Less than 24 hours after teaching a weeklong softball clinic in India on behalf of the U.S. Embassy, Natasha Watley was at UCLA watching her former softball team face her current one in an exhibition game.
UCLA won, but the result did not matter for its overall record. It was all about Watley’s foreign teammates getting a taste of the American experience, which is why she did not suit up to play against her former team.
The former Bruin plays shortstop for the three-time defending champions, Team Toyota of the National Professional Fastpitch league with the USSSA Pride, in Japan, who will be starting their quest for a four-peat in March.
“Our team is amazing. The girls are phenomenal and I’ve really enjoyed my time there learning a different style of game, (and) just a different culture,” Watley said.
Watley ended her UCLA career as a national champion in 2003 and the winner of the Honda-Broderick Cup, the award for the best college female athlete.
Watley is the only other softball player besides former Bruin pitcher and current UCLA softball assistant coach, Lisa Fernandez, to ever receive this honor.
“To see Natasha have developed from when I remember watching her when I was recruiting her, to having her here at UCLA and to see her continually grow, not only on the field, but off the field as an individual … has been impressive,” Fernandez said.
When Watley is not playing softball or travelling the world to help teach softball clinics, she is busy running the Natasha Watley Foundation, which she started in 2008.
Her foundation gives girls from underserved communities the opportunity to learn and play softball.
Watley wants to reach the girls that will not come into contact with softball on a normal day because, compared to other sports, it requires a lot of expensive equipment that inner cities and underserved communities cannot afford.
Currently, the foundation operates only in the south Los Angeles area, but Watley hopes to one day expand it into a nationwide and international organization.
The foundation’s fourth annual 5K Fun Run/Walk, which has seen an increase in attendance every year, is coming up on March 10 at Woodley Park in Van Nuys. The purpose of the event is to raise funds so that the foundation can continue to grow and run its programs.
Watley, however, also wants this event to help promote her organization and make it more well known throughout the community.
Through these efforts, Watley has become one of the premiere faces of softball; a spokeswoman working to increase the visibility of her sport around the world.
“She’s reaching a lot of people in the world right now and I’m so proud because she’s someone who came in and was very quiet and just wanted to play softball,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez, who was an assistant coach during Watley’s time at UCLA. “Now she’s a beautiful, well-spoken ambassador for the sport of softball.”
But even Watley did not think her career would last this long.
“Never in a million years did I think I would still be playing now,” Watley said. “After UCLA, I thought I was going to be done.”
After UCLA, her career would begin to blossom, as she became the starting shortstop for the US Olympic squad.
She participated in the 2004 Olympics, along with her former coach, Fernandez, who was one of her teammates in Athens. Team USA defeated Australia and won the gold medal that year. Watley was also a key contributor on the 2008 Olympic squad that won a silver medal in Beijing.
“Just being able to play at that stage is something that you dream about and that’s been the ultimate for me,” Watley said. “I feel like there’s nothing else I can do that can surpass winning a gold medal.”
In addition to her Olympic medals, Watley has won three World Championships with Team USA, from which she now considers herself retired.
Watley said when she does decide to retire from softball entirely, she will be focusing all of her efforts into her foundation.
“I want softball to grow in inner cities because there’s so many diamonds in the rough that we don’t even know about,” Watley said.
“How could you know that you love a sport if you have never been introduced to it? I just want to give those girls the opportunity to even have that chance to fall in love with softball.”
Another possibility after her playing career is done is returning to the UCLA coaching staff, where she served as an undergraduate assistant coach in 2005 and a volunteer assistant coach in 2006.
“I’ve asked her to come back and it’s been difficult for her, because she’s being Natasha and she’s playing and we always support playing as long as you can,” Inouye-Perez said. “She does want to coach in the future, but we’ll see what the future holds. I’d love to see this history and tradition be maintained by nothing but Bruins here at UCLA.”
Watley will continue to play softball at a professional level until her “wheels fall off,” she said. Her role as a worldwide spokeswoman for the sport through clinics and her foundation is a gig she will hold long after her playing days are finished.
“She’s more than just a softball player. She’s someone who is reaching people and is definitely inspiring people to be the best that they can be,” Inouye-Perez said. “Sports is a great opportunity … (to) meet a lot of people, travel the world … and do something that you’re passionate about. Natasha is a great example of what you can do with the sport of softball beyond just your college career and we’re proud to say that she’s a Bruin.”