Catcher Mahal DeCastro taking baseball spotlight at Chattanooga State

BY DEAN GREENAWAY

Mahal DeCastro is described 'as one of the most personable players' on the
Chattanooga State Tigers baseball team. According to the school's media
guide, he is a person who is going to be counted on for both strong offense
and defense this season. A very good catcher, he possesses a strong arm and athletic make-up. At the plate is where Mahal really shines. He has both power and control at the plate and will hit a homerun and then follow it up with a drag bunt.Besides his athletic prowess, Mahal has also been named on the Dean's List at Chattanooga State.

Mahal shined for the Tigers last year hitting .312 with 7 HR's and 33
RBI's. He was the stalwart catcher for the better part of the season and
assumed a much needed leadership role for the team.

Mahal said his goal this season is to become an all conference player. "I
worked hard during the fall on fine tuning, going to the opposite field and
having better control when I'm throwing so that's what I'm really looking
forward to this season," said Mahal. "I would also like to help the team
make it to the Jr. College World Series in Colorado."

Since his emergence through the BVI Little League Baseball Association
system and moving to the United States, Mahal said he has been progressing well. His coaches have been putting him through a series of daily drills so he can make better decisions. "The training that I've been getting has really helped me a lot and I feel good about it," he said. "I've had to get up at 6 a.m. in the morning and run and man, it's really cold. The weight room workouts have been tough too, but, you really have to put our mind on it to get stronger and faster. That is one thing baseball requires. If you want to play you have to be stronger and quicker."

Last season, the Tigers were one game shy of playoff contention. He says
the team's success depends on the sophomores. "I'm one of the sophomores,"

Mahal said. "We are trying to keep the freshman in tune with the game. We
can do something in the playoffs this year and hopefully get to the World
Series in Colorado." So far this season, his team has posted a 9-7 record.