Softball Notebook: Eagles Set to Defend Southern Section Division 1 Title

I have been covering preps and sports for about 14 years now, including eight years with the Orange County Register. Most of that time was spent covering the Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley areas, so the South Orange County schools are still a little new to me. I am looking forward to getting focused on the area's softball programs and I always welcome input and constructive criticism. Feel free to e-mail me with ideas and suggestions.

Santa Margarita was the top-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Division I coaches' preseason rankings, as well as No. 5 in the ESPN RISE preseason state rankings. The Eagles were also ranked No. 5 in the county by the Orange County Register. Behind these preseason expectations is the return of pitcher Amy Letourneau, who led the Eagles to the Division 1 championship last year.

The Eagles were off to a good start with four victories at the Mohave Tournament of Champions over the weekend, before falling to Valencia of Valencia in the championship game. Letourneau got the first four wins for the Eagles, but they opted to rest her in the title game. The Eagles will square off against El Toro in a doubleheader at home on Thursday. The Chargers were ranked eighth in the county by the Register, with power hitter Lauren Chamberlain leading the way.

It’s hard to know how much stock to put into rankings when you seen Santa Margarita ranked ahead of Marina in the section poll and ahead of Mater Dei in the ESPN poll, but behind both in the Register's county rankings. Either way, the El Toro and Santa Margarita doubleheader should be a good test for both teams. The first game is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.

Latourneau has also led the Eagles at the plate, but she gets plenty of support. Jessie Dauton had a grand slam in the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions and No. 5 hitter Amanda Reiss also had a home run.

El Toro’s Chamberlain has four home runs and 10 RBIs this season already. Chargers pitcher MacKenzie Sanderson is 4-1 with 27 strikeouts in only 31 innings pitched.

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Thursday's game will also be a reunion of longtime friends. Santa Margarita coach John FitzPatrick and El Toro coach Jim Daugherty have known each other for about 20 years. Before moving to Santa Margarita, FitzPatrick’s daughter Alycia, played for Daugherty as a sophomore at El Toro. Alycia had also attended Daugherty’s camps as a youth before eventually graduating from Santa Margarita.

When FitzPatrick began to get into coaching, much of what he incorporated in his coaching philosophies, he picked up from Daugherty. And Daugherty was the guy FitzPatrick continued to seek advice from, when he needed it.

“He’s been a great influence,” FitzPatrick said.

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The Chargers will start the week with a game at JSerra at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday.  JSerra seemed to have a new lease on life after going winless in the Trinity League for the past three seasons. The Lions got off to a 3-1 start under their new coach, Frank Rizzo, before losing two one-run games over the weekend.

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The Saddleback Valley Tournament got under way on Monday and will continue through Thursday, with plenty of local teams getting a lot of playing time at Alicia Park in Mission Viejo. 

Participants include Trabuco Hills, San Clemente, Dana Hills, Aliso Niguel, Mission Viejo, Capistrano Valley, San Juan Hills and Laguna Hills.

Tuesday’s consolation bracket games will be at 4 p.m. and championship bracket games begin at 6 p.m. On Wednesday, the semifinals will be at 6 p.m. with consolation bracket games taking place at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Thursday’s championship game will be at 6:15 p.m., with third-, fifth- and ninth-place games at 6 p.m. and other consolation games at 4 p.m.

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The Roundtable Tournament, hosted by perennial power Foothill, began last Saturday and will conclude this Saturday.

Mater Dei and Foothill play in one semifinal, while Los Alamitos meets Pacifica in the other. Both begin at 11 a.m. Winners advance to the championship game at 3 p.m., while losers will play for third place, also at 3 p.m.

The tournament's other games on Saturday:

9 a.m. -- Santa Margarita vs. North High of Torrance; Rosary vs. Beckman; Tustin vs. Cantwell

11 a.m. -- Foothill vs. Mater Dei; Los Alamitos vs. Pacifica; Aliso Niguel vs. El Toro

1 p.m. -- North Torrance vs. El Toro; Rosary vs. Cantwell; Tustin vs. Beckman

3 p.m. -- Championship game; third-place game; Santa Margarita vs. Aliso Niguel

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Northwood High hosts the Timberwolf Classic, which begins play Saturday and concludes on March 19. All teams will play a second game on Saturday, starting four hours after the first.

The first-round schedule:

2 p.m. -- Tesoro vs. Oak Park; Dana Hills vs. Cypress; Warren vs. University; Laguna Hills vs. Cathedral Catholic

4 p.m. -- San Juan Hills vs. Northwood; Gahr vs. Ocean View; Cerritos Valley Christian vs. Irvine; Capistrano Valley vs. Rancho Alamitos

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Ted Apodaca's weekly "Softball Notebook" will appear on all of Patch's Orange County sites.