Donny Castle is beginning his 30th year as a member of the Northwest family. Castle assumed duties as athletic director at Northwest in 2001 after serving as assistant baseball coach from 1979 through 1998 and head baseball coach from 1998 through 2005.
Castle was rewarded for his coaching accomplishments in May 2004 by being inducted into the Northwest Sports Hall of Fame. He was enshrined into the Mississippi Community/Junior College Sports Hall of Fame in April 2007.
Castle ended his baseball career at Northwest by coaching in 1,177 games. As head coach, he posted an eight-year record of 271-120-4, including four MACJC north division championships and one MACJC state crown. His teams were runners-up in the Region XXIII Division II Tournament on four occasions. During Castle’s tenure, 14 Rangers were selected NJCAA Academic All-American. As an assistant for 19 years, Castle helped the Rangers post a 506-276 mark, which also included five MACJC north division, four MACJC state, three Region XXIII and two eastern district championships. Northwest qualified for the NJCAA Division II World Series in 1996 and 1997.
A 10-year veteran of professional baseball, Castle played for the Washington Senators, the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees. The Coldwater High School graduate earned 13 letters in three sports— football, basketball and baseball. In 1968 he led the Coldwater baseball team to the state championship with an ERA of 0.00.
He starred with Bill Spero’s American Legion team in Memphis. During his time there, the team earned spots in the National American Legion Tournament in 1965, 1966 and 1968, and went on to win the Tennessee state and regional championships. Castle was MVP in the regional, striking out 42 hitters in 21 innings at Arlington, Texas.
Castle was named National American Legion Player of the Year in 1968 when Spero’s team won the American Legion World Series. Drafted in the first round of the 1968 pro draft, he signed with Washington in 1969.
A designated hitter, first baseman and outfielder, he averaged .308 at the plate his first year in the pros. After six years with the Senators and Rangers, Castle’s contract was sold to the Yankees where he completed his professional career.
He attended Northwest before finishing his degree in business at Delta State University. Married to the former Ruthie Sigler of Horn Lake, Castle and his wife have two adult daughters—Krista Ritzmann of Corpus Christi, Texas and Stacy Mueller of Southaven.
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