Baseball:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

Tommy Castillo is the kind of kid you can’t help but root for.

Castillo spent the first two years of his prep career at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, which is wedged just on the other side of the 110 Freeway from Dodger Stadium.

While attending Cathedral, he and his father, Tommy Castillo Sr., moved to West Covina to live with his grandmother, Maria Castillo.

A typical day began before 5 a.m., as Castillo would get a ride to APU to get on the Gold Line and he rode that to Los Angeles.

He had to rely on public transportation to not only get him to Cathedral, but also to be on schedule, so he wasn’t late to class.

After practice, which usually ended after 6 p.m., he’d jump back on the Gold Line and many nights, after getting a ride from his final destination at APU, he didn’t get home until 1o p.m. or later.

After doing his homework, and getting a few hours of sleep, it all started over again at five o’clock the next morning.

After his sophomore year, Castillo did his due diligence in deciding where to finish out the final two years of his high school career.

It was an obvious logistical nightmare going to Cathedral and he wasn’t happy with the direction of the program or the facilities.

In fact, the baseball team practiced on the Cathedral football field.

He considered playing for both Damien and Bishop Amat, but ironically enough, he found his home at South Hills for coach Darren Murphy.

And thankfully, the school was also walking distance from his new home.

But before getting to his junior year, it’s both important and inspiring to hear about how Tommy Castillo got to his point and what he’s overcome.

When he was just four years old, his father won a custody battle to give his young son a better and safer life.

His mother hasn’t been in his life since that time, which wasn’t ideal to say the least, but he’s had two heroes step up, specifically his father and grandma.

“My dad has sacrificed everything, because he loves me and wanted to make sure I had a good life,” Castillo said. “I couldn’t put into words just how much I love and admire my dad. I miss having a mom in my life, but my Grandma, Maria Castillo, has stepped up and gives me everything I’ve need and more. She’s been a mother figure for me and has been my rock and support system. I can lean on her for anything and she’s my go-to person when my dad is gone for work. I love her so much and I feel so blessed to have her in my life.”

Another sign of the this young man’s true character was his answer to “how miserable was your life at Cathedral and having to spend so much time riding public transportation back and forth?”

“It didn’t really bother me, because I have faith in God, and I feel like this was my path in life at that time, so I just focused on school and baseball and didn’t dwell on the negative.”

So, with his life stabilized, Castillo had a decent junior year, batting 299, with 23 hits, 16 runs, 11 RBIs, three doubles and two triples.

That year (2019), South Hills won the Hacienda League championship after defeating Charter Oak, 2-1, on April 25, in the final game of the regular season.

The Huskies were eliminated in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs, dropping an 8-0 decision to El Toro.

Castillo spent the summer playing baseball and a significant amount of time in the weight room.

South Hills had opened the season 6-2 before the Coronavirus brought the world to a screeching halt, and in the process, it stopped what looked to be a promising year for the Huskies.

The chemistry on the club was outstanding and so many of their athletes were contributing in the success, including a great start on the mound from seniors Ryan Wentz (3-0, 1.58 ERA) and Ray Northey (2-1, 1.37 ERA).

Castillo upped his game dramatically.

Through the first eight games, the Huskies leadoff man batted .407 (up 108 points from last year), with 11 hits, eight runs, three RBIs, four doubles and five stolen bases.

Among those with at least 15 at-bats, Castillo led all South Hills players in average, hits, doubles and stolen bases.

He was near the top in every other offensive category and did a great job of using his speed to roam center field for the Huskies.

“What made this even more disappointing was the fact that we all got along and hung out together outside of baseball,” Castillo said. “I really think the chemistry helped in our success. We felt if we played to our capabilities, we had a chance of running our Hacienda League schedule undefeated.”

Aside from all of his team aspirations, he had hoped for an opportunity to earn the Hacienda League’s MVP and break the school record for stolen bases.

But Castillo made it clear that his focus, as were those of his teammates, was 100-percent about doing his job and being the best teammate so South Hills could win as many games as possible.

Of all the things COVID-19 tore down, there was one thing it couldn’t touch.

