Crystl Bustos

Crystl Irene Bustos (born September 8, 1977), also known as The Big Bruiser, is an American softball player at the designated hitter or third base position although on the roster she is a designated player.[1] She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. She holds the world record for home runs during an Olympic series, with six.[2]

Crystl Bustos
Personal information
Full nameCrystl Irene Bustos
Nickname(s)The Big Bruiser
BornSeptember 8, 1977 (1977-09-08) (age 46)
Canyon Country, California
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Sport
College teamPalm Beach Panthers
Medal record
Women's softball
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney Team competition
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens Team competition
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing Team competition
World Championship
Gold medal – first place 2006 Beijing Team competition
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1999 Winnipeg Team competition
Gold medal – first place 2003 Santo Domingo Team competition
Gold medal – first place 2007 Rio de Janeiro Team competition
World Cup
1st 2006 Oklahoma City Team competition
1st 2007 Oklahoma City Team competition
National Pro Fastpitch
1st 2005 season Akron Racers

Career

Bustos, a Mexican American, was born in Canyon Country, California (currently a part of Santa Clarita). She began her career playing softball at Canyon Country Little League and attended Palm Beach Community College.[3] She is a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic softball team, which won the silver medal after losing to Japan in the gold-medal game, the first loss for the U.S. women in 23 straight Olympic games.[4] Her accomplishments also include two World Cup Championships (2006 and 2007), three Pan American gold medals (1999, 2003 and 2007), and a gold medal at the 2006 ISF World Championships. She has also played for the NPF Akron Racers, and was the Most Valuable Player in the WPSL for the Orlando Wahoos in 1998.[5]

Bustos announced that she would retire from international competition after the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[6]

Bustos was named 2008 USA Softball Player of the Year. She became the field manager for the Akron Racers in October 2009,[7] but elected to return to the playing field for the Racers in 2010.

Statistics

[8][9][10]

Team USA
YEAR G AB R H BA RBI HR 3B 2B TB SLG BB SO SB SBA
2000 10 37 5 10 .270 4 2 0 1 17 .459% 4 8 1 1
2004 9 26 9 9 .346 10 5 0 0 24 .923% 2 4 0 0
2008 9 22 12 11 .500 10 6 0 0 29 1.318% 6 1 0 0
TOTALS 28 85 26 30 .353 24 13 0 1 70 .823% 12 13 1 1

References
  1. Coffey, Wayne (July 4, 2000). "CRYSTL PURE GOLD FOR U.S. WOMEN'S OLYMPIC SOFTBALLER GETS RAVES". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2008-09-12.
  2. "U.S. advances to gold medal game with 5-0 win over Australia". Amateur Softball Association. August 22, 2004. Retrieved 2006-10-25.
  3. Branch, John (August 17, 2008). "Bustos Is a Rugged Slugger With a Heart of Gold". New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  4. "Team USA loses bid for fourth straight softball gold medal". Sports Illustrated. August 21, 2008. Archived from the original on August 24, 2008.
  5. "Crystl Bustos". United States Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
  6. Branch, John (August 16, 2008). "The Babe Ruth of Women's Softball Has a Heart of Gold". New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  7. cleveland.com
  8. "Olympic Games Sydney, Australia". Teamusa.org. Archived from the original on December 29, 2015. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  9. "Olympic Games Athens, Greece". Teamusa.org. Archived from the original on December 29, 2015. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  10. "Olympic Games Beijing China". Teamusa.org. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
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