Natasha Renee Watley (born November 27, 1981) is an American, former collegiate four-time first-team All-American, two-time medal winning Olympian, retired seven-time pro All-Star

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

player. Watley played college softball at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

, and helped the Bruins win a national championship. She represented the

United States women's national softball team The United States women's national softball team is the national softball team of the United States. It is governed by USA Softball (formerly known as the Amateur So ...

at the 2004 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal, and again at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and won a silver medal. She is the first African-American female to play on the United States softball team in the Olympics. She is the career

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

leader in the

National Pro Fastpitch National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), formerly the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL), was a professional women's softball league in the United States. The teams battled for the Cowles Cup. The WPSL was founded in 1997 and folded in 2001; the NPF revive ...

. She owns numerous records for the Bruins and is one of select

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

players to bat at least .400 with 300 hits, 200 runs and 100 stolen bases for her career.

Early life

Watley was born in

Irvine, California Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...

to parents Edwin and Carolyn Watley. She is

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

. Watley attended Woodbridge High School where she was named second team Louisville Slugger All-American in her junior and senior years. She hit over .445 in her last three seasons in addition to stealing 20+ bases each season.

College career

In 2001, Watley earned status by being named a First Team All-American as well as All Pac-10. She stole 32 bases to break the school record, which now ranks fourth all-time at

. On May 13, Watley was a perfect 4/4 with 2

RBIs A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

and a double against the

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. ...

for a career high in single game hits. On May 18, she stole a record 4 bases to break another school record vs. the

Canisius Golden Griffins The Canisius College Golden Griffins are composed of 16 teams representing Canisius College in intercollegiate athletics. These teams include men's and women's basketball, cross country, track, lacrosse, soccer, and swimming and diving. Men's spo ...

. Watley and the Bruins made it into the

Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other wo ...

finals vs. the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Ru ...

. Watley was perfect against Jennifer Stewart, going 3/3 and scoring the only run in the Bruins eventual 3–1 defeat on May 29. Watley repeated all-season honors for a second straight year. She set school records with 75 runs and 56 stolen bases, while her season total hits were second all-time. Beginning March 2 through April 29, 2001, she managed a 32-consecutive-game hit streak, which is the fifth longest in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

history. The streak stretched to 36 games overall beginning on February 17; the Bruins had a week off prior to April 29. In that span, Watley batted .426 (55/129) with 14 RBI, a

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

, three

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

s and

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

s each. Once again on May 28, Watley found herself in the WCWS National Championship game vs. conference rival the Arizona Wildcats. Watley had one of 4 hits off MVP and eventual victor

Jennie Finch Jennie Lynn Finch Daigle (born September 3, 1980) is an American former softball player. She played for the Arizona Wildcats softball team from 1999 to 2002, where she won the 2001 Women's College World Series and was named collegiate All-Amer ...

. The streak of three First Team All-American and All-Pac-10 honors continued as the junior also broke the school record for hits in a season (112), which also led the

. Her triples and stolen bases were second best all-time, while her career-best .485 average ranked 4th (5th all-time) at UCLA. Notching her second-longest streak, Watley began a 29-consecutive-game hit streak on February 1 until March 9. Watley hit .543 (56/103) and had 24 RBIs, two home runs, three triples and 7 doubles. She also had a slugging percentage of .747% and overall her streak was 6th best for the NCAA. Watley was named to the WCWS All-Tournament Team, hitting over .450 for the Bruins. Again earning a place on the All-American team, she added the 2003 Pac-10 Player of the Year, won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's best softball player, and the Honda Cup as the nation's top female athlete. Watley ranked top-10 in school season categories of batting average, hits, on-base percentage and stolen bases. From January 31 to February 28, she had her third-longest hit streak at 19 consecutive games. She hit .500 (30/60) with 21 RBIs, two home runs, a triple and 4 doubles. On April 30, Watley batted in a career-high 5 RBIs on two home runs to defeat the

Washington Huskies The Washington Huskies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-1 ...

. At the year's WCWS, Watley was again named to the All-Tournament Team, batting over .400 with 3 RBIs and slugging over .550%. The Bruins made it into their third finale with Watley and claimed the no-hit win over Kelly Anderson and the California Golden Bears on May 26. Watley went 2/5 with a triple. In her four years as a starter for the Bruins, she finished tops in career hits, triples, runs and stolen bases. She ranked second in career batting average (.450) and top-10 in doubles and on-base percentages. Watley holds the single-season record for hits (112) and is currently ranked fourth in Pac-10 history. Watley is listed seventh on the all-time NCAA record books with 115 hits in a single season. She was also the first UCLA Bruin to have two 100+ hit seasons. She overall ranks top-10 in career hits. Watley was inducted into the

UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPS ...

on October 11, 2014.

National Team

In the summer of 2001, Watley played for the USA Red Team helping them win the US Cup and place third at the

Canada Cup The Canada Cup (french: Coupe Canada) was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The brainchild of Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson, the tournament was created to meet demand for a true worl ...

