With some of the best baseball in the country, Texas
features a number of storied high school programs that are long on illustrious
histories and traditions of success.
John Paul II High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, has neither,
but it does have one crucial ingredient implicit in all top programs.
They’ve got the coach.
Long time Moody (Corpus Christi, Texas) head coach Steve
Castillo could not refuse an offer to join John Paul II as athletic director
and baseball head coach in the fall of 2006 when the school opened its
doors to a class of freshmen.
“I always wanted to coach at Notre Dame, but John Paul II
is just as good, “ Castillo said at the time. “I always wanted a closer
relationship to God.”
Castillo was instrumental in developing Moody’s baseball
dynasty. He was a pitching coach when the team won a state title. As head coach
from 1979-2001, he brought Moody to three more state championship games.
Under Castillo’s reign, Moody was often found at the top
of state rankings, and occasionally slotted near the top of national polls.
Bringing aboard such a well-respected coach meant
instant credibility for John Paul II’s neophyte baseball program, according to Rodolfo Vasquez, a theology teacher at the school and personal friend of
Castillo who also serves as an assistant on the baseball team.
Vasquez was involved in the foundation of the school, and
remembers approaching Castillo with the job offer.
“We approached him, and asked if he’d be willing to move
over to a Catholic school,” Vasquez said. “His reputation obviously helped us a
lot. A lot of kids came because they wanted to play for him.”
With its coach and athletic director in place, John Paul
II opened its doors in the fall of 2006. Castillo’s surroundings were a bit
different at John Paul II than at Moody. Whereas Moody was a 4A school with a
healthy population, John Paul II was a fledgling institution with an uncertain
crop of freshmen.
Two years and two seasons of non-varsity baseball later,
John Paul II’s ninth graders have blossomed. Now juniors and playing
in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools for the first time, Castillo’s group of juniors has been remarkable in its debut.
The Centurions hold a 27-7-1 record, and have only lost
once in TAPPS 3-4A, to Victoria St. Joseph, who John Paul II had earlier beaten
in the first game of a double header.
The team’s most remarkable individual performance has
come courtesy of junior Joey Perez, who transferred to the school as a
sophomore. The 6-foot-3 pitcher and outfielder has slugged 14 homers, which
trails only First Academy’s (Fla.) Jose Dore for most in the nation.
Slugger Joey Perez has been integral in John Paul II's rise to baseball prominence.
Photo Courtesy of John Paul II
“Last year, he had a decent year. This year, he’s just
been on a tear,” Vasquez said. “He’s got exceptional talent.”
John Paul II coaches aren’t the only ones taking notice—college
scouts are catching on as well.
“Arizona State saw him, and talked about his hitting
ability,” Vasquez said. “And they saw his pitching.”
His pitching could ultimately end up being Perez’s ticket
to the next level. Right now, he throws in the high 80s, with his fastball
occasionally touching 91 miles per hour.
While Perez is rising to prominence nationally, John Paul
II is still battling to assert itself locally.
Recently, the
Centurions took on Moody, Castillo’s former squad, which was coached by one of
his former players, Corky Gallegos. Though John Paul II kept the game close,
Moody eventually pulled away en route to an 8-3 victory.
“If you’re going to beat the best, you have to play the
best, “Castillo told the Caller-Times after the game, in reference to
scheduling his former program.
It will remain a struggle for John Paul II to compete
with its larger cross-town rival, when the school’s enrollment is hovering around 300 total
students. Next year, Vasquez predicts the school’s enrollment could be close to
500, which might be enough to make them a TAPPS 5A team.
With Castillo at the healm, Perez at the plate and on the
mound, and teammates like P.J. Martinez and Jose Trevino enjoying breakout
seasons, there is great reason for growing optimism for the baseball team, which
means an unflagging sense of hope for the school community as a whole.
“There’s a lot of excitement in town about another big
baseball school,” Vasquez said. “They say football is king (in Texas). But in
South Texas, it’s baseball.”
