Natasha Watley facts for kids
Watley in July 2011
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| Born | November 27, 1981 Irvine, California, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||
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| College team | UCLA Bruins | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Natasha Renee Watley (born November 27, 1981) is an amazing American softball player. She was a four-time All-American in college. Natasha also won two Olympic medals. She played professional softball for seven years.
Watley played college softball at UCLA. She helped the Bruins win a national championship. She represented the United States women's national softball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics. There, she won a gold medal. She also won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Natasha is very special because she was the first African-American woman to play on the United States Olympic softball team. She is known for her great hitting skills. She holds many records for UCLA and in professional softball.
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Natasha's Early Life
Natasha Watley was born in Irvine, California. Her parents are Edwin and Carolyn Watley. She is African American. Natasha went to Woodbridge High School.
In high school, she was named an All-American twice. She hit very well, with a batting average over .445. She also stole more than 20 bases every season.
College Softball Career
Natasha played college softball for the UCLA Bruins. She was a star player from the start.
Becoming an All-American
In 2001, Natasha was named a First Team All-American. She also made the All-Pac-10 team. She broke the school record by stealing 32 bases. This record is still one of the best at UCLA.
On May 13, she had a perfect game against the Oregon Ducks. She got 4 hits and 2 RBIs. A few days later, she stole 4 bases in one game. This was another school record.
Playing in the College World Series
Natasha and the Bruins reached the Women's College World Series finals in 2001. They played against the Oklahoma Sooners. Natasha played perfectly, getting 3 hits. But the Bruins lost the game 3–1.
In 2002, Natasha earned All-American honors again. She set new school records with 75 runs scored and 56 stolen bases. Her 101 hits that season were the second-highest ever for UCLA.
She also had an amazing 32-game hitting streak. This is one of the longest streaks in NCAA history. During this time, she hit .426.
Later in 2002, Natasha played in the WCWS National Championship game again. This time, they faced the Arizona Wildcats. Natasha got one of only 4 hits against their star pitcher, Jennie Finch.
Breaking More Records
Natasha continued to be a First Team All-American for a third year. She broke the school record for hits in a season with 112. This was the most hits in all of NCAA Division I that year. Her batting average of .485 was also one of the best ever at UCLA.
She had another long hitting streak of 29 games. During this streak, she hit an incredible .543. She also had 24 RBIs and two home runs.
Natasha was named to the WCWS All-Tournament Team. She hit over .450 during the tournament.
Winning the National Championship
In 2003, Natasha was named an All-American for the fourth time. She also won the Pac-10 Player of the Year award. She received the Honda Sports Award as the best softball player in the country. Then she won the Honda Cup as the top female athlete in the nation.
On April 30, Natasha had a career-high 5 RBIs. She hit two home runs to help defeat the Washington Huskies.
At the WCWS that year, Natasha was named to the All-Tournament Team again. She hit over .400. The Bruins made it to their third final with Natasha. They won the championship against the California Golden Bears on May 26.
UCLA Career Highlights
Natasha finished her college career with many records. She was first in career hits, triples, runs, and stolen bases for UCLA. She was second in career batting average (.450). She is also listed seventh in the all-time NCAA record books for hits in a single season.
Natasha Watley was honored for her amazing career. She was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.
Playing for Team USA
Natasha also played for the United States women's national softball team. She helped them win many international competitions.
Early International Success
In 2001, Natasha played for the USA Red Team. They won the US Cup. She was named "Most Inspirational Player" at the Canada Cup. She also made the All-Tournament Team.
In 2002, she was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Canada Cup again. She was also the Most Valuable Player at the 2002 ISF World Championship. In 2003, Natasha won a gold medal at the Pan American Games.
Olympic Gold Medal
To get ready for the 2004 Olympics, Natasha hit over .450 on the "Aiming For Athens" tour. This helped Team USA stay undefeated.
At the Athens Olympic Games on August 14, Natasha had a perfect game against Italy. She got 4 hits, including a double and a triple.
She helped Team USA win their third straight gold medal. They defeated Australia 5–1. This was the only run they allowed in the whole tournament. Natasha earned her first gold medal on August 23. She led the team in hits and stolen bases. She also had a .400 batting average. She broke the Olympic record with five stolen bases in nine games.
Olympic Silver Medal
In 2008, Natasha played on the "Bound 4 Beijing Tour." She hit over .450 again. She led the team in hits and stolen bases.
Natasha started the Beijing Games with a two-run home run against Venezuela. She ended the Games with a .321 batting average. She led the team in hits and stolen bases again. Team USA won the silver medal at these Olympics.
Professional Softball Career
After college and the Olympics, Natasha played professional softball. She played in the National Pro Fastpitch league.
Starting in the NPF
Natasha started her pro career with the NY/NJ Juggernaut in 2005. She led her team in batting with a .374 average. She was named an NPF All-Star. In 2006, she played for the Philadelphia Force.
Playing for the USSSA Pride
Natasha played the longest for the USSSA Pride team. In 2010, she was named to the All-NPF Team again. On August 6, she got a career-best 4 hits in one game. Her team made it to the Cowles Cup Championship. Natasha hit a home run to help her team win the title.
In 2011, she led the league with a .459 batting average. She also had an amazing 21-game hitting streak. She hit .531 during this streak. Her team played in the championship again, but they lost.
In 2012, Natasha was second in the league for batting average. She had a career-best 4 RBIs in a game against Chicago. Her team lost the championship game again. In 2013, Natasha and the Pride won the Cowles Cup Championship.
In 2014, she became the first player in league history to get 300 career hits. In 2015, she had her sixth straight season with at least 50 hits. She won her second batting title that year. She played her last championship game in 2015, where her team lost.
Natasha holds the career batting average record in the National Pro Fastpitch league. She is also tied for second in stolen bases and hits. She retired from playing in 2017.
See also
- NCAA Division I softball career .400 batting average list
