By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

A district championship was nice, and a state title was even better.

The trophy the Troup County National 11-12 all-star team really wants is still up for grabs, though.

Troup is one of 12 teams from across the South that will compete in the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series that kicks off today in Laurel, Miss.

Troup and the host team will play at 8 p.m. Central time.

The two survivors of the double-elimination tournament will square off Thursday in the title round.

Will Troup be one of those teams?

That remains to be seen, but there is no question Troup comes into the World Series playing terrific baseball.

After rolling to the district title, Troup breezed through the state tournament with a 6-0 record.

In the best-of-three championship series, Troup outscored Albany by a combined score of 26-6, and both games lasted just four innings because of the mercy rule.

No wonder, then, that center fielder C.J. Tatum describes the team mind set as “very confident.”

“We’ve got a great chance, we just have to go out and play our ball,” he added.

Hard to argue with that assessment.

In the state tournament, Troup wasn’t tested, and the title series was a mismatch.

In the final game, Logan Moody and Perry Keith each homered as Troup blasted Albany 12-2.

The day before, Troup handled Albany 14-4.

A deep pitching staff backed by a lineup that’s hitting for power and average has been impossible for the opposition to overcome.

With each passing game, Troup’s Jake Howard said, the team has gotten better.

“The more we’ve played, the better we’ve played,” Howard said.

Second baseman Chase Freeman said, despite the players coming from different teams, there wasn’t much of an adjustment period.

“Pretty much since our first game, we’ve played well together,” Troup second baseman Chase Freeman said.

Head coach Huey Hood said part of the team’s strength is the genuine affection the players have for one another.

“They play together so well,” Hood said. “I’ve had teams where they were in the dugout not pulling for each other, but they do pull for each other. These are great kids.”

As for the competition, it will be stiff, beginning with today’s game against the host team where Troup will be at a decided disadvantage when it comes to number of fans.

Troup will play again on Sunday either at 6 p.m. or 8 p.m.

Troup could conceivably go 6-0, just as it did in the state tournament, and capture the World Series title.

First things first, though.

Troup catcher Colby Freeman said Troup can “definitely” win it all, but there can be no looking ahead.

“We’ll still just take it one game at a time,”he said.

This much is certain.

Through the games, the scrimmages, the hours and hours spent on the practice fields and in the batting cage, Troup’s players are as prepared as they can be.

“We’re ready,” Tatum said.