FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. — Peachtree City has baseball fever -- all thanks to a team of 12-year-olds.
For the first time ever, a team from Fayette County will represent the Southeast Region in Little League World Series later this month in Pennsylvania.
The team earned their trip to Williamsport with a 3-0 win over the South Riding, Va., team in the championship round Wednesday.
"Incredibly proud. I've really gotten close to these kids. And the way they played was unbelievably impressive," manager Patrick Gloriod told Channel 2's Berndt Peterson.
Most of the players first learned to pitch, catch and hit when they were in preschool. Their moms and dads have been with them every step of the way.
“It’s just so nerve racking to see them out there. So it’s a lot less sleep this week,” said Jacki Fralick, whose son Chase is the catcher.
The team is ‘five wins away’ from an international championship, something the players have only seen on TV.
“I was like, ‘One of these years I want to be there on that stage.’ And it turns out, I am,” center fielder Bo Walker said.
Peachtree City will fly to Williamsport on Saturday and the mayor told Channel 2 the city is planning a World Series sendoff.
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They are the seventh team from Georgia and the first since 2011 to reach the Little League World Series.
Peachtree City will join seven other regional winners from the United States against an international field with teams from Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Korea and Spain.
Peachtree City’s first game will be Aug. 17 at 8 p.m. They play against the West Region winner.
The 2018 Little League World Series airs on ESPN and Channel 2.
Information from our investigative partners at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and AJC.com was used in this report.