SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — The Sunnyside Little League team was a group of all-stars coming into the 2018 Western Regional Little League Tournament.
This time around, coach Francisco Rivero says they need to be a team.
“This year, we are looking to finish the accomplishment from last year,” Rivero said.
“This year, we have a chance to go to the World Series. We have a lot of pitching.
“We need to have all 13 players being able to contribute, working together, and sacrifice for the team. The second thing is that nothing will be a surprise. We are better prepared this time around.”
There are 13 players on the Sunnyside roster, and eight are listed as being able to pitch. Juan Hernandez will be the starter in Monday afternoon’s opener against the Hawaii, which beat Southern California 4-2 in Sunday night's opener. Northern California, Utah and Nevada make up the remainder of the six-team bracket.
“Juan has good command in the strike zone, a quick fastball and a nasty curve,” Rivero said. “We probably will limit him to 50 pitches and he will relieve in the second game.”
Northern California defeated Nevada, 3-0, in the opening game on Sunday morning and will play Utah at noon Monday.
The tournament is played in a double-elimination format. If Sunnyside wins, it will play Wednesday at 7 p.m. If it loses, it will play Tuesday against the Nevada representative, Paseo Verde of Henderson, Nevada, at noon.
Competition will be fierce. Honolulu won last year’s Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania after emerging from the Western Regional. The team went a perfect 4-0 in San Bernardino.
Rivero sees no reason why Sunnyside can’t do the same thing this year. The team was eliminated in consecutive games in 2018.
“We had a good practice on Saturday and the batting timing is right,” Rivero said.
Monday’s opener is the early highlight of a trip that began Friday, when the team traveled to the Inland Empire from Tucson. Saturday, the team posed for pictures and went over the tournament’s rules and procedures. Sunnyside also used the players-only pool, which is one of the most popular features of the team’s dorms next to Al Houghton Stadium.
Monday, the team will begin a run that Rivero believes could be a deep one.
“I was able to see a difference from the first practice,” said Rivero, who is a heavy-equipment operator.
“We believe in this. The preparation is better. The parent commitment is better. And this year nothing will be a surprise.”
