By Robert Griffin

Sports Writer

Troup American is ready to go.

After cruising through its eight-team bracket undefeated in the Dixie Youth Baseball 9-10-year-old state tournament in Suwanee, Troup is ready to put the bow on the package and win the state title.

The team will start its quest today at 7 p.m. against Perry.

A second game will be played on Saturday at 10 a.m.

If necessary, a third game would be played 30 minutes after Saturday’s first game.

The winner of the series advances to the Dixie Youth Baseball World series.

“We are ready to go,” coach Perry Prather said. “It is something that this group of kids has been working hard toward for a long time and we are ecstatic for them. We have full confidence in them.”

Prather called this group “special” and he has no doubt the player will rise to any challenge.

“We just have a special group of players that only comes along once in a while,” Prather said. “From top to bottom everyone is doing their job. Our pitching is strong, our defense is outstanding, and our bats are going. If they keep playing like that they have been then we should be fine.”

If Troup does continue to play like it has been, it will be awfully tough to beat.

After surviving a close call with Albany International in the first game on Saturday, Troup has outscored its next four opponents 51-14.

Troup was off on Thursday, and Prather said the team spent some time working in the batting cage.

“This team throws a lot of curveballs,” Prather said of Perry. “We spent about three hours today at the batting cages working a lot on getting kids to wait and be patient waiting on curveballs and off speed stuff.”

Prather’s message to his players is to just keep doing what they’ve been doing.

“We are confident in their abilities,” Prather said. ” If we just go out there and play our game, and have some good, solid defense, I think we will do well.”