And that’s the fact that Tommy Castillo has earned the right to play baseball at Cal State Long Beach in 2021.

As fate had it, Castillo was at the right place at the right time.

In an all-star game in 2019, after seniors had all gotten their playing time, the South Hills junior got a chance to do his thing.

In a few innings, Castillo stole four bases and made a diving catch in center field.

As he was headed to the parking lot to leave, he could hear a man coming towards him and asked, “are you Tommy Castillo?”

It was Saint Mary’s baseball coach, Eric Valenzuela.

Castillo and Valenzuela would remain in touch, when in June of 2019, Valenzuela accepted the job to become the new skipper for the Long Beach State baseball program.

Castillo would eventually take a campus tour and then over to Blair Field, where their games are played, and he accepted Valenzuela’s offer on the spot.

The most inspiring part of this success story is, that without the heroic roles and sacrifices that his father and grandmother happily provided, Tommy wouldn’t have been in a position to play Division 1 baseball.

But it also took his dedication both in the gym and on the field to make his dreams come true.

Looking back, Castillo is eternally grateful to his family, including a score of cousins, who all matter in his life, but it’s also the coaching staff at South Hills and his teammates, who also became family to Castillo.

His girlfriend, Liah Arellano, has also played a major role in Castillo’s happiness over the past 18 months, and it’s something he’s very grateful for.

“I really loved playing with these guys and I was so disappointed we didn’t get to finish out our year, because not only were we playing really well, we all pulled for each other’s success,” Castillo said. “And our coaches are great. Coach (Darren) Murphy cares so much about his players and that includes making us better young men, stressing the importance of our education and just as people, well before anything that happens on the baseball field.

He will head to Long Beach with a near 3.6 GPA and major in business.

Lastly, we asked Castillo what he hopes his younger teammates remember about him.

“It would be that I worked as hard as I could to get better every day in the hopes of helping our team win games. I cared as much if not more about my teammates success than I did about my own and I really appreciated my time at South Hills because of the kind of people I was lucky to be around. I just hope they know how much I enjoyed my time with them and that I wish them all the best.”

Quotable:

South Hills coach, Darren Murphy: “Tommy was our center fielder and leadoff hitter for most of the two years he was here. No matter the sport, what people get excited by is when they see speed and that’s the deal with Tommy. That’s the first thing you notice when you watch him play. He can flat out fly. He’s the fastest kid I’ve every coached in 27 years of coaching as an assistant and head coach. He’s a game changer. He would’ve probabaly led the area in steals. The thing that makes Tommy special is the reaction you see from teammates when they see him do his thing. A base hit, steal second, steal third, score in a flash. It’s the tool that separates athletes, because it’s rare and really difficult to teach and that’s speed. He was a good centerfielder for us as well, and had a lot of assists last year, including throwing a guy out at first base from center field. That was a first for me also. If Tommy stays focused and believes in himself 100-percent, he will have a good time at Blair big field dimensions (for Long Beach State).”

South Hills senior pitcher, Ryan Wentz: “Tommy was the player that got our offense started. Whenever he got on, it seemed like everyone’s confidence grew and with him on base. We knew that he would score, and in the outfield, his range was so great that you knew the ball was going to be caught”.

South Hills senior, Ray Northey: “Tommy is a guy that gets everyone going. If he’s off, then our team seems to be off, because he was the spark on our team. He’s a guy that will do it all. He was one of the guys I really got close to, and he’s like a brother to me. Tommy has such a bright future, because he works harder than anyone. The leadoff spot was in great hands.”

Tommy Castillo Stats at South Hills:2019:

2020: .407, 11 hits, eight runs, three RBIs, four doubles, five stolen bases .448 OBP, 1.004 OPS

2019: .299, 23 hits, 16 runs, 11 RBIs, three doubles, two triples, .379 OBP, .769 OPS, 4 stolen bases.

South Hills Baseball Record w/Tommy Castillo:

2020: 6-2

2019: 18-9, 12-3 (Hacienda League champions)

To view Tommy’s photo gallery, click on the Facebook link here: (2) Facebook