Paseo Verde Little League team faces next mountain

Matthew Galdi doesn't remember how much sleep he managed that night.

It couldn't have been a lot.

His all-star baseball team from Paseo Verde Little League had just dropped a 13-2 decision to defending champion Mountain Ridge in the state tournament.

"And I was the one who pitched," Galdi said. "I didn't get some calls, though."

I love this kid.

He's already talking like a big leaguer questioning the strike zone.

Galdi and his teammates would celebrate last, however, coming back to dethrone Mountain Ridge 6-4 in a state championship game that sent Paseo Verde into the West Regional tournament in San Bernardino, Calif., the weeklong event that will ship its winner to Williamsport, Pa., and the Little League World Series.

Mountain Ridge knows such a feeling, having become the first team in Nevada history last year to reach the pinnacle of Little League, to stand atop that famous hill and look down upon majestic Lamade Stadium.

Those from Paseo Verde now hold tight the dream that they also can experience such a moment.

They open play at 4:30 p.m. Monday against the winner of tonight's game between Southern California and Hawaii, meaning Paseo Verde will immediately oppose one of the top two teams that traditionally send to San Bernardino the most talented rosters.

I wouldn't expect the kids from Las Vegas to cower with fear.

There is nothing like beating one's rival in sports, nothing like overcoming the one obstacle that invariably stands in your way. For the players from Paseo Verde, that was Mountain Ridge. That was the challenge — physically and psychologically — they had to defeat.

"Our coach tells us that it doesn't matter if we're playing the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Little League Giants, that we just need to relax and play," Paseo Verde outfielder Caden Denning said. "We all watched Mountain Ridge at the Little League World Series last year. We wanted them to win it all. We're from the same state. Before that (13-2) loss to them this year, we were worried and nervous and tense. But then we played the next game with the attitude of, 'If we lose, who cares? If we win, all the better.' We had nothing to lose. They were the defending champions.

"But, yeah, it felt good they were the ones we beat in the final."

Most kids get one shot at this. One opportunity. A year passes, and they age out into a higher division and the next crop of dreamers takes center stage over an all-star summer schedule.

Tim McCollum was chosen by Paseo Verde Little League to lead this journey, a former Liberty High School coach who doesn't have a son on the team and whose first move was to call a meeting with parents to set guidelines and expectations.

I'm not sure if you have heard, but Moms and Dads across youth sports can be, well, a little emotional at times.

Which is a nice way of saying stark raving lunatics.

"We haven't had any problems with that," McCollum said. "The parents have been really good, really supportive. They understand what I'm trying to do and have seen the success on the field. They leave me alone and let me do my job. It's a lot easier to coach this level than high school. These kids actually listen. You don't yet have the teenager attitudes.

"I think it helps I'm a (nonparent) coach. I have no bias. I play the kids who deserve to play. The kids will respond well to any pressure at the (regionals). They doubted themselves before that loss at state to Mountain Ridge. They saw some media there and 'RIDGE' across the jersey of the other team. But we had a long talk that night about coming into the next game and being themselves and playing loose. We were a totally different ballclub after that. I didn't care that it was Mountain Ridge we beat to get where we are at now, but it definitely gave our kids more confidence."

Nevada and Hawaii and Utah and Arizona and Northern and Southern California will be represented in San Bernardino, teams arriving with a common goal. Win the thing.

It is a regional title that represents the world to a 12-year-old, that offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity those across Little League fields aspire annually to receive.

One that's even better than visiting Cooperstown and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, where some Paseo Verde players competed at in travel ball.

"That was really fun and intense when we thought about how many teams were there," said Galdi, the pitcher-catcher for Paseo Verde. "But this is something totally different. A chance to play on a much bigger stage. If we could make it to the Little League World Series … that's way better than Cooperstown."

The final step of the journey to Williamsport begins Monday.

It will be the toughest one yet to take.

It always is.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be a heard on "Seat and Ed" on Fox Sports 1340 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney