By Ross Johnson

Sports Writer

It almost seemed meant to be.

The 9-10 Troup National all-stars showed how dominant they could be in the District 1 tournament earlier this month in LaGrange, blowing through nearly every opponent on the way to the state tournament in Lilburn last week.

With a pair of lopsided victories over Lee County American Friday and Saturday to bring another state title home to Troup County, the National, who still haven’t been defeated this summer, showed once again they’re a force to be reckoned with.

Having secured a spot in the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series Aug. 8 in Laurel, Miss., Troup and coach Jay Anderson will continue to work on what’s already proven to be successful.

“We had a solid team because we’re well-rounded,” said Anderson, who was also the team’s coach last year.. “I knew we had a good chance because we’ve got good pitching, defense and hitting, and we’ve got good team speed.”

On the mound, National starters rarely even had an opportunity to pitch a complete game.

Troup sent opponents home early due to the run-rule in five of seven games at the state tournament.

In Friday’s championship series opener against Lee County American, the National won 13-0 in five innings.

Saturday saw a rare six-inning victory, this time an 8-2 advantage.

Jake Farrar could have been the team’s most valuable player in the tournament. He surely was in Saturday’s championship-clinching win.

Farrar pitched all six innings, and also hit two home runs and four RBIs to drive Troup to victory.

Farrar had five home runs in the tournament.

“It feels good (to win the state title),” Farrar said. “As soon as we won I thought, ‘We’re going to the World Series!’”

Dylan Johnson was also one of the team’s leading hitters and pitchers, as he pitched all five innings of Friday’s win and also notched two hits.

Anderson called Johnson’s performance “outstanding” following Friday’s game.

While Farrar and Johnson were instrumental in the tournament, each player contributed to the team’s success.

Anderson said Troup had “timely hitting,” especially in the championship series, which was very important.

“I’m really proud of the team,” Anderson said. “They came out and did what they needed to do.”

It’s no mystery why Troup has been able to blow through each opponent it faces.

Farrar knows it’s all about having good fundamentals.

“Our strength is everything,” Farrar said. “We’ve got good fielding, good hitting. We’re good everywhere.”

Farrar expects to have another good tournament showing at the World Series.

After earning an automatic berth in last year’s World Series at the Harris Baseball Complex in LaGrange, the National proved they belonged by finishing No. 2 overall.

In this year’s go-around, Troup is looking even further.

“If we play our same game, I expect to win it,” Farrar said. “We just have to play good baseball.”

Judging by this summer’s performances, that shouldn’t be a problem.