Softball preview: O.C. tournament best in nation?

This year's 32-team field at the Faster to First Classic features 16 teams ranked in ESPN's preseason Fab 50 national poll, including top-ranked Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove, and 15 of the top 20 teams in CalHiSports.com's preseason state rankings.

Canyon coach Dan Hay and former Canyon coach Lance Eddy run the tournament, which is easily the toughest tournament in the nation. It runs from March 25-27 at Huntington Beach Sports Complex.

Here are some of the first-round games of note: No. 40 El Modena vs. No. 23 Piedra Vista of New Mexico; No. 12 Mortimer Jordan of Alabama vs. No. 32 Rodriguez; No. 49 Ayala of Chino Hills vs. No. 21 Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills; No. 8 Vista Murrieta vs. No. 31 Cienega of Arizona; and No. 33 Valencia of Valencia vs. No. 36 Bingham of Utah.

Needless to say there are no soft touches in this tournament.

NOTES

The Tournament of Champions from Thursday-Saturday at Mohave High of Bullhead City, Ariz., is another tournament that attracts top national teams. Two-time tournament champion Valencia of Valencia, El Modena, Pacifica, Mater Dei, Norco and Riverside Poly are among the top teams in the 42-team field. ...

Villa Park will be a long shot in the Century League, but the Spartans have Northwestern-bound Marisa Bast, who is rated as one of the top 10 shortstops in the nation by OnDeck Softball. Bast hit .459 with a .521 on base percentage and .902 slugging percentage as a junior. ...

UCLA-bound Ally Carda has Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove at No. 1 in the preseason state rankings by CalHiSports.com. Other CIF-SS teams in the state rankings are No. 2 Etiwanda, No. 3 Vista Murrieta of Murrieta, No. 5 Riverside Poly, No. 7 Canyon, No. 10 Valencia of Valencia, No. 11 El Modena, No. 12 Mater Dei, No. 13 Ayala of Chino Hills, No. 15 Foothill and No. 17 Norco. ...

Pleasant Grove is also No. 1 in ESPN's Fab 50 preseason national poll. Other CIF-SS teams in the national poll are No. 6 Etiwanda, No. 8 Vista Murrieta, No. 17 Riverside Poly, No. 22 Canyon, No. 33 Valencia, No. 40 El Modena, No. 44 Mater Dei and No. 49 Ayala. ...

Here are the league favorites: Oxford Academy (Academy); Canyon (Century); Pacifica (Empire); Fairmont Prep (Express); La Habra (Freeway); La Quinta (Garden Grove); Ocean View (Golden West); Whittier Christian (Olympic); Savanna (Orange); Calvary Chapel (Orange Coast); Laguna Hills (Pacific Coast); Connelly (San Joaquin); Foothill (Sea View); Aliso Niguel (South Coast); Edison (Sunset); and Santa Margarita (Trinity). ...

Here is the final 2009 county top-10 poll: 1. Tesoro (South Coast) 27-4; 2. Edison (Sunset) 21-6; 3. Esperanza (Sunset) 19-14-1; 4. Pacifica (Empire) 21-11; 5. Canyon (Century) 24-8; 6. El Modena (Century) 22-10; 7. Foothill (Sea View) 19-8-1; 8. Mater Dei (Trinity) 20-5-1; 9. Los Alamitos (Sunset) 23-9; and 10. Marina (Sunset) 22-6. ...

Here are the defending CIF-SS champions: (Division I) Norco def. Santiago of Corona, 5-1; (Division II) Etiwanda def. Vista Murrieta, 4-0; (Division III) Tesoro def. Glendora, 4-0; (Division IV) North Torrance def. El Segundo, 5-3; (Division V) Whittier Christian def. San Dimas, 3-2 (8 innings); (Division VI) Marymount def. La Salle, 3-2; (Division VII) Rosamond def. Hesperia Christian, 2-1. ...