With the recent warm weather comes the spring season. All seven area softball teams, including defending Class D Champion Richmond, are kicking off their seasons this week.

Let’s take a look at what each side will be facing.

Brunswick

For coach Hugh Dwyer and the Dragons, youth was the name of the game in 2016. An inexperienced roster made for a long 2-14 season that began with seven straight setbacks.

This season, though, many of those players are back.

After flipping the home and away games, Brunswick will play an identical season to last campaign. Things kick off on Wednesday at Hampden Academy (1 p.m.) and continue Friday with the home opener against Skowhegan (1 p.m.)

The Dragons will visit “Battle of the Bridge” rival Mt. Ararat on Monday and close the season with a rematch on May 30.

Mt. Ararat

The Eagles, under co-coaches Al Graffam and Brooke Cox enjoyed much more success last year. After winning two of its final three games to close the campaign, Mt. Ararat reached the postseason with a 9-7 record.

A 12-2 preliminary win up at Brewer was followed by a tight 1-0 loss at Messalonskee in the quarterfinals.

A few key seniors have moved on, but the Eagles will have the playoffs in mind again this time out. They’ll visit Messalonskee for a season-opening rematch on Wednesday at 1 p.m. and host Cony on Friday at 1 p.m. before the “Battle of the Bridge” game.

The rest of the schedule is fairly balanced, with no more than two home or road games in row.

Morse

It was a very streaky 2016 slate for Morse, which started the season with five straight wins before limping into the postseason on a five-game losing skid. The Shipbuilders, which fell 7-5 in a prelim at Cape Elizabeth, didn’t alternate wins and losses once all season.

Morse will begin to navigate the competitive Class B South on Friday, when it hosts Erskine Academy at 4 p.m. Then, it’s on the road to Medomak Valley next Wednesday (4 p.m.) and at home against Belfast next Friday (4 p.m.) before a short ride over to Lincoln Academy for doubleheader next Saturday.

Freeport

2016 started with a win for Jason Daniel’s Freeport side, but things got tough from there. A pair of doubleheader wins over Old Orchard Beach in early May became the Falcons’ last two of the year as they finished the campaign with eight straight losses and missed the postseason.

Good news is, improvement is just a few wins away.

Freeport will visit Lake Region on Friday at 11 a.m. to open the year before hosting three straight home games next week. Another trip to Old Orchard Beach comes on May 1.

Lisbon

The Greyhounds finished the 2016 season strong with three wins out of four and made a deep run to the Class C South regional final as just a No. 6 seed. A pair of 8- 4 wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals earned them a date with powerhouse Madison at St. Joes College, where the season ended.

Coach Terri Tlumac brings much of her roster back this year and the Greyhounds will expect to be better than 6-6 come the tail end of the schedule.

Lisbon will visit rival Oak Hill on Friday at 4 p.m. to open the year. Then it’s home to Winthrop on Monday (4 p.m.) and on the road at Boothbay next Wednesday (4 p.m.).

Wiscasset

Up in Wiscasset, last season was one of learning for first-year coach Gordon Campbell and the Wolverines. After opening the campaign with a win over Boothbay, it was 13 straight setbacks for Wiscasset. The only other win of the year came in a second game against the Seahawks.

Really, there’s only one way to go in 2017.

Campbell and company will begin and end the season against Hall-Dale, starting next Monday at 4 p.m. They’ll visit Madison next Wednesday (4 p.m.) and travel to Boothbay again on May 6.

Richmond

Can the Bobcats make it five in a row?

Tony Martin hasn’t sipped a beat since taking over the Richmond program, going undefeated and winning a fourth straight Class D state title last year.

Martin’s squad gave up more than two runs just three times last season and, despite a thin roster, will have strong pitching to rely on again throughout this campaign.

It starts today, when Vinalhaven/North Haven pays a visit at noon. Richmond will look to build form before the end of the schedule, where it’ll play six of its last eight on the road.