Solana Beach abuzz with Little League baseball

By: ADAM KAYE - Staff Writer | Thursday, August 2, 2007 7:36 AM PDT ∞

SOLANA BEACH -- The boys are getting high-fives in the supermarket, banners will hang in their honor at City Hall and somebody is auctioning Solana Beach Little League lapel pins on the Internet.

The all-star players on a team known informally as "The Beach" have had a spectacular, 16-3 run.

On Wednesday, the boys -- most of them 12-year-olds -- left for San Bernardino, where starting Friday they will compete against teams from Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada and Utah for a shot at playing in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

"I feel good, I'm excited," said R.J. Stucky, a right-hander whose pitching has added to the team's winning record.

At the end of the month, Stucky will begin seventh grade at Carmel Valley Middle School.

How would it feel starting seventh grade in a new and bigger school as a celebrity?

"I'm not really thinking about it," R.J. said.

Adults, meanwhile, are abuzz with the team's success.

"I can't think of a more positive thing that can happen to our community than to have these 13 kids playing at the level they're about to enter in," said Deputy Mayor Joe Kellejian. "What wonderful representatives of little Solana Beach."

Kellejian said he has attended most of the team's games and has briefed his colleagues on their victories, which have placed the team as No. 1 in all of Southern California.

The deputy mayor said he is making arrangements to display the team's trophies and banners in City Hall.

On Wednesday, the City Clerk's office issued an e-mail to rally community support for The Beach.

All this is creating quite a buzz in the city, Kellejian said.

Excitement was apparent Wednesday at Solana Vista School, where players met to caravan to the tournament. They will practice, eat and sleep at the Western Region Headquarters, where practices are off-limits to parents and visits are kept to a minimum.

"It's just like baseball camp," said coach Michael Thurston.

At the school, some parents talked logistics and crammed gear bags and snacks into vehicles. Others snapped photographs for a "Go Beach!" calendar they said they were making.

One parent said his "real job" could wait. In the workplace, Jim Kirkpatrick said, his "productivity has been way down this month." Kirkpatrick is the father of third baseman and pitcher Matty Kirkpatrick.

Meanwhile, the boys did what seems to come naturally -- they tossed around a baseball.

Earlier, on Tuesday, R.J. and his teammates basked in their successes when they were called onto the field at Petco Park. They received an ovation before the first pitch of the San Diego Padres game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Solana Beach Little League president John Grant handed lapel pins to the local big-leaguers and asked them to keep the pins in their lockers for good luck.

The boys got autographs and R.J. got something extra: His hero, pitching ace Jake Peavy, gave him his batting gloves.

Back in Solana Beach, the team has celebrated each of its tournament victories with a hearty meal at Tony's Jacal, a Mexican restaurant that has sponsored a team every season of the league's 50-year history.

Manager Ray Rincon said that the boys and their mothers pile into a dining room while their fathers usually retreat to the bar.

"It's been fun," Rincon said. "Everyone's just waiting after every tournament to get that phone call."

-- Contact staff writer Adam Kaye at (760) 901-4074 or akaye@nctimes.com.

If you go ...

The league is chartering buses to transport fans from the Solana Beach Train Station to the tournament. Buses leave at 3 p.m Friday and 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Reservations are required and can be made by e-mailing registrar@solanabeachlittleleague.com or by calling (619) 992-7242. A $20 donation is requested.