The 2009 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship is in Troy for the weekend, and the combination of postseason baseball and the city of Troy seems to be a good one for both Troy fans and visiting fans alike.

“It’s a great place to come,” Western Kentucky fan Bill Ridings said. “I played here in 1979 for Tennessee-Martin, so it kind of brings back good memories.”

While Ridings had to make a five-hour drive from Nashville to Troy, other fans in attendance had much shorter drives to make.

“We come to a good bit of the Troy games,” Troy fan Richard Ray said. “I live here in Troy, so we try to get to as many as possible.”

Having the tournament within the friendly confines of Riddle-Pace Field made it much more possible for many Troy fans to be in attendance.

“We definitely would not have been able to make it if the tournament had been out of town, so having it here definitely made it more convenient,” Ray said.

While it may not be as convenient for visiting fans, they seem open to the idea of the tournament returning to Troy one day in the future.

“We’d absolutely come back again,” Ridings said. “We’ve had a great time. We’ve loved it.”

The tournament is at Riddle-Pace Field through Saturday and the homestanding No. 3 Trojans are still alive and will face No. 2 Western Kentucky tonight at 7:30 p.m.