Julie Finocchiaro said that her husband had a feeling that the Westbrook team might make it to the Little League World Series this year.

“He took all of his vacation at the end of August hoping this would happen,” she said.

Turns out that Fred Finocchiaro was right.

While his son, Nick, and the rest of the city’s 12-year-old all-stars are in Williamsport, Pa., preparing for their first game in the tournament Saturday, here in Westbrook parents are scrambling to rearrange work schedules, make travel plans and book hotel rooms.

“They’ve turned the whole Murphy/Hamilton household upside down,” said Mike Murphy, father of Sean. Both he and his wife, Beth, are high school coaches with teams that began practicing this week.

Susan Gardiner, like most of the player’s parents, is heading down Friday with her husband, Robert.

“We’re doing our best to rearrange things,” said the mother of twins Zack and Jacob. “We’ve got a bunch of people coming down Saturday for the game.”

While their parents are running around, the players are enjoying the week in Williamsport. The Little League complex includes the Creighton J. Hale International Grove, which houses the 16 teams that made it to the World Series.

“They’ll have their meals at the full-service dining hall,” said Chris Downs, director of media relations for Little League Baseball. “There’s a recreation area with video games, ping pong, cable TV and a swimming pool.”

The facility also houses batting cages, pitching machines and practice fields.

“What they did is beyond words,” Murphy said. “Everyone’s dream as a boy is to make it to Williamsport.”

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