Ricky Castro
2023 (Joliet Slammers): After pitching an entire collegiate season, Ricky finds himself playing professional baseball for the Joliet Slammers. His stuff was impressive in Joliet where he hit the ground running throwing 79 innings with 85 strikeouts after joining the team midway through the season. In his first professional start, he was perfect through 6 innings before the first runner reached base on a bunt in the 7th. His ballot for Rookie of The Year fell just short to an outfielder from Evansville but he will be back next season to pick up where he left off.
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2023 (Tulane University): Saturday starting pitcher the entire season punching out 86 batters over 86 innings. 9 of these innings come from a complete game shutout in late April against #14 ranked Eastern Carolina. Ricky started games both Tuesday and Saturday throughout the week of the AAC tournament. Tulane made the Championship game on Sunday against 1st seed East Carolina where Tulane turned to Ricky Castro to close the game and record the save the day despite having a 97-pitch outing the day prior which sent the team to the postseason in the Baton Rouge Regional. This campaign allowed him to be named a member of the 2nd All Conference Team. He is currently finishing up his Master of Science degree in Sports Studies.
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2022 (Purdue): Was named to the Academic All-Big Ten. Threw 36.1 innings his senior season with the highlights graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology.
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2021 (Purdue): Was a member of the Academic All-Big Ten team… Pitched in 12 games, all in relief… Made a relief appearance in each of the first 11 weekends, including two in the four-game series at Minnesota… Struck out a career-high eight over 3 1/3 innings of two-run relief in the series opener at Maryland… Earned his first win as a Boilermaker with two innings of one-hit relief in the April 19 victory at Illinois that capped Purdue’s 4-0 weekend in Champaign… Retired nine of 11 batters faced over three innings of scoreless one-hit relief in the series finale at Indiana… Impressed in the game 2 win at Minnesota, working 3 1/3 innings of two-hit relief… Pitched a season-high 3 2/3 innings of two-run relief in game 3 of the Michigan Series… Surrendered only three extra-base hits while racking up 23 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings in true road games… Escaped a bases-loaded jam to strand three inherited runners in the win vs. Iowa.
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2020 (Purdue): Was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team… Pitched in three games, all in relief… Worked 2 2/3 innings of one-run ball Saturday at Western Kentucky in his longest and most effective outing touching his first 95mph on the gun…Struck out the only batter he faced in the midweek game at Indiana, stranding a pair of inherited runners…Made his team debut on Sunday of the season-opening weekend vs. Hofstra.
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2019 (Parkland College): Pitched his first collegiate season at Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois…Appeared in 13 games, recording a 2.84 ERA and 57 strikeouts vs. 21 walks in 44 1/3 innings…Made six starts, finishing the season with three wins and three saves… Helped lead Parkland to 38 wins and the Mid-West Athletic Conference title… Struck out eight over four innings at Northeastern Oklahoma Enid and nine over five innings at Lewis & Clark… Names to the NJCAA All-Academic third team… Pitched at Alexander Field in a Purdue-Parkland fall exhibition game in October 2018, striking out four over two innings of one-hit relief.
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High School: Four-year letterwinner for coach Robin Renner at Neuqua Valley High School in suburban Chicago… Played three years of varsity after helping Neuqua reach the freshman state championship game as a third baseman and pitcher… Played for the Midwest Team at USA Baseball’s identification series in Cary, North Carolina… Posted a 2.40 ERA as a starting pitcher his senior season, helping Neuqua win a third straight IHSA regional title… Led to Neuqua to consecutive sectional titles as a sophomore and junior… Was the winning pitcher in the regional semifinal game as a sophomore on varsity…Homered in the freshman state title game.