AUSTIN -- Being a celebrity has its perks, but it sure can be exhausting.

"I'm kind of really tired right now," 18-year-old Socorro High School baseball player Marcus Molina said as he sat in the Capitol hall waiting for Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst to arrive for the team's last photo op of the day.

The Socorro team, the 5A state baseball champion, got a serious dose of attention Thursday during a whirlwind visit to the statehouse.

The players and their coaches were honored in both chambers of the Legislature, the toured the grand building, and they met with state leaders, including Gov. Rick Perry, also known among the players as "the guy with the broken collarbone."

"It's a great experience for these guys," said head coach Chris Forbes.

"How many kids get the opportunity to come and see this? It's an opportunity of a lifetime."

The Bulldogs' state championship was the first for an El Paso County baseball team since 1949.

In the three weeks since their triumph, Socorro's players have found themselves in a perpetual spotlight.

Thursday started before sunrise at El Paso International Airport.

Most of the team's 16 seniors had just a few hours of sleep after an appearance the night before at an El Paso Diablos game at Cohen Stadium.

A switch in the lawmakers' schedule meant that once the team landed in Austin, the players had to rush from the airport to the Capitol. Players changed into suits and ties in the parking garage and hurried to the House floor for their first stop of the day.

As they waited in the hall, state Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, one of the most powerful lawmakers in the state, came by to offer his congratulations and shake the players' hands.

"It's overwhelming," 18-year-old Aaron Olivas said of all the attention.

For Olivas and many of the other players, the trip was their first visit to the Capitol.

"It's crazy," he said. "I would never think that this would happen for me or any of my friends."

After hearing resolutions honoring their accomplishment in the House and Senate, mingling with lawmakers and taking a quick lunch break in the Capitol cafeteria, the players stopped by Perry's office.

They took photos with their cell phones and chattered until the governor, who broke his collarbone in a recent mountain biking accident, walked into the room.

"I'm thinking about doing my hair that way," the neatly coifed Perry said, clasping the shoulder of Sergio Mendoza, who had a bright red stripe of hair down the middle of his head.

Perry congratulated the team and talked about baseball experiences he'd had with his son, Griffin.

"I'm really proud of you guys," Perry said. "You represent the state well."

After a few photos, the Bulldog boys were off again for a VIP tour of the Capitol.

Their plan was to go all the way to the top of the famous pink dome, but the steamy weather foiled that idea.

The team was told the temperature in the dome had soared to 120 degrees.

So it was on to their final stop in the Capitol, a photo with the ever-tardy Senate leader, Lt. Gov. Dewhurst.

The long night, early morning and weeks of signing autographs, smiling for photos and waving at fans started to catch up with the tired players as they waited 20 minutes for Dewhurst.

George Stoltz fell asleep sitting on the floor propped against a hallway pillar. Others sat on the stairs, crossed their arms over their knees and cradled their heads for some shuteye.

A few leaned against the stairwell banister to rest.

They jolted to attention when the stately Dewhurst strode into the hall, ready to shake hands, offer his congratulations and pose for the cameras.

"You've got to be a real man to wear a pink shirt," Dewhurst said to Eric Herrera, 18, who wore a neatly pressed bright pink button-down with his gray suit.

After more fanfare, the players were finally ready to leave the Capitol.

They went to their hotel rooms to rest before dinner at a famous Downtown Austin barbecue joint named Stubb's.

It's been fun getting all the attention state champs do, Molina said, but it's been tiring, too.

"We've had a busy month."