FLORENCE, Ky. – Former Coppin State baseball standout
Marcos Castillo signed a professional contract with the Florence Y'alls of the Frontier League it was announced on Monday night. Castillo played his rookie season in 2022 with the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers of the United Shore Professional Baseball League.
An outfielder from Round Rock, Texas, Castillo led the Beavers to a USPBL Championship in his first professional season while being named to the All-USPBL Team and a finalist for League MVP. Castillo hit .320 with three home runs and 21 RBI while leaving the Beavers in hits and on-base percentage.
The Y'alls are based within the Greater Cincinnati Region and are a member of the West Division of the Frontier League, an independent professional baseball league. Formed in 1993, the Frontier League is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States and became an official MLB Partner League in 2020. The league has a partnership agreement with the California Winter League for player development.
Florence has won three league championships which is tied for the most league championships. This past season, the Y'alls finished 39-56 and five former players have advanced to the Major Leagues.
Castillo had a decorated career with the Eagles, ranking among the program's all-time top ten in several categories. Castillo hit .326 in his career and holds the school-record with 15 triples. He also ranks fifth in runs batted in (99) and stolen bases (44), sixth in base hits (169), doubles (35) and total bases (264) and tenth in runs scored (99).
Castillo was named the HBCU Freshman of the Year in 2018, helping the Eagles to a MEAC Regular Season title while hitting .303 with a league-high five triples. He hit .349 with another six triples as a sophomore before erupting for a .378 average with three home runs in a COVID-shortened 2020 season. This past season, Castillo hit .316 while leading Coppin in hits (62), doubles (13), RBI (40), total bases (96) and sacrifice flies (5) while adding a career-high five home runs and 18 stolen bases.
A 2022 First Team All-MEAC selection, Castillo posted 53 multi-hit efforts in 153 career games and tallied at least three hits in 18 games. Castillo helped the Eagles to a 2022 MEAC Championship, its first since 1995, and its first-ever NCAA Regional appearance.
