By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

AUBURN – Elaine Keene had a pretty good inkling that the varsity softball coaching job at her alma mater would be opening at some point. Let’s just say she had inside information.

So the Edward Little graduate knew she had a certain time frame to prepare herself.

“I had thought about it,” said Keene. “I knew it was coming. When I got out of college, I tried to help with the program itself. I knew once Aly (Keene) left, it would be wide open. I kind of prepared myself mentally for this from the very beginning.”

Gene Keene, her father, coached the program for 10 years. After her sister, Aly, graduated last year, he took the job of director of student services at Maranacook. That left the Red Eddies job hers for the taking.

“I was interested, and I’ve been interested from the beginning,” said Elaine. “Then I wasn’t and then I was because I was filling big shoes, but there was no better time to do it.”

She takes over a team with just four regulars back from last year – Christie Sasser, Kate Dargie, Allie Sasser and Lyndsey St. Hilaire.

“We have 13 players and just four are seniors,” said Keene. “I was their JV coach, and I had all these girls. I think they know what the expectations are. They may not put the most talent on the field, but they’re going to give the most effort. That’s where we’re going right now. We don’t have a lot of experience.”

After graduating from the University of New England, Keene began coaching regularly. She helped out her father while her sister, Nicole, played. She was the co-JV coach the last two years with Mary Beth Galway. She also has been an assistant with the field hockey team for four years and basketball program, both in the middle and high school, for five.

“Even those years in college, I would come after school to help,” said Keene. “I would be part of that when Nicole got here. I just wanted to be there. So I’ve been a part of it even when I wasn’t here coaching.”

One thing she says she takes from watching her father coach is maintaining certain expectations. Though EL won back-to-back state titles during her dad’s tenure, there were some EL teams that weren’t full of talent but still succeeded.

“If you put the effort in, good things can happen,” she said. “He had so many teams that weren’t necessarily the most talented, but they gave the most effort. I’m bringing that along – that work ethic that I expect out of the girls.”

With a team so young and inexperienced, Keene says she can have patience as the talent blossoms so long as the dedication is there.

“We’re really pushing the effort,” said Keene. “If they put in the effort that they can, and that they’ve shown me, they should be all set.”

Keene has surrounded her with plenty of support. Galway is the JV coach. Bob Sasser and Norm Ford both return as assistant coaches. Her sister, Nicole, is even helping out with the pitchers.

“Coaching-wise, I have the experience,” she said. “I feel I’m ready that way. There’s enough people around me, so that if I falter, they’re going to help me.”