News Schools Sports

Monarch High School’s Ace Isabella Castelli Commits to Playing College Softball

by Matt Rothman March 28, 2022

200Shares

Monarch High School's Ace Isabella Castelli Commits to Playing College Softball

Isabella Castelli throws a pitch for the Monarch varsity softball team. {Courtesy}

By: Matt Rothman

Monarch High School’s star pitcher Isabella Castelli has officially made her college pick. This fall, she’ll be playing for St. Thomas University in Miami.

“I’ve always wanted to play college ball no matter what level,” said Castelli. “Knowing that I have a future home puts me at ease, so I’m not stressing about my plans after high school.”

Castelli began playing rec softball when she was seven and didn’t start pitching until she was ten, thanks to the help of travel coach Ricardo Lorenzo.

“He is the only reason why I’m the pitcher I am today,” Castelli added. “He saw that I’m a new pitcher looking for some playing time, and without knowing a single thing that I could do, he let me join the team.”

After making the varsity team as a freshman, she had her best season as a junior, where she picked up three wins, an ERA of 2.49, striking out 67 hitters in 50.2 innings, which she credits to varsity softball coach Kenny Forbes. Also, one of the reasons she wanted to attend STU was due to the proximity of her parents, Edgar and Monica, who have both been there every step of the way.

Castelli has worked extremely well in the past with her catcher and Monarch 2020 graduate Madison Graziose and 2021 graduate Madison Bromley. She also works with her pitching coach Emily Estroff, who is currently pitching for Florida Gulf Coast University.

With half a season left, Castelli is 20 strikeouts away from 200. She also has 13 hits and has driven in 12 runs in her rare plate appearances.

This spring, Castelli will graduate from Monarch and join St Thomas for the 2022-2023 season. Through 25 games this year, the Night Hawks are 15-10 and have had a winning season in the past six years.

Got News? Send it to Margate Talk.

Author Profile

Matt Rothman

Matt Rothman is a 2018 graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University receiving his bachelor’s degree in journalism and then graduated from the University of Florida as a graduate student. He also works for the Mohave Valley Daily News in Bullhead City, Arizona covering high school sports.