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The Michelle Carew Classic, one of the top softball tournaments of the season, returns next week for the first time since 2019.

The Canyon-hosted tournament, cancelled the past two springs by the pandemic, is loaded with a strong field of 31 teams.

The event runs March 30 through April 2, with Peralta Park in Anaheim serving as the primary site.

Top-ranked Villa Park, champion of the recent Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City, Ariz., leads seven teams ranked in the top-11 in Orange County into the tournament.

Other county contenders are No. 3 Los Alamitos, No. 4 Huntington Beach, No. 6 Orange Lutheran, No. 7 Esperanza, No. 9 Marina and No. 11 Canyon.

The Carew tournament also welcomes top out-of-county teams such as Saint Francis of Mountain View, South Torrance, Mater Dei of Chula Vista and defending champion Norco.

Saint Francis is ranked No. 2 in the nation by MaxPreps, three spots ahead of Villa Park.

South Torrance, ranked third in CIF-SS Division 1, entered Tuesday with a 14-0 record while Norco road a seven-game winning streak.

“Built back better,” tournament director Lance Eddy said of the Carew Classic. “This is the strongest field we’ve had.”

The tournament’s depth remains impressive despite the departure of Murrieta Mesa, the runner-up in Bullhead City.

Marina, for example, opens March 30 against Beaumont (11-0), ranked second in Division 1 to Villa Park and featuring standout pitcher Cambria Salmon (9-0, 0.13 ERA). The sophomore appears to be the best pitcher in the Inland Empire.

The Marina-Beaumont winner could face Villa Park in the second round March 31. That means Salmon and Villa Park ace Sydney Somerndike (Arizona signee) could clash for a trip to the quarterfinals.

In another game March 31, Esperanza, the defending CIF-SS Division 1 champion, takes on Saint Francis.

The quarterfinals on Friday afternoon will set the stage for the semifinals and finals on Saturday. The championship game is scheduled for Peralta Park at 7:30 p.m.

“The coaches are here because they want the competition and that’s what they’re going to get,” Eddy said. “I think it remains the strongest, West Coast softball tournament.”

MAGEE RETURNS TO FORM

Arizona State-bound Kylee Magee of Canyon continues to show that she has regained her form after a tough fight with COVID-19.

Last week, the senior pitcher fired a two-hitter and struck out 16 in a 6-0 victory against El Modena. She also tossed a three-hitter and struck out 13 in an 8-0 win against El Dorado.

“She makes Canyon a real factor (at the Carew),” Eddy said.

The Comanches open against Santiago Corona on March 30 and would face the winner of Huntington Beach-Cathedral Catholic in the second round with a victory.

NOTES

The Woodbridge tournament, featuring Mater Dei among others, begins this week. … Sonora senior Skylar Limon, bound for Ohio State, was hitting .512 with an on-base percentage of .612 as of last week. … Northwood coach Nicole Thomas on her Stanford-bound catcher Allison Morikawa: “She was hitting like .700 up until (recently). Most of her outs are caught line drives or deep hits to the outfield. We’ve had teams literally play with their outfielders’ backs against the fence.”

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