennsylvania.

“They’re battle-tested. They’ve seen it all. They’ve had comebacks, they’ve been frontrunners,” said Brian Bechard, the team’s manager. “They’ve been in every kind of situation you could expect a baseball player this age to go through.”

The Maine champion, along with Delaware and Maryland, received a bye out of opening day games on Saturday. Portland will face the winner of a Saturday game between Connecticut and Washington, D.C., at 2 p.m. Sunday. The eight-team tournament is double elimination. Should Portland advance, the championship game is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday.

The continuity enjoyed by Portland players as they progressed through age levels is a strength, Bechard said, as is continuity in coaching. Bechard has managed these players since they were 9 and 10 years old, with assistant coach Erik Carlson also along for the entire ride.

That makes filling out the lineup card easy. Bechard knows the strengths of each player, and how he fits in to the team’s success. Second baseman/pitcher Eli Pelletier, for example, is a speedy leadoff hitter who makes good contact and rarely strikes out. Charlie Armstrong and Demetrius Brown-Phillips are strong pitchers who get ahead in the count and rarely issue walks, Bechard said.

“All the way up, and certainly this year, too, the strength has been good pitching and good defense. They make the routine plays, and even spectacular plays, and they don’t make a lot of mistakes,” Bechard said. “The hitting is starting to come around. We’re starting to hit the ball a little further. Now that they’re getting bigger and stronger, they’re starting to knock it.”

Other key players include shortstop and No. 2 hitter Louie Bechard; David King, who pitches, plays third base and serves as the team’s closer; James Minervino, who can play third base, catcher or pitcher; Joey Salvaggio, a defensive standout in center field who shows power at the plate; right fielder/pitcher Ian Fitzgerald, who flashes speed; and Wes Carlson, whom Coach Bechard described as a crafty pitcher and dependable outfielder.

“We have very good fundamentals, which isn’t always the case at these ages. We don’t hurt ourselves,” Bechard said.

The summer is the only time this team plays together. Players are scattered across multiple middle schools in Portland and will soon be at different high schools. Still, they’re a close-knit group that is ready for this experience, Bechard said.

“They may not play all together, but they’ll all be contributing to Portland baseball in the city, one way or another,” he said.

The team has a GoFundMe page to help defray the costs of the trip.