Sixteen baseball teams from around the state of Alabama will converge on the Troy Sportsplex this weekend for the Dixie AAA State Tournament.

The tournament gets underway Friday with a banquet for players, coaches and umpires followed by the Opening Ceremony.

At the opening ceremonies, each team will be introduced to the crowd and Troy Parks and Recreation Director Dan Smith hinted at a little more.

“There is a rumor floating around that we may have some entertainment after the players are introduced,” said Smith. “We hope the opening ceremony is a fun and enjoyable time for the players, coaches and parents. We hope it ends with a bang.”

Local teams such as Troy, Enterprise, AUM Gold (Montgomery), Wicksburg and Auburn Blue and Orange, will battle against teams from every corner of Alabama including Fairhope, Piedmont, Decatur, Grove Hill, Hueytown, Oxford, South Bibb and Winfield.

The sixteen-team double elimination tournament officially gets underway Saturday with games at 1 P.m., 3 P.m. and 5 P.m.

Troy, the host team, opens their tournament at 5 P.m. against Decatur National, the champion of District 1.

A champion will be crowned on Thursday July 24, and along with the hardware and accolades of being a state champion, will earn the coveted distinction of representing Alabama in the Dixie World Series in Lexington, S.C. in August.

Smith said the tournament will feature very sound baseball and Troy is lucky to host such a great event.

“It is becoming more and more competitive to host these great tournaments,” Smith said. “We are very fortunate that Dixie selected Troy to host this tournament. There are always hundreds of positives from hosting these tournaments, and the impact is felt across the community. We encourage the teams to shop on 231 and visit the downtown area as well. It will be a great week of baseball in Troy.”