Pep rally brings community together to celebrate SoCal Little League baseball champs

Administrators and board members at Park View Little League knew they had something special in the making even before this summer’s 12U all-star team was selected.

It was a feeling they received from players and that vibe has certainly paid dividends as Park View opens play Sunday in the Little League West Region championship tournament in San Bernardino. Park View’s talented Green Machine finds itself on the doorstep of qualifying for the iconic Little League World Series.

It’s familiar territory for league administrators. Park View set the gold standard in South County by winning the 2009 Little League World Series.

“One of the first things we wanted to do was to contact Rod Roberto, the manager of that 2009 team, to see what they did, how they organized things, that made that team so successful,” Park View Little League President Johnny Fuentes explained during Wednesday’s pep rally at the league’s complex adjacent to Greg Rogers Park.

The current board obviously listened well. Park View’s sluggers carry a 14-2 record into their first game against Northern California champion Vacaville Central Little League (7:30 p.m. on ESPN3). Perhaps more importantly, the team is 6-0 when facing elimination.

“The boys have worked hard,” Park View manager Jorge Camarillo explained succinctly.

That goes for everyone associated with the league.

San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox was among the dignitaries in attendance at Wednesday’s pep rally. He took a moment to talk to parents and league officials.

“I’ve had a chance to watch some exciting youth baseball in the South County over the past few years,” Cox said. “I’m so excited to see what’s happening this year with this Park View team. We’re so proud of our Little League teams in South County. The 2009 Park View team set the gold standard. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Fall back

Wednesday’s event served as a celebration of past and present. Several parents from the 2009 LLWS championship team attended the event while alumni players Oscar Castro and Markus Melin gave a post-practice pep talk to the current Park View all-star team.

Castro and Melin were treated like celebrities. It is the humbleness of the current squad that stands out and which has obviously brought it so much success.

The alumni players said being humble is the right mindset to be in while making a journey to an event as grand as the Little League World Series.

“You can’t get caught up in the moment,” explained Melin, who went on to play prep baseball at Otay Ranch High School, winning a league co-championship his junior year. “You have to keep grounded and play with that mindset that it’s just like any other game.”

That might be hard to do, but it’s a must if teams are to be successful.

“The first inning or so you notice the large crowds but then you start playing like it’s a regular baseball game,” explained Castro, who recorded a CIF runner-up finish with The Rock Academy baseball team. “You have to enjoy the ride, but play your heart out and make sure you leave everything on the field.”

When the 2009 Park View team finally made it to the LLWS, Castro said he felt “all the hard work paid off.”

“There were so many practices, so many evening batting practices,” he explained. “It validated everything.”

“It just wasn’t a one-year thing,” Melin pointed out. “It was a three-year process. We had been playing together for a while (at younger age divisions). We grew as a family.”

Castro said time still stands still in recalling the moment the Park View team won the Little League World Series championship game.

“I can clearly see everything that was going on,” he said. “Their guy swung and missed. At first we thought he had fouled the pitch, but then the umpire called him out and we had won it. Everyone ran out and made a dog-pile.”

For the parents who had sons on the 2009 Park View LLWS championship team, it was just as much of a whirlwind experience.

“When you’re involved in it as it’s going on, it’s crazy,” explained Diana Godfrey, mother of Seth Godfrey, who would later go on to win a CIF championship with Bonita Vista High School. “It doesn’t seem real when you go through something like that.”

“We were so new to it,” added Sylvia Porras, mother of Junior Porras, who attended Hilltop Middle School during the Blue Bombers’ LLWS championship run. “We were along for the ride. We didn’t think about it until we were there.”

The highlight for all involved was meeting President Obama in February 2010.

“The parents were roped off from the team and (White House officials) told us the president might not come over to us, but he did and made a point to shake everyone’s hand – from five-year-olds to grandmas.”

The Green Machine received input from even more recent world champions as several members of the Emerald Diamond Pony-13 International World Series champions attended and interacted with the 2016 Park View all-star team. Emerald defeated Panama, 12-0, in Monday’s championship final in Whittier.

Nate Nankil and Ari Armas were both present for Emerald. Both Nankil and Armas made a trip to the Little League World Series last year with Sweetwater Valley’s 12U all-star team.

Nankil’s star has started to rise. Earlier this summer, he attended a week-long camp with the 14U USA Baseball National Team Development program in Cary, N.C.

“It was super fun,” related Nankil, who is now a freshman at Bonita Vista High School. “I enjoyed meeting players from other parts of the country and getting to play the 15U U.S. development team. Those were great memories.”

By the numbers

Park View takes a 14-2 record into Sunday’s game against Vacaville Central, which is riding a 10-game winning streak. The trip to the regional championship tournament is a first for any Little League team from Vacaville. Vacaville Central defeated El Dorado Hills, 7-3, to capture the Northern California state championship July 28 in Fresno.

Park View’s strengths have been its pitching and defense. But the Green Machine can hit the ball pretty good as well with 55 home runs and 194 runs scored in 16 games.

Omar Cordero leads Park View with 10 home runs and 24 RBI, followed by Cachorro Lizarraga with 23 RBI and seven home runs, Lucas Marrujo with 22 RBI and eight home runs, Adriel Colmenero with 22 RBI and six home runs, Ju Ju Padilla with 16 RBI and five home runs and Ali Camarillo with 15 RBI and five home runs.

