Ho hum.

Another year, another World Series.

Most of the players on the Troup National 11-12-year-old all-star team have been to the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series before, and many of them are making their third trip.

For a select few team members, there’s even a chance to win a second straight World Series title, since the 9-10-year-old team won the crown a year ago.

Don’t think for a moment this is old hat for any of the players, though.

They are just as excited about this trip as they were about their first, and they’re chomping at the bit to begin their World Series stay.

Troup will kick things off in the 12-team, double-elimination tournament against Surfside, S.C. today at 5:30 p.m.

“I’m very excited,” said Wyatt Frailey, who’ll be one of the first pitchers used in the tournament. “We just need to go out there and play our game.”

If Troup does play its game, it could be tough to beat.

Through district and state play, Troup hasn’t lost, and it hadn’t even had a competitive game until it outlasted Newton County 3-1 in the state-championship game.

The players are talented, focused, and they’ve had plenty of experience playing together since most of them are on the same travel-ball team.

“If we play good, I think we’ve got a good chance,” said Dylan Johnson, who along with Jake Farrar, Matthew Anderson and Ben Anderson helped the 9-10-year-old team win the World Series a year ago.

All head coach Jay Anderson is asking his players to do is play their usual game.

“If someone out-pitches us and out-hits us in the same game, then fine, they deserve it,” Troup head coach Jay Anderson said. “They beat us. But let’s not go beat ourselves. Let’s go play our game, and if someone beats us at our game, you tip your hat to them and say good game.”

Troup has everything necessary to win a championship.

It has plenty of pitching depth.

Johnson, Frailey, Kevin Craft lead a staff that’s well-armed to play a week’s worth of games.

“We’ve got Wyatt and Kevin, and pretty much everybody on our team are pitchers, so we have plenty of pitchers,” Johnson said.

Troup also can bang the ball.

Ben Anderson hits leadoff, and he was on base nearly every at-bat at state.

Jake Howard, Frailey, Farrar, C.J. Gallatin, Craft, Jackson Shelnutt, Parker Pearson, Johnson, Ty McCann, Matthew Anderson and Brandon Gay round out the balanced lineup.

Farrar will try to pick up where he left off in last year’s World Series when he hit two grand slams.

Farrar has been a clutch hitter throughout tournament play the past three years.

“I really enjoy being out there, and I just love playing,” Farrar said.

Troup also has outstanding coaching.

Anderson is assisted by Kevin Howard, the head coach at LaGrange College, and Terry Craft.

Add it all up, and Troup has all the ingredients necessary to make a championship run.

“We don’t have to do anything special,” coach Howard said. “We just have to play the way we play, and we should be in good shape.”

NOTE: All of the Troup National 11-12-year-old games will air live on 100.9 FM. The games will also be streamed on www.wcjmthebull.com