A right-handed batter and thrower, he stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and weighed 187 pounds (85 kg).

[1] He matriculated at Boston University where he served as captain of the baseball and basketball teams, and quarterbacked the Terriers to the most successful season in their history to that point.

[4] He was the third-string catcher behind starter Gus Triandos and Hal Smith on the Orioles' depth chart.

He died when the ERCO Ercoupe aircraft he piloted experienced engine problems and crashed into the Chesapeake Bay on September 20, 1956.

[7] Autopsy results announced on September 27 revealed that Gastall had escaped the wreckage with no signs of injury from the crash but died because of drowning.