. She was named "Most Inspirational Player" at the Canada Cup in addition to being named to the All-Tournament Team. In 2002, she was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Canada Cup and the 2002 ISF World Championship tournaments where she also earned Most Valuable Player. In 2003, Watley was also awarded a gold medal for her performance at the Pan American Games. In preparation for the 2004 Olympics, Watley hit over .450 on the Aiming For Athens tour to help maintain

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

's perfect record in Olympic tours. At the Games on August 14, Watley went a perfect 4/4 with a double and triple vs. Italy. She assisted

softball to their third consecutive gold medal at the Athens Olympic Games defeating Australia 5–1, the only run allowed in the entire tournament, to earn her first gold medal on August 23. Watley led the team in at-bats, hits, stolen bases and was third on the team with a .400 batting average. She also broke the Olympic record for stolen bases with five in nine games. In 2008 on the Bound 4 Beijing Tour, Watley hit over .450 once again. She led the tour in at-bats, triples and stolen bases. Watley opened the Games smacking a two-run home run in a run-rule victory over

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. Watley ended the Games in the gold medal contest on August 21, Watley had a hit in

's 3–1 upset by

Yukiko Ueno is a Japanese,
(in Japanese). ''Japan Softball League''. Retrieved July 31, 2021. medal-winning

and

Team Japan Team Japan is a professional wrestling group that was brought together as a part of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's World X Cup Tournament. History 2004 Team Japan started as six-man team as team captain Nosawa from All Japan Pro Wrestling tea ...

to earn Silver. Watley hit .321 and led the team in at-bats and stolen bases.

Professional career

Watley played her first season professionally with the NY/NJ Juggernaut in the

league in 2005. In her rookie season, Watley led the Nauts in batting with a .374 average and tallied 37 hits as the leadoff hitter to be named an NPF All-Star. In 2006, Watley played for the

Philadelphia Force The Philadelphia Force was a women's professional softball team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. From 2006 to 2009, it played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league until a failed sale in September 2009 put an end to the team on hia ...

in limited action (30 at-bats) due to

duties. Watley played longest for the

USSSA Pride The USSSA Pride are a professional softball team based in Viera, Florida and a member of the WPF - Women's Professional Fastpitch League, U.S. Founded in 2009. They previously played in National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) from 2009 to 2019. They play ...

based out of

Kissimmee, Florida Kissimmee ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a Principal City of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...

. In the 2010 season, Watley received her second All- NPF Team honor and on August 6 she set a career best in hits with 4 against the

Tennessee Diamonds Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. Her team made it into the Cowles Cup Championship on August 29 vs. the

Chicago Bandits The Chicago Bandits were a women's professional softball team based in Rosemont, Illinois. Since the 2005 season, they have played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF). The Bandits won the 2008 NPF championship, defeating the Washington ...

. Watley hit a solo home run in a 3/4 performance against pitchers Kristina Thorson, Nikki Nemitz and Jessica Sallinger to win the title. For the 2011 season, she led the league in average at .459 and had a 21 consecutive game hit streak for a career highlight. From July 2-August 12, she hit .531 (43/81) with 15 RBIs, a triple and two doubles, slugging .580% with two walks and 11 stolen bases. She was able to get a rematch shot at defending her team's title on August 24. The Pride lost but Watley had two hits and batted in two of three runs off ace

Monica Abbott Monica Cecilia Abbott (born July 28, 1985) is an American professional softball player. Abbott was an All-American pitcher for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers in college before starting a professional career in the NPF and in the Japan Softball ...

, pitching for the Bandits. In 2012, Watley was second overall in batting average and July 16 against Chicago, she drove in a career best 4 RBIs. She had a rematch in the Cowles Cup Championship with the

and

; the team lost again on August 25 at a 2–1 score, but Watley managed a hit in the effort. For the 2013 season championship, Watley earned the Cowles Cup Championship and had a hit in the finale. In 2014, she became the first player in league history to amass 300 career hits and on June 24 she walked 3 times against the

Akron Racers The Akron Racers were a women's softball team based in Akron, Ohio. They have moved to Cleveland and been renamed the Cleveland Comets in 2018. The team was started by Joey Arietta in 1999 to participate in the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). ...

for another highlight. In 2015 it marked her sixth straight season with at least 50 hits to be named All- NPF. Watley earned a second season batting crown in 2015 and made her last appearance in the Cowles Championship final losing to the Bandits but did tally a hit and walk in her last game. Watley also set an enduring league record for hits in 2011. She also holds the career batting crown for playing multiple season and is tied second in stolen bases and hits, ranking third for triples. Watley spent the 2016 season overseas in Japan. She was a part of the Japan Softball League Champions on team Toyota. She retired in 2017.

Statistics

References

External links

Natasha Watley web site
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watley, Natasha 1981 births Living people Softball players from California Sportspeople from Irvine, California African-American sportswomen Olympic softball players for the United States UCLA Bruins softball players Softball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Softball players at the 2007 Pan American Games Softball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in softball Olympic silver medalists for the United States in softball Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics UCLA Bruins softball coaches Pan American Games competitors for the United States New York/New Jersey Juggernaut players Philadelphia Force players USSSA Pride players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women