High school baseball teams are shuffling schedules after Easton tournament is canceled

The 36-team Easton high school baseball tournament scheduled for next month has been canceled to allow teams to figure out how to play opponents within their counties and avoid running afoul of coronavirus restrictions, Moorpark coach Scott Fullerton said.

The tournament would have brought together teams from Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Now those schools are banding together in each county to come up with their own scheduling.

Hart coach Jim Ozella said he’s trying to put together a preseason Foothill League tournament. El Camino Real coach Josh Lienhard is getting together teams such as Harvard-Westlake to play a round-robin tournament that would begin on March 20. Fullerton is talking with Ventura County teams about their options.

Baseball may be played in counties in the less-restrictive red tier under the state’s coronavirus reopening plan, with approval from county health departments.

Currently most counties in the Southland are in the most-restrictive purple tier. Some county health guidelines might prohibit teams from a more restrictive tier from traveling to an area where games are allowed.