Calling the field loaded doesn’t necessarily do it justice, but what else would you expect when discussing the Michelle Carew Classic?
Annually regarded as one of the best softball showcases on the West Coast, the Carew Classic begins Wednesday at Peralta Park with a remarkable 32-team field vying for the coveted championship trophy.
“Overall, this is probably the best balanced tournament we’ve put on,” said tournament director and former Canyon coach Lance Eddy.
Five of Orange County’s top 10 teams and 10 of the state’s top 20 teams, based on the most recent CalHiSports.com rankings, are in this year’s tournament.
Sitting atop both those polls is unbeaten Mission Viejo. The Diablos are the favorites in the Carew having already won the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions Invitational and the Best of the West Tournament.
“This is kind of like the triple crown of racing for them,” Eddy added. “They got Bullhead, then they got the Pacifica tournament. And now here’s the Belmont Stakes.”
Third-ranked Los Alamitos – the runner-up in last season’s tourney – is back in this year’s field along with No. 4 Canyon, No. 5 Pacifica and No. 7 Cypress.
The Griffins, who lost to Amador Valley of Pleasanton, 2-1, in last season’s final, face an uphill battle in their bid to return to the title game. Coach Rob Weil’s team has perhaps the toughest draw in the bracket as Los Alamitos opens against Yucaipa (9-2) , a team it lost to earlier this month.
The Griffins could end up seeing Amador Valley in the quarterfinals before a potential meeting with Mission Viejo in the semifinals.
Los Alamitos has the pitching – senior Katya Duvall and sophomore Ryan Denhart – to deal with those opponents. Duvall – an Ohio State commit – went pitch for pitch with Misison Viejo’s Taylor McQuillin a few weeks back, while Denhart pitched the Griffins to the Carew Classic final last April.
Cypress enters the tournament looking to redeem itself aftter going 0-4 and being outscored, 26-4, in the Carew Classic in 2014.
“We’re exactly where we were last year going into the Carew,” Cypress coach John Felicetti said after his team’s game against Edison last week. “We’re 11-2 again, but hopefully this time around we’ll be able to put together a few wins.”
The Carew Classic wraps up Saturday evening. First- and second-round play takes place Wednesday and Thursday, and the quarterfinals will be held Friday.
The semifinals are set for a 1 p.m. start Saturday, and the championship game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Peralta Park.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
