Thousand Oaks Big League team beats NorCal, earns spot in World Series
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

They've been dominant. Now it's time to get defensive.

For the fourth time in five years, and for the first time as the defending world champion, the Thousand Oaks Big League team has advanced to the Big League World Series in Easley, S.C.

Last summer, Thousand Oaks defeated Puerto Rico 100 to capture the world title.

On Tuesday in Bremerton, Wash., behind six solid innings from left-hander Matt Bywater, Thousand Oaks defeated Northern California 2-1 to claim the Western Regional championship.

"I threw about 98 pitches. It wasn't that bad," said Bywater, an understated, yet routinely effective, Thousand Oaks High graduate who will pitch for Pepperdine University.

Ed Kitchen, who's never lost a regional tournament as a head coach for various Thousand Oaks Little League or Big League teams, said playing as a cohesive unit helped get his squad back to South Carolina.

"We have a philosophy called 'Synergy,'" Kitchen said. "It means all the individual parts aren't greater than the whole. One plus one doesn't equal two. We have 15 players, but we're stronger than 15 individuals.

"We emphasize the fact that if you work together as a team, you'll be stronger than anybody else. And we have a very tight group of kids here."

Tuesday's victory pushed Thousand Oaks' record to 8-0 overall. The team went 4-0 in both the divisional and sectional rounds, outscoring the opposition 5811 in the process.

Thousand Oaks' pitching staff, led by Zach Thornton, Garrett Rau, Tyler Peddicord, Anthony Montenegro, Jake Fiss and Andres Ceja, has been a team strength.

In seven of eight games, Thousand Oaks has held the opposition to two runs or fewer.

"They've been real stingy," Kitchen said. "The pitching staff has been supported by a fantastic defense."

The offense hasn't been bad, either, scoring in double figures on three occasions.

The team flew from Washington to South Carolina Wednesday morning and, according to Kitchen, was scheduled to be picked up at the airport by the Treglia family, a local host that's assisted Thousand Oaks each year they've visited.

Opening ceremonies, including a home run derby, will take place Friday night at the J.B. "Red" Owens Sports Complex in Easley.

Thousand Oaks' first game will be Saturday at 10 a.m. PDT against United States East. There are 11 teams in the tournament, six from the U.S. and five international ballclubs, including representatives from Latin America, Canada, Europe and Asia.

Thousand Oaks has four games in the United States bracket during the next seven days. The two U.S. teams with the best records following the opening round will match up in a semifinal game on Fri., Aug. 3.

The Big League World Series championship will be broadcast live on ESPN Sat., Aug. 4, at 10 a.m.

"I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said these kids don't want to get on television to play in front of the local community," Kitchen said.

"But that's the furthest thing from our minds right now, because getting there is going to be extremely difficult. We're just staying focused on our first game."

All-Star roster

Players
Jason Barmasse
Matt Bywater
Andres Ceja
Brett Fick
Jake Fiss
Kyle Jones
Collin Lavoie
Anthony Montenegro
Ty Muller
Stephen Notaro
Tyler Peddicord
Garrett Rau
Mike Schwartz
Zach Thornton
Ben Yarin
Coaches
Ed Kitchen
Matt Ricatto
Mike Sheehan
Ron Peters