From Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, to Anacortes, Wash.,  it is not uncommon this time of year to find groups of 11-and 12-year-olds talking the same language – baseball.

And their chatter has a common thread, Williamsport, Penn.

Thousands of youth baseball teams across the world are in the midst of district tournament play, which is the first step of the long trek to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, the birthplace of Little League.

The North Whidbey 11/12-year-old all stars, coached by Terri Mebane, practiced the past three weeks in preparation for the District 11 tournament which began Saturday.

The winner of the six-team tournament advances to the state playoffs July 21 in Walla Walla, and from there the state champion jumps to the regional tournament in San Bernardino.

Mebane, who earned the opportunity to coach the NWLL all-stars by leading her team, the Mariners, to the Oak Harbor regular-season title this summer, believes her all-star club has a “really good” chance of being the last one standing at district.

Mebane said the team has discussed going to the Little League World Series, and she added, “They want to be on TV.”

Things should go well, she said, “If they (the players) do what they are supposed to do. They are a good group of boys; they are all capable.”

She has seen great strides in the strength and speed of the players over the three-week practice period.

The strong point of her squad, Mebane said, is pitching. In tournament play, lack of pitching depth “is usually a detriment,” she said, but 12 of her 14 players have experience on the mound and finding enough arms won’t be a problem.

“We also have enough hitting,” Mebane said, “to balance it out if our pitching is off.”

She sees the all-star experience as not only a fun summer activity but also as a way to build a foundation for Oak Harbor High School teams of the future.

Player Kenneth Morrow, 12, said it is an honor representing North Whidbey in the tournament and is “confident we can make it to at least state, maybe even farther.”

He said, “We dream about going to Williamsport, so we will see what happens – we have to get through everything else first.”

Both Morrow and teammate Thomas Anderson echoed Mebane’s assessment that pitching is the team strength, and each said the area North Whidbey needs to work on is fielding.

Can North Whidbey make it to the World Series?

Anderson said, “Williamsport? I don’t know about that, but we have a good chance of making state.”

Williamsport? The teams have to come from somewhere. Why not North Whidbey?