Softball season preview

Here's a look at the preseason top 10 for Orange County softball:

1. Canyon: The Comanches are ranked No. 11 in the state by CalHiSports.com and No. 38 in the nation by ESPN RISE. They have sophomore sensation Cheyanne Tarango back in the circle after a dominating freshman season. UNLV-bound Tayler Van Acker, a first team All-County selection last season, and Brianna Gwaltney give Canyon some solid veterans to go along with some talented freshmen.

2. Mater Dei: Get ready for the Brianne Matthews era to begin at Mater Dei. Monarchs coach Doug Myers compares Matthews to former Mater Dei great Marissa Young. Her 65-mph fastball from 40 feet is going to be very hard for teams to deal with. Florida-bound Brittany Schutte and leadoff hitter Karina Cervantes are among the top returners for the Monarchs. Look for Mater Dei to be in the hunt for the Trinity League and Division I titles.

3. Marina: The Sunset League should be one of the most competitive leagues in the county this season and the Vikings should be right in the thick of the race with Esperanza and Los Alamitos. Marina has its top two pitchers - senior Taysia Kaufman and sophomore Jamie Sullivan - and power-hitting shortstop Mariah Nogueira returning.

4. Trabuco Hills: The Mustangs have the key components back from last year's team that went 14-4 in its final 18 games to take second place in the Sea View League and qualify for the Division I playoffs. Kayla Massey is back in the circle after making the All-County second team. Massey and her catcher, Madi Geiger, are also two of the team's top hitters.

5. Rosary: The Royals, ranked No. 19 in the state, are the defending Trinity League champions and they should battle Mater Dei for the league title this season. Pitcher Alex Peyton, shortstop Alex Gonzales, outfielder Caitrin DeBaun and catcher Briana Magdaleno are back after making second team All-County last season.

6. Los Alamitos: Rob Weil, who won five CIF-SS titles in 16 years at Pacifica, takes over as the coach at Los Alamitos after two years as Doug Myers' assistant coach at Mater Dei. Weil inherits an explosive offense with the Tennessee Tech-bound Spalding sisters, Brittany and Chanelle, and talented shortstop Allison Brown. Taryn Devich will handle the pitching duties for the Griffins.

7. Beckman: The Patriots have the potential to be very good this season with the return of veteran pitchers Jasmin Harrell and Trista Thomas. Beckman also picks up Harrell's younger sister, Shanelle, a lefty slapper, and her step-sister, Jasmin Watson, a power-hitting catcher.

8. Esperanza: The Aztecs, ranked No. 16 in the state, should battle Marina and Los Alamitos for the Sunset League title. Northwestern-bound Kristin Scharkey is one of the top leadoff hitters in the county. Esperanza also has sophomore pitchers Kelsea Roth and Alexis Borden back in the circle.

9. El Modena: The Vanguards lost six players from last year's Division III championship team, but El Modena coach Steve Harrington always seems to get the most out of his players and have them ready to compete by the time Century League play rolls around. Pitcher/first baseman Haylie Wagner, catcher Tracy Kleekamp, second baseman Devin Vanderhoff, pitcher/first baseman and outfielder Amanda Santoyo got valuable playing time last season.

10. El Toro: The defending Sea View League champions play one of the toughest nonleague schedules in the county, which should get them ready to battle Trabuco Hills in league. Second baseman Lauren Chamberlain is back after hitting eight homers and driving in 24 runs as a freshman, and Emily Waters is a solid veteran in the circle for the Chargers.

Contact the writer: carias@ocregister.com