SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — It's the official start of the Little League World Series.
Opening ceremonies in South Williamsport showcase all 20 teams in this year's competition.
The opening ceremonies are the official start of the competition in South Williamsport. It's a chance for the 20 teams from the U.S. and around the world to introduce themselves to the crowd. They march onto the field holding signs and flags, getting the crowd pumped up for the next week and a half of baseball.
"It's so fun. It's my dream to come here, and now it's happened. It's crazy," said Nolan Gifford from the Mountain Region team.
"Knowing that we have worked so hard to get to this point, it really means a lot to us that we're able to play on this big stage. You can just hear the fans supporting us and cheering us on. We're being treated like celebrities here," said Larson Eng from the Northwest Region team.
"I'm very excited. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and it's really nice being here," said Gavin Cadoret from the Metro Region team.
Some of these kids have been playing baseball together for many years.
"Pretty excited, we definitely earned this as a team," said Harrison Goodwin from the Australia Region team.
The kids tell Newswatch 16 that what they're most excited about with the Little League World Series is, of course, playing baseball.
"We're really excited to get some games in and be able to play and just meeting all the different teams and all the different other players," Eng said.
"Playing baseball and having fun," Cadoret added.
The first pitch was at 1 p.m., with Europe-Africa taking on Panama.
Fans travel to South Williamsport from near and far. Jacqui Bowan and her family are from the Scranton area and try to come every year.
"They all play baseball and softball, all of our kids, so they absolutely love the game. They love the energy here. They love to go over to the Topps area and trade the cards and just watch."
Paul O'Connor from Boston brought his grandson to watch the games. They are having a good experience so far.
"I watch it every year on TV and love it, so I said, well, it's on my bucket list, so let's do it," O'Connor said. "The volunteers are friendly, knowledgeable, the place is clean, the spirits are high. I talked to people from Australia, from Japan. I talked to people from all over the world."
The big buzz around the ballpark on Wednesday is the team from Pennsylvania. People are excited to have a team from not all that far away to cheer for this year. The Mid-Atlantic region team is from Media in the Philadelphia area. Mid-Atlantic plays at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
"Two of the kids from Media are our friends. We play travel baseball with them, and we wanted to come support them," Anthony Tray said.
Their group drove about three hours to watch their friends play.
"It's so exciting to watch them play on the big fields. Normally at home, we're watching it on TV. It's cool to see kids that you know play."
Check out the full schedule of games HERE.
Find more great Little League Baseball information at the official Little League World Series site or on the Little League World Series Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Drivers traveling to the LLWS in Williamsport are encouraged to plan their trip using the real-time travel and alternate-route information available online at www.511PA.com/LLWS.
Watch WNEP-TV's broadcast of the 2023 Grand Slam Parade: