It’s that time of year when we start thinking of the top high school softball tournaments in the country.

You have the Tournament of Champions (Ariz.) kicking off March 12-14, the Kissimmee Klassic (Fla.) taking place March 26-28, the Wendy’s Spring Classic (Ohio) running from April 16-18.

One of the longest-running and most prestigious high school softball tournaments in the nation is sandwiched between all those: the Michelle Carew Classic which will take place in Anaheim, Calif. from Wednesday, April 1 through Saturday, April 4.

The tournament is named for the daughter of former MLB great Rod Carew. Michelle played for the host team, Canyon High of Anaheim (Calif.) and in 1996 passed away from cancer. This marks the 19^th year the event is named in her honor and the 29^th year overall it has been held.

“Any team coming here knows that every game—-anywhere in the brackets—–rates to be a battle,” says Tournament Director Lance Eddy, who used to coach Canyon and, along with current head coach Dan Hay, runs the event.

Recap of the 2014 Michelle Carew Classic

2014 MVPs & All-Tournament Teams

Once again, the field consists of 32 excellent high school softball teams with the following 10 getting the top seeds (in parenthesis are the 2014 record and the preseason FAB 50 national ranking; comments are from Eddy).

Top Seedings

1 Mission Viejo (26-1, #1)
“The nation’s top team returns and will have played in the Bullhead tournament so they should be ready to go.”

2 Pacifica, Garden Grove (29-4-1, #11)
“Loaded with talent, pitching will be key.”

Norco (24-7, #10)
“Always up there.”

4 Los Alamitos (21-13, #40)
“Part of a great conference in 2014.”

5. Amador Valley (27-0, #36)
“The defending champions.”

6. Canyon, Anaheim (20-7, #28)
“Could be the school’s best team in a while.”

7. Poway (21-9, not rated)
“Ranked No. 2 in San Diego.”

8. Centennial, Centennial (28-4, #33)
“Several strong returners.”

Rest of the Field:

Here is more from Eddy:

— Agoura: “strong team now with experience”
— Aliso Niguel: “strong D2 competitor in Mission Viejo’s league”
— Cienega (Ariz.): “brings playoff champ here every year”
— Corona: “knocked off Norco in league last year, good pitching returns”
— Cypress: “0-4 here last year but great in CIF”
— El Toro: “solid program, good for an upset even when they’re down”
— Esperanza: “No. 2 pitcher and key frosh look pretty good too”
— Etiwanda: “young but tough last year and should be again”
— Foothill: “good hitters on D1 qualifier out of tough Century League”
— Great Oak: “great pitching should make them competitive”
— Kennedy: “new coach for team rebuilt with young players from last year”
— Lakewood: “great D2 playoffs”
— Los Osos: “great year but out early in CIF”
— Murrieta Valley: “took Amador Valley to extras in 2014”
— Oxnard: “good hitters bringing this team back up”
— Piedra Vista (N.M.): “perennial state champ in NM, (only losses are here) ”
— Righetti: “ranked high in D3”
— Roosevelt: “D1 qualifier in tough league”
— Santa Monica: “D4 champ”
— Saugus: “awesome pitcher returns”
— Sheldon: “I think they are nearly all the way back”
— Valencia: “you won’t keep Coach Donna Lee down for long”
— Vista Murrieta: “great offense with young but quality players”
— Yucaipa: “solid D2 club with excellent pitcher”

***

In honor of Michelle Carew:

This year marks the 29th year of the tournament of Canyon High’s hosting of the Invitational Varsity Tournament, and the 19th successive event in memorial of former Canyon player Michelle Carew.

The daughter of Hall of Fame baseball great Rod Carew, Michelle was “a spirited member of our Comanche family for four years,” says Tournament Director and former Canyon Head Coach Lance Eddy.

Shortly after her June 1995 graduation, she became suddenly and seriously ill.  Her plight drew national attention, as well as an increased attention to bone marrow research and donors banks.  After a protracted hospital stay, Michelle passed away in April of 1996.

