Young Stars Players Hoping They’ll Play Great Ball in China : Team of 11- and 12-Year-Olds From Area Will Travel to Beijing for International Baseball Tournament Next Week

As the world begins focusing on South Korea and the Summer Olympics, some 11- and 12-year-olds from San Diego have set their sights on another important international competition.

Some 600 miles west of Seoul--in Beijing, capital of China--the San Diego Stars will participate next week in the International Boys’ Baseball Friendship Tournament.

The Stars and teams from Los Angeles, Denver and North Carolina will represent the United States against teams from Brazil, Italy, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong as well as two Chinese entrants, Tianjin and Beijing.

“It’s like the Olympics to them,” said Cheryle Dufek, “team mother” to the 16 Stars, one of whom is her son, Jeffrey. “To represent the U.S. in international play, it’s been the highlight of Jeffrey’s life.”

Asked what the trip means to him, Jeffrey said: “Meeting new people and seeing the way they live in a different culture. And how they play baseball. Ten years from now I’ll look back at this as a great experience. I know I’ll want my kid to do it.”

Ten years from now, his kid may get the chance, thanks to the work of Lyle Gabriel, the Stars’ organizer and coach, and others like him.

Gabriel said that in March, he was asked by Sports Exchange International, an affiliate of the United States Baseball Assn., if he could put together a 12-and-under team of “world class caliber” players to compete in the China tournament. Sports Exchange would take care of the visas and itinerary; Gabriel would take care of the rest, including finances.

Gabriel accepted and immediately began scouting the county to find the talent and the money needed.

“If I felt they were the caliber of kids I was looking for, then I would invite them,” he said. “I was looking primarily at their baseball ability, both mentally and physically. I tried not to look at their economic situation because I knew we could help.”

Sponsorships, donations and a junior tournament helped defray the cost of approximately $2,000 per person, and some players were individually sponsored by various businesses, but some parents have had to make up the difference.

Though money was short, talent was abundant.

Eric Slama, who is 5-feet 6-inches tall and weighs 160 pounds, played for the Angels in the Mission Trails Little League this spring. His coach, Robert Trevino, said there were 12 home runs league-wide this season; Slama, nicknamed the Whammer, hit 11. He’s also one of the fastest guys on the team.

When Gabriel was scouting the North City Youth Baseball League in Clairemont, Shane Stroberg, a 5-6, 115-pound outfielder, hit a home run that cleared the 210-foot sign, a dirt area beyond the fence and a church parking lot. Gabriel called shortly after that.

With Slama, Stroberg and Dufek (5-4, 150 pounds), shortstop Larry Haley (5-7, 130), third baseman John Pellegrin (5-9, 120), outfielder Danny Sponsel (5-4, 135) and infielder Jonathan Baron (5-6, 140), the Stars have considerable size and power.

As for pitching, left-handers Travis Ahern of University City and Ty Guzik of Pacific Beach mix nicely with right-handers Haley, Slama, Sponsel, Dufek and Pellegrin.

Second baseman Dwayne Carey, the leadoff hitter, is a defensive specialist whose favorite player is Ozzie Smith.

Third baseman Eric Serrano (Linda Vista), outfielder Carlos De Luna (Mission Bay) and catcher Tim Fay (Mira Mesa) and 11-year-olds Rob Crawford (La Jolla), Spike Lundberg (Mira Mesa) and Steve Jeffrey (La Jolla) add up to what Gabriel calls “the best 12-year-old team I have ever seen.”

“I’ve been a longtime believer in the adage, if you want your child to play the best baseball, you must take him to the best baseball,” Gabriel said. “That’s what we’re doing here. There’s usually one kid per league that goes through his season basically unchallenged. This is for the purely gifted talent. Put the cream of the crop together and let them play.

“San Diego has needed something like this for years. Our goal is to develop better baseball in San Diego. We would like to develop travel teams in all the different age groups.”

Although that may be a few years off, Gabriel has received an invitation to organize an 11-year-old team for the Gold Coast International beginning Dec. 26 in Queensland, Australia. He has already accepted and is seeking players.

One could be John Pellegrin’s brother, Steven.

Having two sons play on international tournament teams would be especially gratifying for Al Pellegrin, who five months ago was diagnosed as having cancer, which has spread from his kidneys and spleen.

“The news of John making the team came at a time when I needed it most,” Al Pellegrin said. “This has really given me a tremendous lift. Just knowing that they are going on this trip makes things that much easier for me.

“The opportunity is fantastic. We need things like this between countries. The Olympics have proven that. Sports are such a friendly connector between countries. And kids are kids; nobody communicates better than them.”