Troy O-Zone head coach Chris Huner needed a way for his team to prepare for the Alabama O-Zone State Tournament. He wanted to simulate game situations, get his pitchers some work and allow his lineup to see live pitching.

Huner knew he couldn’t get that in practice, so he and the team loaded up and traveled to Millbrook over the weekend to take part in the Bring The Heat Tournament. Huner’s team got the extra work, but also brought the big trophy home with them.

“We played really well this past weekend in Millbrook,” Huner said. “We hit six home runs in for games, we laid down some great bunts and fielded the bunts well too. Overall, I am really pleased with how they played.”

With Troy hosting the O-Zone State Tournament, the team did not participate in any Sub-District or District tournaments, as it receives a bye to its host tourney.

To counteract the effects of not playing, Huner scheduled several “practice games” in order to get his players work in the type of atmosphere they will face throughout the tournament weekend.

In total, Troy has played a total of 10 scrimmages over the course of seven weeks, and Huner feels they will have a positive influence on how the team performs.

“There is no substitute for game speed and situations,” Huner said. “We try mix up a variety of games and practices to not let them get bored out here. BP can get boring, so we change it up.”

The 2013 Dixie O-Zone Alabama State Tournament gets underway on Friday with opening ceremonies, and games commence on Saturday.

Troy will take on Oxford at 5 P.m. Saturday on field five at the Troy Sportsplex.

“We are mentally where we need to be,” Huner said. “We have to stay that way for the whole tournament.”