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From the defending champion to schools in and outside of the main bracket, several Orange County softball teams hope to contend this week in the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City, Ariz.

The event, annually the first major tournament of the softball season, runs Thursday through Saturday and features the top eight teams from the Orange County preseason rankings.

No. 3 El Modena won the tournament for the first time last spring and enters its opener Thursday after receiving positive news on the injury front.

Third baseman Kylie Tafua (hand) and catcher Parker Mayes (back) have been cleared to play, Vanguards coach Bobby Calderon said Wednesday.

El Modena (1-2) opens against the winner of Saugus-Cibola, Ariz.

“Hopefully (Tafua and Mayes) can play an impactful role,” said Calderon, who team scored a combined three runs in losses to Fullerton and JSerra last week. “We have to show up and take care of Game 1 and go from there.”

El Modena is scheduled to be joined in the main, 32-team bracket by Marina (5-0), Los Alamitos (1-4), Whittier Christian (4-1-1), Villa Park (2-3), Fullerton (5-0), Pacifica (4-2), Canyon (2-1), Orange Lutheran (2-1) and Mater Dei (2-3).

Orange Lutheran opened at No. 1 in the Orange County preseason rankings.

The tournament includes Norco (4-0), which is the reigning CIF-SS Division 1 champion and the tournament’s runner-up last season.

“While everyone’s goal is to win, our primary focus is on getting better as a team,” Orange Lutheran coach Steve Miklos said of the tournament. “You learn a lot about your team in these high-pressure games, and hopefully this will help us prepare for the tough Trinity League.”

No. 4 Fullerton is off to a strong start with victories against El Modena, El Dorado and Canyon among others.

“We are going in as a confident yet humble group,” Fullerton coach Trevor Holton said. “We know the competition is very good. We want to be playing for a championship.”

Pacifica, the tournament champion in 2024, has been dealing with illness, Mariners coach Tony Arduino said.

“We got to learn how to win Game 2 of a doubleheader,” said Arduino, whose team has been led at the plate by senior Leyla Ayres (.524, six RBIs).

JSerra, No. 2 in the county preseason rankings, begins the tournament with a play-in game against Westlake on Thursday afternoon.

Florida signee Liliana Escobar (4-0) is off to an impressive start in the circle for the Lions (5-0). The reigning O.C. pitcher of the year and hasn’t allowed an earned run and struck out 39 in 22 innings.

Other Orange County teams in the play-in round include La Habra (4-1), Aliso Niguel (1-5) and Cypress (3-0).

The championship is Saturday at Mohave High at 7 p.m. PST.

NOTES

Santa Margarita forfeited an 8-3 victory against Villa Park last week due to an “administrative matter”, Eagles athletic director Annie Garrett confirmed. …

Santa Ana Valley’s Karla Oliva and Buena Park’s Olina Burgueno each have hit four home runs.

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