BUFORD — HOURS BEFORE her debut as a starting outfielder for Buford softball, Summer Castorri sat up in her bed around 4 a.m. on Aug. 8 to a wall of smoke.
Castorri faintly heard the calling of her name from her mother Jen Castorri, along with her oldest siblings, Emma and Crew Castorri. However, the children didn’t know exactly what transpired. They soon learned a major house fire loomed.
“I couldn’t really see in front of me because of the smoke,” Summer said.
They ran out of the back door, let the dog out of her kennel and huddled up as a family of seven — with two younger kids, ages 7 and 9. Emotions overwhelmed as a bellowing of flames decimated the Castorri family’s Buford home.
The little ones teared up. The parents, Jen and Christian Castorri, stood in shock while realizing their lives had been rocked and uprooted. At the same time, none of it mattered. The Castorris knew they were fortunate to be alive, and that it could’ve been a different story if they exited the home 10 minutes later.
“I counted the kids like you would when they were really young,” Jen said. “We had everybody, and material things weren’t important.”
A slew of people came together by as the Castorris searched for hope. Those driving by voluntarily wrote checks to the family. Summer asked her teammates, namely Janie Goldin and Caroline Stanton, for a set of clothing to wear for the next few days. After all, she couldn’t wear those on her back full of ash and smelling of smoke.
A pair of GoFundMe pages created raised over $35,000 for the family to return to solid footing. Local pastors Craig Dale (Ivy Creek Baptist Church) and Stephen Fountain (First Baptist Church Buford) showed up to provide food, water and necessities. Then, family friend and Buford Middle School assistant principal Brandon Manders arrived in a suit-and-tie before arriving at school that morning.
“The thought of her having to go through that made me sick to my stomach,” Stanton said. “I brought anything she needed to help in any way.”
All the while, on three hours of sleep, Summer needed normalcy. She wanted to play softball in the season-opener. Her parents didn’t expect anything less as “softball and baseball run through our blood,” Jen said. The Castorris own a performance center and Christian became newly named assistant coach for Georgia State baseball after spending time in the professional ranks with the Miami Marlins.
After receiving an exception to arrive at school a few hours late, Summer joined her team on the bus to travel to River Ridge to debut. Head coach Trent Adams understood either way, and jokingly said, “If you go 0-for-4 this one time, nobody will bat an eye.”
“I’d rather go somewhere and get my mind off of it,” Summer said. “Softball makes me happy, so I would’ve rather done that. I wasn’t missing the first game.”
Summer went 1-for-4 in her debut with an RBI groundout and the hit coming on the third at-bat. She had a lot on her mind, understandably, and faced some struggles through the first games of the season.
Over the last six contests, however, Summer has been on a torrid run. She has a .611 batting average (11-for-18) with seven RBI, multiple triples and home runs in six games dating back to Aug. 20. Summer emerged as one of Buford’s greatest offensive pieces in the latest — and most-important with region play — chapter of the 9-0 campaign.
She continues on as her living situation has been in flux, but she hasn’t forgotten that harrowing morning. It serves as her “why” throughout a junior campaign with a new role.
“I went out there and had a million things on my mind,” Summer said. “As the season went on, I realized I have to relax in the box and focus on the pitching.”
Summer extended her time away from her phone before games to one hour. She says a prayer before taking the field to clear her mind. She uses these elements with the hopes of taking her game to the next level.
For now, it is paying off and could serve as a significant asset to Buford as its season continues.
“There are things I can’t control right now — my living situation being one of them,” Summer said. “I can control my performance on the field. If I do that, it will make it a little less stressful for me.”
Fellow junior Kadyn Gabrels called Summer’s run “unbelievable,” as many words weren’t needed to describe it. Senior Izzy Rettiger, Buford’s on-base machine who Summer hits behind, indicated that the center fielder has found her rhythm for the Wolves, and it has given them a big boost.
“She has been on fire,” Adams said. “She is seeing the ball really well, and what I like about Summer’s swing is that she’s hitting it from gap-to-gap and to all parts of the field. She’s going where the pitch is.”
With each hit, home run, triple or at-bat, Summer has full support of her teammates. They give a loud ovation or a deafening cheer that rings throughout the stadium.
Much like the appreciation of her softball family, Summer gained a greater appreciation for her own. She had immense love for her parents and four siblings, but it grew even deeper from that moment smoke overtook her bedroom.
“My family,” Summer said. “That’s all that matters.”
FEATURED PHOTO: Courtesy of Christian Ryan Stahl
