THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Thousand Oaks High School has been invited to one of the most prestigious baseball tournaments in the country.

Hope springs eternal at the beginning of every baseball season, and Thousand Oaks High School's players are running their own version of spring training for local little leaguers.

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Caleb is one of dozens of kids hoping to sharpen their skills. Lucky for them they’re learning from one of the best high school teams in the nation.

“Hitting and throwing and hitting and fielding,” said local little Leaguer Caleb.

Jared Miller is one the Thousand Oaks High School seniors who helped launched the camp. It's one of several Lancers fundraisers to help make their dream possible.

The dream? A chance to go to North Carolina to play at the prestigious National High School Invitational, held annually near Raleigh.

“It definitely hasn’t been easy as a public school. But we’re running this camp which is a big part of our fundraiser. We’ve asked members of our community to be behind us. And really we’ve just been backed and supported by everyone in the area. And we’re super fortunate,” said Jared.

Only the top 16 teams in the nation get the invite, as selected by USA Baseball.

Their coach, a Thousand Oaks alumnus and former Major Leaguer, Jack Wilson informed the players at the end of last season that they were invited to the tournament.

But getting an entire baseball team to the opposite coast is an expensive undertaking. Senior pitcher Matthew Glaubke says players knew they’d need to make it happen as a team, if they were going to be able to play.

“It’s not often that public schools like ours really get noticed in terms of high school sports. A lot of times a lot of the media and attention goes to the higher level private schools. But we’ve got a great group of guys and I think we’re definitely worthy of being recognized for this tournament,” said Glaubke.

And while they’re close to their goal, there’s still some work to do. They’re hoping events like this — where they can both raise money and give back to the community — can help put them over the top.

“We’re one of the first teams in the Ventura County that’s been invited to this. And so like I said we’re really fortunate for this opportunity because for us guys here it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Miller.

If you'd like to pitch in: gofundme.com/f/lancer-baseball-nc-trip