Arroyo Seco Saints feeling like world-beaters

"We're not really sure what we're going into," Olmedo-Barrera said, "so we just need to have an approach where we feel like they're going to be at their best and we just need to be that much better that day.

"We've been playing some really good games and playing some good competition, so we know we have a good staff and we have a good lineup. I feel like we're pretty comfortable going into the tournament and hopefully we can just continue what we're doing."

The other six teams in the tournament consist of host Compton; Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico; Brownsville, Tex.; Lynnhaven, Va.; Buenaventura, Carolina, Puerto Rico and the CM Stars of Mississippi.

"It will be fun to play opponents from all over, but I think our advantage we have in this is that we've been together all summer since the beginning," Surrey said. "We've bonded together more as a team. ...We can go out and play as a team because we've been together all summer where other teams might not have been."

If the Saints win today's opener, they will play the winner of today's game between the CM Stars and Buenaventura at 7:30 p.m. Friday. A loss to Chinese Taipei would put Arroyo Seco in the loser's bracket to face the loser of CM Stars-Buenaventura at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

"I think this is a confident team, I don't think they're worried about who we're playing," Milam said. "The fact that this is an experienced team and older group of kids, I think they approach the game in the same way regardless of the opponent. There is a lot of excitement around the fact that we're playing Chinese Taipei, but I don't think there's any sense of, 'Oh no, what are we going to get,' there's a quiet confidence that's going on right now."

The championship game is scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m.