Marcos Castillo has utilized his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) recovery to propel him to become the best version of himself. He is a graduate criminal justice student at Coppin State and an outfielder on the Coppin State baseball team. 

Castillo is a native from Round Rock, Texas, who began his collegiate career in fall 2018. According to D1baseball.com, he was among the top 10 prospects for the 2021 draft from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Castillo injured his ACL in October 2020, his senior year during a team practice. He will hold that day close to his heart because that specific year was when he was going to fulfill his dream of getting drafted.

“Everything flashed through my eyes, and everything I’ve done here at Coppin, my life, and dreams I was chasing felt like a new death to me when I tore my ACL,”he said. 

Baseball was on hold for Castillo’s for a few months, but he decided “to fight,” he said. Rehabilitation was continuing to be a time of patience and resilience for Castillo, and “I never realized how many things I took for granted,”  he said.

“It was a nine-month process, and now I am in better shape than I have ever been in my life.” 

Castillo worked primarily with Dr. Bobby Esbrandt, co-founder of Hanover-based Impact Sports Physical Therapy.  “I had the best nine-month recovery, and it was thanks to my team, family, and coaches,” he said..

From a friendship in the field to a flourishing bond beyond the field,  redshirt sophomore catcher Mike Dorcean and Castillo built a strong foundation of brotherhood. Dorcean was Castillo’s roommate spring 2021, and Castilo considers him an integral part of his eventual recovery.

Dorcean said, “If it were not for Marcos, I wouldn’t have had my success from last season,” he said.

Dorcean was motivated by Castillo’s passion for baseball; he stated, “With his injury, Marcos motivated me to become an even better baseball player.” 

This fall 2021 Castillo returned to the field, and he hit a homerun for the first time since his injury. Castillo shared one of the moments he shared with a coach that has pushed him to strive for the highest standard possible.

“Coach Sherman Reed got so mad at me Freshman year for getting a double,” Castillo said. “He yelled at me and said, “why are you not on third base?” 

Castillo made it his goal to always go “all out,” and doing so has benefitted him over the years — he holds the Coppin State University triples record. “I have made it my full intent to run wholeheartedly like a ghost is chasing me,” he said. 

This academic semester has been a turning point for Castillo, and his bond with Dorcean has made his recovery process sturdy. He credits Coppin State with much of his maturation process.

“Coppin State instills a sense of belonging and growth,” he said.

Castillo’s short-term goals include winning the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference championship. The last time the Eagles won a division title in baseball was the 2018 Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference North Division Championship. 

Keylin Perez is a Junior nursing major and editor of the Courier. This story is part of a series called Athlete of The Week. The Courier will publish the next installment of this series on Dec. 3rd.