The Team to Beat : South Mission Viejo Little Leaguers Change Landscape of Town’s Sports Scene

On a patch of pristine emerald tucked between the rugged San Gorgonio Mountains and the dusty asphalt of the 215 Freeway, a group of 13 Mission Viejo boys and thousands of their shrieking fans are changing the landscape of their hometown sports scene.

Hailing from a city where swimming and soccer have long been kings of local youth sports, the 12-year-olds from South Mission Viejo Little League are now the team to beat, both on and off the field.

“I had 13 messages on my phone machine today, people calling to find out who we play next and what time,” said Linda O’Donovan, whose son, Ryan, is a standout on the team. “People who don’t even have kids are coming out here, driving two hours to cheer them on. These kids are getting treated like gold.”

And why not? Powered by strong pitching and crafty coaching, the 15-1 champions of Southern California have pushed deeper into the Western Regionals than any South County team in a decade. Yorba Hills Little League won the Western Regional Championships in 1995, while Northwood Little League of Irvine took the same title in 1987.

Saturday evening, they downed a team from Oregon 3-0, moving the team into Wednesday’s semifinal game.

In the stands at the tournament site in San Bernardino, some whisper that the team may actually make some noise on the national level--if it gets there.

Their winning ways have brought local retirees, grown-up Little Leaguers and curious neighbors into the raucous ranks of the parents, who routinely lose their voices cheering on the youngsters. The names of the players are plastered on T-shirts, storefront banners and the huge posters that cover each of their carports back home.

In the face of all this, the players themselves remain remarkably serene, even nonchalant. After striking out 14 Arizona hitters in Friday night’s victory, lanky pitcher Ashton White looked sleepy when asked about the crowd support. “We can hear them,” he acknowledged with a shrug.

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Everybody could hear the Mission Viejo fans. The team mothers--the same ones who inspire their sons with juice smoothies, slogans and, after their lone loss, World War II speeches--lead precise, deafening cheers for every at-bat.

“We ROCK! We ROLL! We Take CONTROL!” is their favorite cheer, and it turns heads throughout the stands when delivered with the mothers’ homemade noise-makers (the only kind allowed in Little League bleachers), crafted from dented soda cans filled with pennies.

“They’re loud and obnoxious,” one smiling Arizona parent said after four innings of the penny treatment, betraying not a hint of malice. “Their team is great too.”

The Friday night 4-1 win over Arizona was classic South Mission Viejo ball. The pitching by the unshakable White (the son of former Heisman Trophy winner and USC running back Charles White) kept the Arizona batters frustrated, while savvy base-running generated the winning margin.

White may be the closest thing the team has to a star player, but the scrappy, disciplined squad seems to live up to its motto in the tournament media guide: “Different heroes on a daily basis.”

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Against Arizona, though, the turning point in the game appeared at first to be a costly blunder for the Orange County team.

A Mission Viejo runner on second base bolted for third, where another runner stood wide-eyed and frozen. The Arizona catcher and fielders locked on the hapless player trapped between second and third and got him out in the ensuing scramble--but not before the forgotten runner at third scored.

The razzle-dazzle was cooked up by Manager Jim Gattis, who sold the ploy by feigning panic from his post behind third base. After the game, the veteran of college and professional coaching gave a wink and smile when asked about the play.

“We make things happen,” he said. “Some teams here may be bigger and better, but nobody’s got more heart.”

Indeed, the Mission Viejo team was dwarfed by its Oregon opponent Saturday, but still prevailed.

But win or lose in the regionals, the South Mission Viejo team has already given their fans a wild ride. Baseball, for once, is the talk of the town.

Speaking for the other faithful, O’Donovan said it was about time baseball got its due.

“Hey,” she said, “any kid can play soccer.”