NPF
Pride Alumni in the 2018 USSSA Hall of Fame Class
Viera, FL– November 27, 2017- Last week USSSA celebrated its 50th anniversary at the annual convention; this year’s destination was Daytona Beach, Florida. At the company’s Hall of Fame dinner, USSSA CEO Don DeDonatis announced the 2018 Hall of Fame inductees. Among the prestigious group of athletes and directors, DeDonatis named two former USSSA Pride standout players Natasha Watley and Megan Willis.
Natasha Watley, one of the most recognizable names in fastpitch softball, played for the Pride for six seasons (2010-2015), where she posted a career .401 batting average. During her time with USSSA she was a part of four regular season championships, three Cowles Cup Championships and was the 2011 Offensive Player of the Year.
Watley attended the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA, 2001-2003) where she was a four-time All American short stop. She posted a .450 batting average, .600 slugging, 158 total stolen bases, and 395 hits throughout her four-year career as a Bruin. Watley was also a member of two USA Olympic softball teams where she and her teammates brought home gold in 2004 and silver in the 2008 Olympic Games.
Megan Willis, current Assistant General Manager for the USSSA Pride, played for the Pride for six seasons (2010-2015). She began her professional fastpitch career in 2007 with the Chicago Bandits and moved to the Rockford Thunder for the 2009 season before becoming one of the most consistent defensive players the USSSA Pride had ever seen. During her six years with the Pride she was a part of four regular season championships and three Cowles Cup Championships.
Willis attended the University of Texas from 2004-2007 where she was a two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the year (06-07) and four year starting catcher for the Longhorns. She helped lead the team to a Big 12 Tournament championship in 2005 and Big 12 conference title in 2006.
Watley and Willis will join three of their former USSSA Pride teammates in the USSSA Hall of Fame. Caitlin Lowe was the first ever female athlete to be inducted into the USSSA Hall of Fame in 2015, along with Cat Osterman, who was inducted in 2016, and most recently Kelly Kretschman, inducted into the 2017 class.
2018 USSSA Hall of Fame inductees:
Male Athlete
John Keigley (CA)
Victor Cordova (CA)
Female Athlete
Natasha Watley (CA)
Megan Willis (FL)
Director
Doug Morrison (MO)
Ken Dirks (NB)
About USSSA: USSSA is headquartered in Brevard County, Florida. USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com.