Yorba Hills Players Get Major League Welcome : Baseball: Back home after its dream season, the team is just hoping for a little rest.

After a dream-filled season that brought them to the brink of winning the world championship, the players on the Yorba Hills Little League team touched home one last time Sunday evening.

Their season ended early, and their plane arrived late, but that did nothing to dampen the spirits of nearly 100 parents, friends and siblings who turned out at Ontario International Airport to welcome the all-stars back to Southern California.

As the small plane taxied into position, well-wishers pressed against the metal bars separating them from the runway. And when the players finally began disembarking, the crowd roared with applause, and proud fathers started a chant of “Yorba Hills, Yorba Hills.”

But parents and players alike said they now look forward to some quiet time together, after nearly three weeks of intense competition that carried Yorba Hills first to the Western Regional championship, and ultimately to the U.S. Championship game.

“I’d just like to have him all to myself for a while,” said Mary Ann Shappi, whose son, A.J., pitched and played first base for the team. “They need some time to be little boys again.”

Weary players carrying gym bags and pillows smiled brightly as they stepped off the plane. But many acknowledged that they were eager to relax after the week-long series of games in Williamsport, Pa..

“I’m tired,” said Binit Gala, 12, who played outfield for Yorba Hills. “I feel great that we proved ourselves, but I haven’t been home for a month.”

Other players said it will take some time to come down from the thrill of competing for the Little League title, and being treated like Major League players for a little while.

“I never thought I’d be giving people autographs,” said Matt Campbell, 12, a pitcher and first baseman who hit a memorable home run that helped Yorba Hills beat the team representing the eastern United States. “It’s like being a pro player.”

Matt’s parents, Allen and Barbara Campbell, were among the many parents on hand who had attended the games in Pennsylvania and flew back to Southern California on Friday.

“We had 10 messages on our answering machine when we got home,” said Barbara Campbell, who added that most of the calls were from neighbors wanting to congratulate Matt. Many of those neighbors pitched in to help decorate the Campbells’ home with brightly colored streamers and banners for Matt’s return, Barbara said.

*

Roy Watson, who managed them to a 19-3 record, said the players were disappointed after losing the U.S. championship to the team from Spring, Tex. But they have since come to appreciate their accomplishments, he said.

“All we wanted to do was win district,” Watson said. “We became the second-best team in the nation.” By the time the players were on the plane back home, their spirits were soaring, he said.

Matt Parrish, the team’s catcher, even asked one of the flight attendants for a date, Watson said. “He just turned 13, so he told her that he was older and more mature than the other players,” Watson said with a chuckle.

Parrish’s father, Lance, a catcher who plays for the Toronto Blue Jays, couldn’t make it to his son’s homecoming. But Matt’s mother, Arlyne Parrish, was there, and she said watching her son play was a nerve-racking experience for both parents.

“Lance said he was a nervous wreck because he never got that far in Little League,” Arlyne said. “I feel like I need to go home and come down.”

The team’s season ended Thursday, when it lost to the Texas team, 3-1. That team was powered by the pitching of Michael Cepeda, who was clocked as high as 71 m.p.h. and who struck out 13 Yorba Hills players in six innings.

Despite its pitching talent, Texas was drubbed in Saturday’s World Series title game against Taiwan, 17-3. The game was called after four innings because Little League officials introduced a 10-run mercy rule this season.

The flight back to Southern California brought an end to a journey that began Aug. 18, when Yorba Hills players beat a Petaluma Valley team, 4-2, for the Western Regional championship in San Bernardino.

The next morning, the Yorba Hills players were awakened at 4:30 a.m. and whisked to the airport for the cross-country flight to Pennsylvania. That night, players were escorted by coaches to the outskirts of Lamade Stadium to see the field that would become the setting for a lifetime of memories.

*

Yorba Hills was one of 7,000 teams worldwide competing for the Little League championship, and one of just four U.S. teams to make the trip to Williamsport. The others included teams from Spring, Tex.; Arden Hills, Minn.; and Toms River, N.J.

Yorba Linda officials and residents have planned a celebration Sept. 8 to honor the returning Yorba Hills players.

A parade is set to begin at 6 p.m., leading from the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace along Yorba Linda Boulevard to Casa Loma Avenue, then north to the Community Center. Once there, city officials will hold an awards ceremony for the team.

Binit Gala probably summed up the thoughts of most of the players when he said, “It’s great to be home, but I’d rather have another chance to play Texas.”