Henderson All-Stars treated as such upon arrival to LLWS

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — They clinched a spot in the Little League World Series — just the second Nevada team to do so — on Friday in San Bernardino.

Early the next morning, they were picked up by a chartered bus and driven to the airport.

From there, Henderson Little League All-Stars manager Ryan Gifford said the team boarded a chartered jet here with a second team that had qualified.

Hey, you make it to your version of The Show, and you’re treated as such.

“It was a great trip out here,” Gifford said. “It’s like Christmas in August out here for the kids.”

You would think so.

Each participant is gifted bats and gear and other such goodies from companies like Easton. “They’re having the time of their lives,” Gifford said.

There was also a parade for all the teams through a rainy downtown Williamsport on Monday evening.

Now, it’s about preparing for their first game of the Series.

As champions of the Mountain Division, Henderson opens play Wednesday at noon PT (ESPN) against the Metro Region champion from Smithfield, Rhode Island, at famed Lamade Stadium.

“I just know from what we’ve seen and the game we watched, they have a pretty good left-handed pitcher,” Gifford said. “My guess is we’ll see him. Looks like a good club out of Rhode Island.”

Contact sports columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.