Missouri State

CHRISSI CASTRO
Softball, 1994-95
Inducted February 4, 2006

Chrissi Castro transferred to Missouri State in 1994 after having won a host of playing honors, including selection as a junior college All-American, at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College. A product of Washington High School in Kansas City, Kan., where she won all-state honors, Castro was a two-year starter at third base for the Bears of coach Holly Hesse. As a junior, Castro batted .333 and led the team in walks, hits, doubles and triples while ranking second on the team in total assists. She was named to the Missouri Valley Conference all-league first team. Castro and all-conference teammates Kellie Becher, Heather Anderson and Tina Kramos spearheaded the Bears' drive to a regular season MVC championship as Missouri State went 13-3 in conference play. Missouri State hosted the MVC tourney in Springfield, and, after a tough-luck loss in the first game, came all the way back through the losers' bracket to reach the championship round only to drop a 14-inning battle to Drake for the title. In spite of a 38-13 record, the Bears were not picked for the NCAA tournament field. The 1996 season saw Castro put together another solid year as she again led the team in hitting with her .321 plate average. She also set the team pace in hits, doubles, triples, runs batted in, total bases and walks, and had five game-winning RBIs. Castro finished with a two-year Missouri State batting average of .328, the second highest career mark on record for the Bears' softball program. She repeated an MVC all-conference selection and was named to the All-Midwest Region Second Team. Missouri State staged a strong stretch drive in MVC play and again bounced back from a first-round loss in the conference tourney for a third-place league finish in a 22-25 season.