GILROY—Lauren Castro’s softball career almost ended before it ever really began. The Gilroy High senior quit her first year of tee-ball, intimidated by crowds and attention. But thankfully for Castro, her parents convinced her to give it one more try and this time, she fell in love.
Castro spent countless long nights pitching to her dad Ed Castro in the backyard—even when it was the last thing she wanted to do. All of that hard work has paid off in the form of an athletic scholarship to Canisius College. Lauren officially signed her letter of intent to play for the Division I Golden Griffins Friday in the Gilroy High library surrounded by her family and friends.
“I feel like I’m on top of the world,” Lauren said. “I’m just so happy and excited. I was waiting for this day for a really long time.”
Lauren has a long list of softball achievements, including leading the Mustangs to a Central Coast Section Division II championship in her sophomore year. On her signing day, attendees enjoyed cake which was decorated with pictures of her in various uniforms from all the teams she’s played on through the years. Lauren has played travel ball and trained year round to get here, but said it was worth it to achieve her dream of playing for a Division I team.
“(It took) going out on my own and having to practice and not always wanting to,” Lauren said. “I didn’t think it was possible for me to go DI, but I always wanted to. When I finally reached that goal it was just amazing.”
“Being a pitcher takes a lot of your time,” her dad Ed added. “Every night we’d be in the backyard or out on the field throwing, hitting. We spent a lot of quality time together.”
The day was bittersweet for the close-knit Castro clan. Lauren’s parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles all looked on with pride as she signed her letter, but a pang of sadness was felt knowing that this time next year, she would be in Buffalo, N.Y.
“It’s hard because we’re a really close family. We’ve grown up in Gilroy all our lives,” her mother Andrea Castro said, noting her Gilroy roots stretch back to her great-grandparents. “Her going away is going to be very difficult. It’s so far, but I feel like she’s going to be able to experience things that she wouldn’t here. She’ll be on the other side of the country and she’ll have new experiences—and we have a place to visit.”
Lauren is joining a storied softball program that has won 12 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournaments and has been the MAAC regular season champ 13 times. Canisius is a small private school and from the minute she stepped on campus, Lauren knew it was the right fit.
“The class sizes are small and I love the coaches, I love the girls,” she said. “I’ve been around some of them when I went to visit and they just feel natural to be around. The campus is beautiful and I’m just really excited.”
Lauren still has awhile before she jets off to New York and is looking to do big things for the Mustangs in the spring. Though she’s been warned of the harsh and cold New York winters, she’s said she’s ready to say goodbye to the California sunshine and start her new adventure on the East Coast.
“I’m really nervous to go far, especially because I’m a family person. I’ll have to learn to know that I can’t come home when I want to,” Lauren said. “I’m excited to be on my own and really put all the pieces together and really finish off my softball career strong in a new place, new environment.”
