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Natasha Watley
- 2004 Olympic gold medalist
- 2003 Pan American Games champion
- 2002 World Championships gold medalist and MVP
- Signed with the New York/New Jersey Juggernaut, one of the six inaugural teams of the National Pro Fastpitch
- Won the Honda award, which is given to top collegiate female athlete of the year
- Two-time top-three finalist for USA Softball National Player of the Year award (2002, 2003)
- Set UCLA's single-season records in hits with 112 (2002) and stolen bases with 52 (2001) and was a three-time All-American shortstop at UCLA
- First UCLA Bruin to have two 100+ hit seasons, led UCLA to three straight College World Series and to the title in 2003
- Claims teammate Lisa Fernandez to be the best player she’s played against
- Bats left, throws right
- Has to pitch a ball during warm-ups before a game and wears a wrist band as a good luck charm
- Admires her parents because “they are the hardest working people I know.”
- Favorite ice cream flavor is Jamola from Baskin Robbins…food is Italian…city is Atlanta…candy is Swedish fish…TV show is Punk’d…movie is Love and Basketball or The Sweetest Thing
- Enjoys music, dancing, shopping, playing basketball
- Her cousin is former New York Knick and NBA Hall of Famer, Willis Reed
Watley started in softball after seeing a flyer in first grade and ended her four-year career at UCLA with 395 hits, which is the third-highest total in the NCAA Division 1 history. Her speed on the bases also let her become ranked in the NCAA all-time top-10 for stolen bases with a career total of 158. In 2001, she strung together a 32-game hitting streak, which is the fifth longest in NCAA history. Her freshman year at UCLA, she established a NCAA tournament record with four stolen bases in one game.
Related Links
Photo gallery: 2002 softball World Championships
Feature: USOC honors 2004's top athletes
Official Web site: Natasha Watley
On signing with the New York/New Jersey Juggernaut: "I am very excited to continue my softball career with the New York/New Jersey Juggernaut. Coming off such a high at the Olympics, I'm glad that there is an opportunity to expand the sport of softball on a professional level and hopefully make the country more aware of what this sport has to offer. I hope to open the doors to the future generations of fastpitch athletes, providing them with the professional venue that I am fortunate enough to have.”
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Height: 5'10
Born: 11/27/1981
Hometown: Canoga Park, Calif.
Resides: Irvine, Calif.
Sport: Softball
Event: Shortstop
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