A group of rambunctious and athletic 14-year-olds descended on a restaurant in Torrance on Sunday to raise money for their trip to Texas for the 14-Year-Old Babe Ruth League World Series.
The Torrance Babe Ruth 14-Year-Old All Stars team held a pancake buffet breakfast at The Crest on Sunday complete with trays of eggs, bacon, sausage and of course, pancakes.
The boys are set to represent the Pacific Southwest Region in this year’s Babe Ruth World Series in Eagle Pass, Texas.
The exciting time for players, coaches, families and friends does come at a cost; according to one of the player’s parents, going to the World Series is “an expensive endeavor” and while Babe Ruth League does provide some funding, the rest is up to the teams and their communities.
“All the money will go to the airfare, hotels and rental cars…so it’s all going to a good cause,” assistant coach Ken Mugford said.
Coach Mugford told KTLA 5’s Omar Lewis that the journey to get to the Babe Ruth League World Series has been “amazing” and has taken them everywhere from Glendale to Salt Lake City.
“Honestly, the kids have gotten better every week,” Mugford said. “They’ve bought into everything…we never expected to get to the World Series, so now that we’re here, it’s a blessing.”
Anyone in the Torrance area is invited to The Crest to partake in the pancake breakfast, which began at 10 a.m. and runs until 1 p.m.
If you can’t make it to The Crest but still want to help out, a link to donate can be found here.
The Babe Ruth League was created for ballplayers between the ages of 13 and 18 who have gotten too big for the Little League World Series.
Speaking of the Little League World Series, last year’s LLWS was won by a hometown team; the El Segundo 12U All-Stars beat Curaçao in the final on a walk-off home run by Louis Lappe.