Elks tourney opens

A grand total of 54 varsity baseball teams, including all five Newport-Mesa area high schools, are slated to compete in the season-opening Newport Harbor Elks Lodge Tournament, which opens today at various ballparks across Orange County.

“It’s a monster,” first-year Newport Harbor Coach Evan Chalmers said.

The tournament is divided into the 22-team Costa Mesa Division, the 16-team Foothill Division and the Sweet 16 Division.

The Sweet 16 Division features what Chalmers called 16 of the top teams in Orange County, including Capistrano Valley (ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division I), Esperanza (No. 7 in Division I), Foothill (No. 1 in Division II), Palm Desert (No. 3 in Division IV) and Tesoro (No. 8 in Division III).

Newport Harbor is in the Foothill Division, one tier down from the Sweet 16 Division but one step up from last year when the Sailors played in the Costa Mesa Division, considered the lowest division in the tournament.

“We face a new challenge and a higher level of competition,” Chalmers said. “I’m excited about it, I’m just hoping we can hang. We’re playing a tougher nonleague schedule because we’re preparing to move up to the Sunset League and to CIF’s Division I next year.”

The Foothill Division also includes Corona del Mar ? which is ranked No. 6 in the CIF Division III preseason coaches’ poll ? along with perennial power Westminster La Quinta (No. 3 in Division III), Northwood, Ocean View and Orange.

Doing well in this tournament is not necessarily a prerequisite to a championship season. Corona del Mar went 2-3 in the tournament in 2004 before finishing with a 25-4 record and winning the Division IV crown.

“We use it as a time to separate the men from the boys,” Corona del Mar Coach John Emme said.

The Costa Mesa Division includes Sage Hill, Estancia and Costa Mesa, along with 19 other teams ? including JSerra (ranked No. 2 in Division VI), Saddleback, Santa Ana, Tustin, Beckman and Laguna Beach.

Newport Harbor opens action in the Foothill Division today at La Habra at 3 p.m. Corona del Mar plays host to Paramount today at 3 p.m. in the first round.

In the Costa Mesa Division, Estancia is at home against Whittier Christian at 3 p.m. Sage Hill plays host to JSerra today at 3 p.m., and Costa Mesa is at home against Century today at 3 p.m.