Team camaraderie is one thing. But packing 15 energetic young men into three vehicles and traveling

520 miles to play a baseball tournament?

That’s a special kind of camaraderie — especially when the drive-thru windows and freeway rest stops start to pile up.

The Torrance, Calif., All-Stars from metropolitan Los Angeles captured the Pacific Southwest Regional championship held in the northern California town of Ukiah earlier this month. Needing only to win one of two matchups against Palo Alto in the finals, Torrance — which knocked off Palo Alto in pool play — dropped the opener but came back to claim the second game.

It was an experience that assistant coach Steve Hertzmann, his colleagues and the players won’t soon forget.

“This is such a tight-knit group. They come from seven different high schools, but in a two- or three-month period in the summer, they come together and put on a show for everyone,” Hertzmann said.

“Instead of teammates, these guys are more like brothers and friends. They’re constantly texting each other and hanging out,” he added. “They had such a great time (in Ukiah). It was neat to meet new people and to get out to the country fairs.”

There was, however, one downside to the trip.

“My cell phone didn’t work,” Hertzmann deadpanned.

There shouldn’t be any problems with phone reception in Longview, site of the Babe Ruth 13-15 World Series, where Torrance takes on Nederland, Texas, at 2:35 p.m. Friday in its tourney opener.

In fact, the travel itinerary doesn’t include even one drive-thru window, since the team is making the 1,000-mile-plus trek to Longview by commercial jet.

It’s a road trip made possible by a gritty performance in Ukiah.

“Palo Alto knocked us out (of regionals) last year when they were the hosts. Our boys were thinking about that game for 52 weeks,” Hertzmann said, referring to the championship round. “We beat them earlier in the tournament, but we expected them to come back through and meet up with us again.

“They got us in the first game, which the people in Ukiah were thrilled with because now they could watch 5 1/2 hours of good baseball,” he said. “But our boys came through when they had to. And now they’re going to the World Series. Everyone is pretty pumped up.”

Torrance is located between downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach, about 15 miles south of Los Angeles International Airport. The area has long been a hotbed for top-notch baseball, with former L.A. Dodger Don Newcombe hailing from Torrance, along with pitchers David Wells and Ted Lilly, and several other former major league stars.

Besides its strong camaraderie, Torrance is blessed with a superb defense led by shortstop Tyrone Taylor.

“He’s an outstanding athlete and a great kid,” Hertzmann said of Taylor.

Utility man Johnny McLaughlin, who mostly plays second base and right field, bats second in the lineup and is perhaps the team’s most consistent hitter. Daniel Timmerman, another multi-talented player, pitched the regional clincher. He also plays third base and outfield.

Miller Olsen also sees plenty of time on the mound in big games.

“Like I said, the best part of this team is the camaraderie. You really can’t teach that,” Hertzmann said. “They like to play hard, on and off the field. I was recently out of town with my daughter and they decided to TP my house. Hey, at least they did it together.”

Torrance, Calif.

Pacific Southwest Regional champs

Population: 149,111

Notable: Home to Del Amo Shopping Center, which at 2.5 million square feet is one of the largest malls in the country; two of the three largest Japanese automakers, Toyota and Honda, are Nos. 1 and 2 among the city’s top employers.

Famous natives: Jason “Wee-Man” Acuna, MTV celebrity and actor; Chuck Norris, karate expert and actor; Michelle Kwan, four-time Olympic figure skater; Quentin Tarantino, filmmaker; Steve Sarkisian, University of Washington football coach.

Driving distance to Longview: 1,030 miles