Wellington’s trip to the Intermediate Division Little League World Series in California began and ended with the squad from Seoul, South Korea. When the local youth all-star baseball team arrived in Livermore, Calif., the first team they met off the bus was the team they would ultimately face in the World Series Championship game.

Wellington advanced to the title game after it captured the United States Championship with a come-from-behind, 4-3 victory over Commack North Little League from New York on Max Baer Field. The following day, the Little Leaguers from Seoul broke open a tight game with three runs in the sixth inning to pull out a 10-5 victory over Wellington for the World Series title.

“It was cool to meet a team from so far away with a completely different culture, language and everything,” said Jacob Baughman, 14, of Wellington. “We knew they were probably going to win the other bracket because we heard they were pretty good. We didn’t think about that. We just focused on one game at a time. We didn’t want to think ahead of winning the U.S. Championship.”

Wellington returned home to a heroes welcome and was recognized at the Aug. 11 council meeting at the Wellington Municipal Complex. Following a proclamation being read, the boys and their parents were treated to cake and refreshments where they exchanged memories of the trip. A parade recognizing the team is also in the works.

Wellington’s Jake Mills, whose father, Chad, managed the team, said his father expects a lot from him, which can make it hard to play for him. However, the 13-year-old said he enjoyed sharing the experience with his dad.

“It was cool because he has helped me since I was two throwing tennis balls, so to make it this far with him was great,” Jake Mills said. “We never really talked about going to the World Series.”

Playing on for the championship on ESPN2 was nerve racking, according to Jake Mills.

“You don’t want to play bad in front of 20,000 people, so you just try and play your best and focus on the game,” he said. “It was different because now everywhere you walk people look at you differently because they know you. It’s cool.”

In addition to the games, the team walked on the Golden Gate Bridge, saw Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and went to Pier 39 and visited with the sea lions. Mills said he wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

Another player on the squad, Wellington’s Ryan Bruno, 13, said there was a lot of pressure to succeed, but they worked through it.

“This was pretty fun,” Bruno said. “It was a great experience. You got to do a lot of stuff out of the ordinary. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. We got to talk to the other kids and experience their lifestyles. Most of them speak different languages and stuff so that was cool. This was probably the best summer I have ever had in baseball.”

Wellington’s Shawn Steuerer, 13, also enjoyed the trip.

“It was fun to experience the different teams and how they interacted with each other with what they do,” Steuerer said. “The best part was winning the U.S. Championship and knowing we were the best team in the country.”

Most of the team has played together in the Wellington Colts travel program since they were 8. Sam Astern, 13, of Wellington, believed that was beneficial.

“That helped because we all knew how we played together as a team,” he said

“Obviously, you can’t predict something like this to happen,” Manager Chad Mills said. “When I look back at it, the winning was fantastic, but if I look at the ride, I realized that people liked us. It was amazing how well our kids and our team got along with everybody…we got nothing but compliments from people on their sportsmanship and how hard they played. It wasn’t just our friends and families, but all of the friends we made a long the way. They were all backing us.”

The Village of Wellington Councilman Matt Willhite told the team they united the community. “You are the leaders of tomorrow,” he said.

“You are Wellington,” Mayor Bob Margolis added. “Wherever you go, you [make] Wellington proud. The Village is behind you 100 percent!”

The local squad, which plays out of Olympia Park, finished its all-star tournament play with a stellar mark of 16-2, including titles at the district, sectional, state and regional levels.

In addition to the team’s loss to Seoul, South Korea in the Intermediate Division World Series Championship game, Wellington also fell in the opening game of the regionals to Georgia before closing out the tournament with five consecutive wins to advance to the World Series. Starting with the state title, this was the farthest any team from Wellington Little League has ever advanced in all-star play.