THE PREPS : Woodbridge Softball Tournament Starts Today

Defending Southern Section 4-A champion Gahr High School will be one of 40 teams (24 varsity and 16 junior varsity) participating in the seventh Woodbridge Easter softball tournament beginning at 9 a.m. today at Harvard Park in Irvine.

Gahr, the tournament’s defending champion, is led by All-Southern Section pitcher DeDe Weiman.

Weiman will set the standard for up-and-coming county pitchers competing in the tournament. They include Lisa Wehren, who was part of Woodbridge’s 2-A championship team last season; Paige Lauby of El Toro, who is 4-0 this season and was named the most valuable player of the Corona tournament; Marta Bickert, who had an 0.89 earned-run average for Trabuco Hills last season, and Margo Melendrez of Laguna Hills, an All-Southern Section 2-A selection last season.

Pool play begins today. Based on their showing in pool play, teams compete in the winners’, consolation or losers’ bracket under a double-elimination format. Games resume Monday through Wednesday and the championship game will be Wednesday at 5 p.m.