Central Torrance Team Draws Chinese Taipei in Opener : Little League: Senior division squad of 14- and 15-year-olds meets the three-time defending champion on Monday.

Mike Koch, who has been president of the Central Torrance Little League for 15 years, cannot remember the last time a youth baseball team from Torrance has reached a world series in any division.

“I’ve been involved in this a long time and this is the first time any Torrance team has gotten this far,” he said.

Koch was talking about the Central Torrance Little League All-Stars, who have advanced to the nine-team Little League Senior Division World Series for 14- and 15-year-olds that starts today in Kissimmee, Fla.

Central Torrance, which earned its trip to Florida by defeating Aiea of Hawaii, 4-2, in the Western Regional final Friday at Missoula, Mont., may have to temper its enthusiasm with the reality that it will be matched against Chinese Taipei in its opener at 11 a.m. Monday. Chinese Taipei is the three-time defending champion and is regarded as a favorite once again.

The double-elimination tournament, which will run through Saturday, also includes four other teams from the United States and squads from Europe, Latin America and Canada.

But after going 14-2 in postseason play, manager Ron Campbell thinks the Torrance team is ready to play.

“Both of those losses came in championship rounds and it would have been easy to fold both times and they didn’t,” he said. “So I’m confident about this team’s chances. I think we have a starting pitcher that will match up well against (Chinese Taipei). I think we’ve got the ability and I know we have the attitude to do well.”

Playing before an expected large crowd at Osceola County Stadium, the spring training home of the Houston Astros and home of the minor league Gulf Coast Astros, does not worry Campbell.

“I think they’ll hold up well,” he said. “They’ve shown that they don’t let their surroundings bother them. They stay pretty focused on the game.”

Oliver Turner, who hasn’t pitched since Tuesday, will get the start for Central Torrance. Turner played for the Torrance High varsity last season as a sophomore.

The team won the regional final behind the pitching of Eric Fadeley, who pitched a complete game and did not allow a hit after the third inning.

“We couldn’t have asked for any more from him,” Campbell said of Fadeley. “He just got stronger as the game went along.”

Turner, who also plays first base, drove in the game-winning run with a double in the third inning.

Despite losing to Aiea, 11-7, on Thursday, Campbell had confidence Central Torrance would win the rematch.

“As nervous as it is to be in a close game, I think they knew they were going to come out all right,” he said. “There was a feeling of confidence that you could sense. In the dugout, there was never a feeling of doubt the entire time.”

Campbell is hoping Central Torrance can maintain the feeling for another week.