The season is over, but local youth baseball teams who competed in the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series still had a little bit of excitement left for the 2019 series.

On Tuesday, the Troup County Board of Commissioners invited the 9/10 and 11/12-year-old teams to a meeting so that they could be recognized for their accomplishments during the world series.

“Not only did they create memories that will last them for a lifetime, they are also outstanding representatives of Troup County in the Dixie Youth League World Series,” Troup County Parks and Recreation Director Lance Dennis said. 

The season began in May, and coaches from the teams said that they had played well during the tournaments. Ron Wilson, who coached the 11-and-12-year-old team, described the season to the board of commissioners.

“They [the 9 and 10-year-olds] went to district tournament in Manchester, and went 4-1 for a week’s worth of play,” Wilson said. “They turned around a couple weeks later and drove to Cochran and went 5-0 in the state tournament. Then, a couple of weeks after that, they went to Ruston, Louisiana, and won their first two ball games. They beat the state champion out of South Carolina and the state champion out of Tennessee and finished the world series 2-2, tied for fourth.”

Meanwhile, he said that while the 11 and 12-year-olds had a rough start, they went on to win in many of the games where it counted most.

“They started out in the state tournament in Swainsboro,” Wilson said. “The first weekend they went down there, they lost both ball games they played. They came back. They practiced during the week, went back to the second weekend, and they beat the teams that beat them the previous weekend, which was very special.”

The team finished with a 3-2 world series record and placed third out of 12 teams. The commitment of the parents and the players were both recognized, as well as the severe heat that both had to deal with throughout the season.

“They did all of this under one of the hottest Julys on record,” County Commission Chairman Patrick Crews said. “Congratulations to all of you. We look forward to seeing you again up here, maybe in a little bit older leagues or some more championships.”

Members of the 2019 Dixie youth 11 and 12-year-old Georgia state champs recognized included Landon Alsobrook, Logan Cammon, Kaden Carlisle, Trevor Hansford, Lucas Harpole, Bryce Hubbard, Lamarious Reeves, Rob Skinner, Jeremiah Staples, Cooper Stephens, Luke Taylor and Noah Whaley. Members of the 2019 Dixie Youth 9 and 10-year-old Georgia state champs recognized included Woods Carter, Torreion Delaney, E.J. Facille, Cass Fuller, Nolan Haines, Blake Miller, Chase Mosley, Caiden Russell, Cason Spears, Brody Swanson, Brady Willis and Caleb Woodson.

Other items covered during the meeting included:

4The Troup County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution recognizing Roy Spinks for his contributions to the community by naming the runway extension at the LaGrange-Callaway Airport Spinks field. The county hopes to present the resolution to Spinks’ family at the runway’s official opening on Sept. 19.

4The Troup County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a request to apply for a grant for a Generator for Critical Facility to cover the cost of equipment and lines damaged by past storms.

The Troup County Board of Commissioners will meet again on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 9 a.m. at 100 Ridley Ave.