May 20, 2015

ABCA All-Region

BLUFFTON, Ohio - Capping off his outstanding career at Bluffton, senior Mike Castro (Reynoldsburg) has been named Second Team All-Mideast Region by the ABCA (American Baseball Coaches Association). Castro's monster year also saw him earn First Team Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference honors in 2015. He is the first Beaver to be named All-Region by the ABCA since all-time hits leader Kyle Niermann was recognized as a First Team selection in 2013.

A three-year starter at shortstop, Castro had a career year both at the plate and in the field. He rapped 53 hits which tied him for 16th on Bluffton's single-season list. Castro drove in 27 runs and scored 34 times, including 28 in conference contests (7th in the HCAC). The senior hit two home runs and eight doubles with a grand slam at Earlham in Bluffton's 12-3 win over the Quakers. His 126 assists established a new school mark for a season while his 340 career assists obliterated Todd Pickthorn's previous mark of 293. Castro also leads Bluffton's middle infielders with 52 double plays turned from his shortstop position.

A record-setting 2015 campaign saw the Beavers win a school-record 22 games and a Bluffton-best 15 Heartland Conference contests. The Beaver defense had its finest season in school history, topping the charts with 1,030 putouts, 464 assists, 43 double plays and a .963 fielding percentage that was only bested by the 1974 team. Bluffton also set a new season mark with 15 saves, four more than the previous record set in 2014.

-BEAVERS-