By Ryan McCollough

It will be more than nine months before the baseball and softball fields at the Troy Recreation Department will be used again. No chalk will be laid, no dirt will be drug, or dugouts swept.

The 2012 Dixie Angels X-Play World Series has come to an end, and Dan Smith feels the tournament was a success.

Smith, Troy Parks and Recreation Director, worked hand-in-hand with Dixie Softball officials to put on what the coaches felt was a fantastic tournament.

“It was a great experience for the girls,” said Troy coach Shane Calhoun. “We were the host team, and I enjoyed meeting and interacting with the coaches and players from all around the Southeast.”

The X-Play World Series was the first softball World Series hosted by Troy. The city has hosted multiple Baseball World series, and although the sports are different Smith said he took the same attitude with his preparation.

“It truly is the same event,” said Smith. “We wanted to make the World Series an event that all the girls and team from all across the Southeast could be proud to play in and win. We feel like it was an excelltent world series.”

Troy will play host to the Dixie O-Zone Baseball State Tournament next year, and is in the process of submitting a bid to host another X-Play tournament in 2014.

The tournament was plagued by heavy rain on Monday, but the grounds crew had the fields ready to go in a very short amount of time

“The grounds crew we have here, is the best in the world in my opinion,” Smith said. “We had over five to seven inches of rain in 24 hours. We were playing on two fields in less than one hour after it stopped raning.

Candy Cripps, mother of player on the Mississippi team, said that her daughter loved visiting the Troy University campus and they might be planning a return trip soon.

“(Mississippi) State is coming here for football and basketball this year,” said Cripps. “We will defintley think about coming back to Troy then. The town is pretty, the people are nice, and the food has been wonderful.”