Famous Softball Players

Softball, a team sport popular around the world and especially in the United States is derived from baseball. This popular field game has marked its entry into the Olympics and has gained recognition in many parts of the world. Let us look at some of the very famous softball players.

Jennie Finch: Born on September 3, 1980, this talented softball player started playing softball since the age of five and began pitching since the age of eight. Receiving an early training from her father, she mastered the skills of softball and represented her college in softball tournaments. She has appeared on TV for the promotion of softball and has always been inspiring young softball talents. In the Summer Olympics of 2004, Jennie Finch won the gold. She is the most famous softball player of all time.

Crystl Bustos: Born on September 8, 1977, Crystl Bustos is a Mexican American softball player who holds the world record for home runs during an Olympic series. She is a member of the 2008 Olympic team. She has achieved two World Cup Championships and is the winner of Three Pan American golds. Perhaps Bustos will retire after the 2008 Olympic games but will long be admired for her career.

Lisa Fernandez: Born on February 22, 1971, Lisa Fernandez was a good student at school with a natural flair for baseball. At an early age of eight, she began playing in the children's league and after moving to California, joined her school's softball team. In 1994, she led her team in the Women's College World Series Championship after which she was selected in the US Women's Olympic Softball Team. She is the proud winner of two Olympic gold medals. The first one came to her in the 2000 Sydney Olympics while the other came during the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, which were held in Greece. Currently, married and mother of Antonio, Lisa is the assistant softball coach for women's softball team at UCLA. She remains being in the list of internationally acclaimed softball players.

Cat Osterman: Born on April 16, 1983, Cat Osterman was a brilliant softball player since her years at school. She represented her school in softball and made it proud by setting several records in softball as a part of her school team. Her educative years in the University of Texas witnessed her outstanding performances in several softball tournaments. She was the first player to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. She was a part of the USA Women's softball team that won the gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She is also the proud winner of the silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Cat Osterman has pitched 20 NCAA career no-hitters and 10 NCAA career perfect games. She continues being one of the most recognized players of international baseball.

Michele Mary Smith: Born on June 21, 1967 is a two-time Gold medalist for the Olympic softball team. She has played in the Japanese Professional Softball League since 1992. She is an Ambassador of Softball and a Softball Analyst for ESPN. In 2006, Michele Smith received the honor of being inducted to the ASA Softball Hall of Fame.

These were only some of the softball talents the world has seen. They have won medals and moreover, won the hearts of their fans and the sports enthusiasts across the globe.