Micaela Kastor is in the perfect location—Southern California—to do two things she really loves.
The senior pitcher/utility player who attends Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village, California and plays for the Huntington Beach-based Firecrackers-Rico 18U powerhouse club team, is also smack dab in the backyard of the movie and entertainment industry.
And that’s convenient because Micaela is already working on a full-length film through her schools Film Department and is getting great training in doing everything from script writing to film production to marketing and promotions.
“I have also directed, produced and edited several short films, documentaries, music videos and promotionals,” she tells Extra Inning Softball, “that have won several awards in film festivals across the country.”
She’s also pretty good at softball too.
Micaela earned a boatload of honors at the high school level this year including NCRA 1st Team All-Region and for the third year in a row was Cal-Hi Sports All-State, Daily News 1st Team All-Area and a Ventura County Star 1st Team All-Star. She was also tabbed the 2021 Marmonte League Pitcher of the Year.
The impressive right-handed pitcher went 16-3 last Spring with a 16-3 record and compiled a 0.75 ERA with 149 strikeouts in 122 innings. Micaela was also a threat at the plate hitting .471 with nine doubles, three homers and 32 runs scored.
At the club level, the So Cal standout won a National Championship this year and her accomplishments and talents didn’t go unnoticed as she had some pretty good recruiting interest (it helps that she has a 4.3 GPA!).
Still, she took a campus visit to a certain well-known school in the Midwest and that made the difference… here’s how the process went for Micaela to commit to Coach Deanna Gumpf and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish…
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Tell us what’s been your top 1-2 softball experiences? Would imagine TC Nationals is up there, yes?
My top softball experience was leading my team to win the 2021 TC Nationals Championship against Athletics Mercado in a 6-5 victory to go 10-0 for the weekend. Another top experience was leading my team to 7th place in the 2021 Alliance Nationals tournament this Summer in Oklahoma City.
How did Notre Dame first learn about you to start recruiting you?
The Notre Dame coaching staff first learned about me after watching a game I pitched at the 2021 Zoom into June tournament in Chino Hills, California.
When did they actually offer you a scholarship?
After being in contact with Coach Gumpf and the rest of the coaching staff after the tournament, she offered me a scholarship over the phone in early August before my visit in September.
When and how did you commit? What were the circumstances?
During my official visit, I absolutely fell in love with everything about the campus, team, culture, environment, and just the overall atmosphere. After coming home, I took about a week or so to come to a final decision, a clear choice, and then called Coach Gumpf after a day of games in Irvine. I was able to deliver the good news in front of not only my family, but also my coaches. They were all very excited to be a part of my official commitment, and it made that moment all the more special.
I am beyond excited to announce my commitment to further my education and softball career at the University of Notre Dame ! Thank you to my family, coaches, and teammates for all the support throughout this process, and for making me into the player I am today. Go Irish ☘️ pic.twitter.com/blVBXnoSVR
— Micaela Kastor (@MicaelaKastor) September 27, 2021
What was it about the Irish that made you decide it was the place for you? Did you have an “a ha” moment where it just hit you like a bolt of lightning
During my visit, I knew I had found my home in the simple things such as just walking through the campus, trying on the uniforms, stepping out on the dirt, talking with the team, and during the football game. I immediately found myself immersed in the culture of the school and could feel it in my bones walking through the beautiful campus that I was going to be Irish. I felt at home in the student section of the football game, and when I tried on the softball uniforms, I couldn’t imagine myself putting on any other jersey than Irish!
Who helped you in your softball decision… anyone? Family? Coaches?
My family was always in support of my decision to Notre Dame, but someone who helped guide me the most to my decision was our recruiting coordinator, Greg Mettler. Greg talked me through this entire recruiting process and made sure I thoroughly considered all options before making my final decision. I would not be here today without his guidance and support.
What did Notre Dame say they liked about your game enough to offer you?
The coaches at Notre Dame were very impressed with my overall athleticism as a versatile pitcher, and my overall presence on the mound. The coaches liked my sense of confidence in the circle, and the way that I own my batters physically and mentally. They said that I would immediately be able to make a large impact on their pitching staff, and also be able to help in other positions and make a difference in the batter’s box.
What top tournaments (if you know) will you be playing in this Fall, Winter and/or Spring?
Coming up this fall, my team and I will be competing in the Northwest Alliance tournament in Seattle, the Bombers Fastpitch Invitational in College Station, the Alliance Super Cup Series in Lake Elsinore, and the Don Battles On in SoCal before the New Year.
What will you study in college? Do you know what you’ll major in yet?
I plan to either study Film & Television production or Sports Broadcasting… likely both!
What’s something about you off the field that not many know?
Off of the field, I am currently directing a full length-feature film with Oaks Christian’s Film Department in the Institute of Arts and Innovation. We began writing the script last year, recently began production, and plan to premiere the feature in the Spring!
Where would you like to be in 10 years? 20 years?
In 10 years, I could see myself being a prominent figure working my way up in the film industry as either a director or producer or being a lead sports broadcaster for MLB.
What do you love most about softball?
One of the things that I love most about softball is being able to collectively work as a team to compete at the highest level on some of the biggest softball stages in the country while playing the game that I love. I love knowing that my girls have my back when I’m out there on the mound, and just being able to immerse myself in a competitive and exciting softball culture. I love that third strike feeling, and I love being able to help my team achieve greatness.
