Kodak Park of Rochester, NY was the first men’s Major fast pitch team to win the ASA national championship twice (1936 and 1940) and Tommy Castle, who played first base, was one of the players responsible for that achievement. Known for his offense as well as defense, Castle played softball 25 years for Kodak Park, beginning in 1935. He competed in six state tourneys (1935, 1936, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1943), 11 Mid-Atlantic regionals and 10 national championships. In the 1936 national Castle batted .375 with six hits in 16 at-bats and starred defensively, making only one error with 32 putouts and one assist. In the 1940 national, Castle batted .353 as Kodak Park won its second title. Also an outstanding baseball player who turned down an offer to play Triple A baseball for the Syracuse Chiefs, Castle had a .375 lifetime batting average in baseball and a .340 average in softball. A 35-year employee of Kodak Park before retiring in 1971, Castle said being a member of the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame and two national championship teams are the biggest thrills of his softball career. He was born October 2, 1913 in Rochester, NY and passed away April 24, 2003 at age 89. Castle also is a member of the NY state ASA Hall of Fame and the Monroe County sports Hall of Fame.