“As a player and team member, Michelle always carried a positive and cheerful demeanor,” continued Coach Eddy.

“Though her allergies to dust and grass were difficult obstacles to overcome on the diamond, she contributed as a solid hitter in the likeness of her famous father.  Michelle was the loudest ‘cheerleader’ and also the first to defend anyone who experienced misfortune or lack of success.  For the duration of her illness, she became a remarkable champion in the eyes of all who watched her struggle against the odds.  Through it all, her major concern was for the well-being of those she would leave behind. For eighteen years, Michelle made the world a better place.  She is always to be remembered by Comanches as a true hero.”

***

History of the tournament:

This tournament was inaugurated in 1984, Canyon Coach Eddy’s second year, with the goal being to raise funds for the construction of a field on the Canyon High campus.  The only other significant high school tournament in SoCal at that time was the Cypress tournament, so the Canyon “Tournament of Champions” immediately attracted 32 top quality teams.  From that year forward, it has maintained a tradition of excellent softball, with many future college All-Americans and Olympians gracing the fields at Peralta Park and now also Yorba Regional Park.

In 1989, and for the following two years, gaining entry to the tournament was of such demand that it was expanded to 36 teams which competed in two 18 team divisions.

From 1994-1996, the tournament was not staged, but was resumed in 1995.

 

***

Director Lance Eddy looks back on the Carew Classic’s 29 years of action:

Note: this info was compiled prior to the 2014 tournament and does not include last year’s participants

***Top Player

“Probably the best all-time player has been Lakewood St. Joseph’s Lisa Fernandez.  She could dominate the game in the circle AND at the plate like no other—yet her team could only win this tourney once.

***Top Pitchers

“Once you start the list, it’s hard to stop! At the head of the class in creating memories have been Michelle Granger (Valencia) and Heather Compton (Righetti).  They hooked up in an ‘80’s consolation game that went 13 innings and saw 67 strikeouts. Valencia won on a dropped third strike.

There was also the time that Granger only struck out two in the first inning, the third out a weak tap to first.  She returned to the dugout to complain she was “off somehow.” We re-measured the distance to home and found it was mistakenly set at 43 feet. No wonder!  Other standouts included Valencia’s Jordan Taylor, Ayala’s Jessica Hall, La Mirada’s Jenny Finch, Mater Dei’s Marissa Young, Norco’s Emily Lockman, Ocean View’s Jackie Oakley and Garden Grove’s Leslie Osterman.”

***Top Players – All Positions

“This is only a partial list–this could go on and on!—but the standouts included Canyon’s Nina Lindenberg and Megan Bush, Valencia’s Madison Shipman, Vista Murrieta’s Sierra Romero, El Toro’s Lauren Chamberlain, Pacifica’s Andrea and Monica Harrison, Cristina Zambrana, and Kristen Arriola, Norco’s Nicole Sappingfield and Kaylin Costello, Foothill’s Caitlin Lowe, Woodbridge’s Natasha Watley and Ayala’s Nalani St Germaine.”

***Sister Act – some of the talented siblings who are Carew Classic alums

“Some schools get the luck of the draw with families that keep right on producing star athletes. Some of the standout sisters over the years include Righetti’s Heather Compton, then Tracey and Kennedy pitchers Michelle and Brooke Turner as well as speedy fielders Jamia and Elia Reed.

At Norco it came in threes: Teagan, Whitney and Kelsey Gerhart, triplets who played all at once and sisters of current Minneosta Viking running back Toby Gerhart.  At Pacifica there was Toni Mascarenas, then Cheyenne as well as Monica and Andrea Harrison, Esperanza had Katie Schroeder followed by Nicole…

Then there has been sister pitcher and catcher combos that hurt you in both halves of an inning: Vista Murrieta had Tatum and Taylor Edwards and finally Canyon produced its own duo of Erin and Heather Slettvet.”