Marrujo leads the team with a torrid .607 hitting average while Cordero is not far behind with a .558 hitting average. Lizarraga is batting .529 while Colmenero is hitting at a cool .513 clip. Padilla is hitting .485 while Camarillo is hitting .413. The team batting average is .445, with a .519 on-base percentage and .896 slugging percentage.

Camarillo and Marrujo pace Park View each with 28 runs scored while Camarillo has three triples and Marrujo has a team-leading eight doubles. Marrujo keys the team with 34 total hits.

 

 

Practice makes perfect for Park View’s talented Green Machine    

Wednesday’s on-field practice impressed many guests attending the open house event, including experienced observers familiar with higher levels of baseball.

Coaches worked in separate areas with different players, and while team members did have to wait their turn among two or three others, the coaches kept those players involved and mentally “in the game” at all times

For instance, the coach hitting infield practice would call out a situation or play and immediately hit the ball. Each player knew exactly where to throw in each situation. At one point, coaches set up a standing net to stop the throws to first base so the first baseman could be ready to field grounders and make his throws.

During a special type of batting practice, a coach sat about eight feet away from hitters and tossed balls to them. The net was now placed right in front of second base and the coach was urging every player to hit the net with a line drive. Not one player ever swung and missed a ball, and many lined balls up the middle. One player hit the net four to five times during his at bat. “We don’t want fly balls,” the coach stressed.

Every boy on the team was 100 percent involved in the practice. Nobody sat down, nobody rested … it was a practice that kept every boy mentally and physically actively involved.

At one point, a coach tossing the balls to hitters ran out of balls. He asked a player to start collecting balls from the outfield and the boy promptly sprinted to do his job.

While all of these activities were going on, another coach was hitting high fly balls to outfielders from the left field corner to the right field corner. Boys seemed to make the catches with ease and familiarity with their position.

At no time during the afternoon practice session was a player made fun of or made to feel unkind in any way. This team seems to have a special chemistry that motivates them to play and excel together.

Everything was positive and upbeat.

It’s this attention to detail that has obviously led to the team’s success.

— Scott Hopkins  

General Information for the Little League Western Regional Baseball Tournament

  • Event: 46th Annual Little League Western Regional Baseball Tournament at Al Houghton Stadium — Home of the Little League Western Region Headquarters, 6707 Little League Dr., San Bernardino, CA 92407 /  (909) 887-6444.
  • Opening Ceremonies for the 46thannual Little League Western Regional Baseball Tournament is scheduled for approximately 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7 (between Games 3 and 4). The length of Game 3 will dictate when the Opening Ceremonies begin.
  • LLWR baseball alumni: Sean Burroughs, Darnell Coles, Hank Conger and Ken Hubbs in Major League Baseball and Turk Schonert, Brian Sipe and Marques Tuiasosopo in the National Football League.
  • Stadium note: Al Houghton Stadium is named in honor of the first Little League Western Region Director who was instrumental in building the current Western Region Headquarters. In the 45 years that the LLWR Baseball Tournament has been held at Al Houghton Stadium, 11 teams have gone on to win the Little League World Series.
  • Stadium directions: The LLWR Headquarters is located off the 215 Freeway. Take the Palm/Kendall exit and travel east to Little League Drive/Kendall Drive (Arco AM/PM on left hand corner).  Turn left and follow the street to the stop sign. Turn right at the stop sign and the LLWR Headquarters is on the right hand side at6707 Little League Dr.

ADDITIONAL INFO:Take the 210 Freeway east to the 215 Fwy. north and exit Palm/Kendall (or) take the 15 Freeway north to the 215 Freeway south and exit Palm/Kendall (construction in progress at the 15-215 interchange).

  • ALLgames are FREE.Parking is FREE, but space is limited. The gates open daily 30-minutes prior to the first game of  the day.
  • Food and souvenirs: There will be various food and snack vendors, as well as a variety of Little League souvenirs for purchase.
  • Lawn chairs are allowed on the outfield grass and top of the stadium only.
  • Restrictions: No alcohol, glass items, firearms, knives, noise makers and pets (except service animals) are allowed on the complex. Security will inspect all bags. No ice chests are allowed in the stadium. No smoking is allowed, except in a designated smoking area near the front gate off the main parking lot. No commercial photography, videos, web streaming or pay-per-view is allowed. No congregating is allowed along the fences surrounding the field of play.
  • All games will be televised by the ESPN network.
  • Games can also be followed via GameChanger atwww.gc.com.
  • LLWR website:http://www.eteamz.com/llbwest/.
  • The official Little League West Region Baseball and Softball Facebook page will post daily scores, photos, videos, stories and more atwww.facebook.com/westll. Like it today.

Little League West Region Championship

Sunday, Aug. 7
Hawaii 8, Nevada 0
Park View (Southern California) 18, Vacaville Central (Northern California) 3

Monday, Aug. 8
Hawaii vs. Utah, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN3)
Arizona vs. Southern California, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN3)

Tuesday, Aug. 9
Elimination games
Nevada vs. Southern California-Arizona loser, 11 a.m.
Northern California vs. Hawaii-Utah loser, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN3)

Wednesday, Aug. 10
Elimination game, 7 p.m. (ESPN3)

Thursday, Aug. 11
Semifinal (winners bracket), 6 p.m. (ESPN)

Friday, Aug. 12
Semifinal (challenger bracket), 6 p.m. (ESPN2)

Saturday, Aug. 13
Championship game, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)