By Mallory Bowman
University of Louisville freshman Jorge Castillo was practically born with a baseball in his hand. At the age of three he realized his desire to play baseball, and 15 years later, he’s playing for the Cardinals.
An 18-year-old native of Miami, Fla., Castillo made a lasting first impression during his first game as a Cardinal. In his first collegiate appearance at the plate – and on the first pitch – Castillo hit a home run.
“It felt great,” he said. “It is one of the happiest things that has happened to me yet.”
U of L head coach Lelo Prado said Castillo’s obvious strength is his hitting. He also plays first base for U of L, but Prado believes his future is at the plate.
“He definitely can hit. But he must start understanding that the pitchers can pitch to his weaknesses,” Prado said. As of press time, Castillo averaged .304 at the plate. He had three hits out of 10 at-bats in last weekend’s three-game series against Cincinnati.
Prado said Castillo also needs to be more focused on the outer half of the plate. “He’s so focused on hitting the ball, and that can sometimes get in the way. He also must do a better job hitting against left-handers.”
Castillo said he recognizes that there is much room for improvement, but that his many years of dedication to the game will fuel his next four years at U of L. He said his inspiration and love for the game is rooted in his family heritage. Castillo’s grandfather played on the Cuban National Team. “He was my total inspiration,” Castillo said.
Castillo said he heard about U of L from his high school baseball coach, who introduced him to Prado in his senior year. After learning about U of L, Castillo said his decision was easy.
“I love the school and the atmosphere,” he said. “It wasn’t really a struggle moving here for me. The team chemistry here is strong and I like that. The people are also much nicer here.”
Castillo said he currently practices at least a few hours every day and plans to keep working while studying sports medicine. He said his dream is to one day play for the Yankees, but he realizes that he needs a back-up plan. No matter what, he wants to stay involved with baseball.
“God willing, my dream is to get drafted,” he said. “But if I don’t, I want to do sports medicine.”
He said managing his time is probably the toughest obstacle he is facing and will face while playing college ball, but he said that playing for U of L is worth the sacrifice. “I hope that as a team we can with a national championship,” he said. “There is a great team atmosphere.”
Prado said Castillo’s dedication is obvious, and that if he applies himself, he will be an asset to U of L and possibly to a professional team.
“Jorge [Castillo’s] future is all going to depend on what he does next,” Prado said. “If he keeps working to get his body in shape, he will do good things.”
