Conejo Valley All-Stars emerge as the favorite on the American side

Conejo Valley’s

NATIONAL ATTENTION-Conejo head coach Tom Ginther, left, talks to his one of his players during a practice before leaving for Williamsport, Pa. Through three games in the Little League World Series, the all-stars have outscored their opponents, 22-4, and they're considered the favorite to represent the United States.

All-Stars will enter the U.S. semifinals as No. 1 seed

As the nation turns its eyes on Williamsport, Pa. for the Little League World Series, televised each day on ESPN, many of those looks have been focused on the Conejo Valley All-Stars, who with their unbelievable level of play have made Thousand Oaks a household name.

Having finished up pool play on Tuesday with a 3-0 record, Conejo Valley has now solidified itself as a No. 1 seed in the four-team United States semifinal, just two wins away from a spot in the World Series Championship Game.

And after outscoring their three opponents—Morganton, N.C.; Davenport, Iowa; and Lincoln, R.I.—by a combined score of 22-4, many onlookers see the youngsters as the odds-on-favorite to emerge from the United States bracket with their strong balance of pitching and hitting.

After their opening game was rained out last Friday, the Little Leaguers came back on Sunday with a vengeance by taking it to Morganton by the score of 9-2—making their presence known to the thousands of fans watching across the country.

Danny Leon hit a two-run home run, and Tyler Karp and John Lister added solo homers to pad the impressive victory.

On Monday, the team returned to the field to take on Davenport, and this time the pitching and fielding were even stronger.

Starting pitcher Sean McIntyre had a nearly flawless outing, striking out eight and allowing just one hit over four innings in Conejo’s 10-1 victory.

On Tuesday, they edged out Lincoln, 3-1, to finish Pool A play undefeated and earning the No. 1 seed.

Starting hurler Jordan Brower pitched masterfully as he struck out eight en route to getting the win. After early troubles, Brower painted the corners and varied his speed to keep his foes on their toes. At one point, he retired 10 straight.

Conejo Valley returns to the field at 8 p.m. Friday night (Eastern time).

The group’s growing legion of fans can catch the game on the West Coast at 5 p.m. on ESPN.

––Kyle Jorrey