The El Segundo Little League is expected to play its first game in the Little League World Series Thursday night in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
The boys are set to face off against the New Albany Little League from Ohio at 4 p.m. PST.
But Danny Boehle, the team’s manager, told L.A. Morning News’ Mike Simpson and Vicky Moore the boys are dealing with a stomach virus.
“So there had been a virus going around since we left San Bernardino on the charter flight with the three other teams which were Nevada and, and, Northwest, which is Seattle and Seattle got hit. I don't know if anyone from Nevada was hit bad,” he said.
“We got hit with some of our better players and then last night, one of our better be better players got hit again. And so we're working through it and, you know, it is what it is. Kind of the next man-up mentality. It's kind of a bummer to work all summer long and, and get here and then I feel bad for our kid Jackson if he can't go. But I took him in last night at about one o'clock to the health center here. There's no fever. No just the stomach virus and they're throwing up, they can't keep fluid down. So we'll see what happens.”
Boehle remarked that despite the stomach virus, the team is up for the challenge.
“What a great story that would be to have. ‘Hey, we're sick, sick, sick, but we still battle through it and now we find ourselves in the final game and, you know, find ourselves winning the thing,’” he said.
He also said the team is feeling a lot of love not just from the El Segundo community, but also from some professional baseball players.
“We also have so many people like Mike Trout [center fielder from the Angels] sent us a video yesterday on my phone… just telling how proud he was of us,” he said. “George Brett, who's [from] El Segundo, David Wright, who I've been very close friends with, Kevin Youkilis…they have all this love coming from great baseball players that are either living in Southern California now or from Southern California, and I think that fires him up too and keeps them mentally on the right track.”
The game will be broadcasted nationally on ESPN 2.
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