August 24, 2010

Caster killed in car accident

Mitch Caster, a senior at Wichita State, died early Monday morning in an automobile accident in West Des Moines, Iowa. He was driving home to Wichita after playing summer baseball in Rochester, Minn.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, Aug. 27, at 4 p.m. at Eck Stadium. The public is invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Mitch Caster Memorial Fund with WSU Foundation, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, KS 67260-0002.

According to the West Des Moines police department, Caster was traveling south on I-35 in a SUV around 12:15 a.m. when he crossed the median and hit a semi heading north. The truck driver was not hurt.

A pitcher and outfielder for the Shockers, Caster appeared in 74 games in his three years at Wichita State and pitched in 13 contests. He struck out 31 in 28.2 innings this summer for Rochester.

“We are all deeply saddened over the tragic loss of Mitch Caster,” head coach Gene Stephenson was quoted as saying. “Our entire team is devastated. Mitch was a fine young man and great teammate. Out hearts go out to the entire Caster family in this time of grief.”

Caster, 21, made eight relief appearances this past season for the Shockers, going 0-1 with seven strikeouts in 7.1 innings. He had three at-bats without a hit.

Caster was a three-year letterman in baseball and basketball at Goddard High School in Goddard, Kan.