By Robert Griffin

Sports Writer

It’s all about team work.

That’s the lesson Troup American coach Curt Longshore has been trying to get across to his players as they’ve prepared for the Dixie Youth Baseball 11-12-year-old District 1 tournament that begins today at the Harris Baseball Complex.

Troup will face Pike County at 6 p.m. today at the Harris Baseball Complex.

The top-two finishers in the double-elimination tournament will advance to the state tournament.

“Teamwork is probably the biggest thing that we preach to the kids,” Longshore said. “They are all here for a reason. They are supposed to be the best of the best and we have to learn to put our egos aside if we want to accomplish what we want to accomplish. We have to work together as a team and be more concerned about team goals more than personal goals.”

The team has been hard at work over the past few weeks working on hitting and defense on the practice field, then turning around and seeing the fruits of the labor in scrimmage matchups.

The games will count for real today, and Longshore and his coaches spent last week putting on the finishing touches.

“Right now we are preparing and making sure that everybody knows their responsibility,” Longshore said last week after watching his team win a couple of scrimmage games in West Point. “The good thing about our team is that we have a lot of kids that can play in different positions, so we are just making sure that everybody knows their responsibilities.”

Longshore hopes that through practices and scrimmages the team has built a solid foundation that will carry it a long way.

“We are sticking to the basics, and trying to get our fundamentals down,” Longshore said. “We want to make sure that when we get in a game situation that one mistake doesn’t cause our team to fall apart.

“We’re trying to build a solid foundation. That way we have something to rely on. As long as everybody knows what they are doing, and they believe in one another it will work out good.”

A number of the players on the team have all-star experience, but there are also a handful of newcomers tl all-star baseball.

Longshore wants to make sure all of the players enjoy the ride.

“We are really excited,” he said. “We have a lot of kids who will be playing in the tournament for the first time, and it will be a great time for them, and that is really what its all about.

“If you have a stellar year, you deserve to be here, and that is what we are telling them, not to put so much pressure on themselves and just to enjoy the moment.”