Clarendon Hills team prepares to go to bat in Little League World Series Wednesday

CBS News

3 days ago

The ride of a dozen boys' young lives has taken them from the west Chicago suburb of Clarendon Hills to the mecca of Little League Baseball in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
The Illinois and Great Lakes Region champions will play in the prestigious Little League World Series on Wednesday.
CBS News Chicago had the chance to catch up with Clarendon Hills Little League manager Brian Herold and the crew from their dorm in Williamsport.
"It feels amazing. It's a special place, and the kids have worked hard to get here — so we're really proud of them," said Herold. "The celebration on the field when we beat Ohio was legendary — Hudson Lauerman, our pitcher, and our catcher, Brody Herold, embracing right in front of home plate, and then all of their teammates jumping on — it's like they've been here before, and they know how to celebrate."
But of course, there is more work to be done, as they prepare to take on a Las Vegas team that won the Mountain Region in the Little League World Series. Since arriving in Williamsport, the team has been holding two to three practices a day.
"Once the kids can get back to the baseball field, it's what's familiar. They're ballplayers, and they compete every time they enter the field. And why can't it be us?" Herold said. "You know, everyone has a chance, and we're really excited, you know, to see all our hard work pay off and see how we compete."
In the Little League World Series, the Clarendon Hills team is also getting to meet fellow players from all over the country and the world. Next door in the dorm is a team from Australia, and Canada and the Mountain team are downstairs, Herold said.
"We've got 19 other teams here — 10 from across the world, 10 in the kind of domestic United States here — and it's amazing," Herold said. "They rub shoulders with these other teams. They stop, give fist bumps, high-fives. The friendliness and the team spirit here is something I've never seen before."
The boys themselves also said it feels great to have the whole state and region behind them.