The Troy Junior Dixie Boys have been patiently waiting for their turn to hit the field for tournament play.

Coming off a World Series berth from a season ago Troy is hungry for the chance to repeat as champions.

“We are excited and we are ready to go,” said head coach Eric Ernsberger. “It’s hard to practice everyday and see everyone else play games, but we are ready.”

During the extended layover, Troy has had ample opportunity to work on different situations that may arise. With that being said they haven’t forgotten about the basics.

“We have been working on the basics like hitting and pitching,” Ernsberger said. “We have also have done a lot of work on situations.”

This season’s team returns nine players off a team that won the state championship. Ernsberger hopes the deep run from a year ago will be good experience for the players this summer.

“I think it’s going to help,” Ernsberger said. “They have been a part of great atmosphere and have gone up against great competition. I think it will help us, but we have to play game one and take one game and one pitch at a time.”

The Junior Dixie Boys will enter the district tournament with a very balanced team according to their head coach. Being successful will hinge up them putting everything together at the right time.

“We just have to put everything together,” Ernsberger said. “We have to get those aspects of the game going at the same time. As long as we can compete, I think we will come out ahead.”

To come out ahead they will have to compete against long time rival Enterprise. The two teams will go head-to-head in a best two-out-of-three series to determine who will move on the state tournament.

“It’s a good rivalry,” Ernsberger said. “It’s usually a lot of fun and they are very well played and close ball games. We are excited to kick things off on Monday and compete.”

The players that make up the 2016 Junior Dixie Boys are: Davis Allen, Brockston Bragg, Javon Christian, Marx Copeland, Avery Ernsberger, Anthony Gurba, Scott Taylor Renfroe, John Baxley Sanders, Jackson Senn, Levi Sikes, Walker Stallworth and Bryce Watson.