For two years, Whitney Gustafson has both been the anchor and leader for the BYU-Hawaii Lady Seasiders softball team. The senior catcher and biology major from Utah transferred to BYUH last season from Salt Lake Community College. Immediately filling the starting catcher role, Gustafson quickly began making an impact on the softball team. “Whitney is a great leader with a lot of knowledge about the game,” said teammate Makeala Williamson, a sophomore in ICS from California. “She pushes us to play to the best of our abilities and truly believes in all of us.”Gustafson has been playing softball since she was 4. “I tried every other sport, and I felt that there was more involvement in softball, especially as a catcher,” said Gustafson. It was at the catcher position where Gustafson would find her success. “You get to see the whole field and where everyone is, and I love the feeling of throwing out a runner at second or making a sweet tag at the plate,” said Gustafson. Throughout her time at BYUH she has not only excelled at the defensive side of the game, but also on the offensive side. This year she is currently batting .355, with 3 RBI’s, and with a .387 slugging percent. Although her time here has not led to as much success as she would like in the win column, she has enjoyed being at BYUH. “Here, it is definitely about ohana. On other teams I have played on that was not always the case,” said Gustafson. “I love the family atmosphere here and that we are all friends. It is really that Hawaiian culture we feel, even though we are not all Hawaiian.” Gustafson has just a couple more weeks left in her softball career here, but she will be leaving a legacy for her teammates that will be missed. “Her character is what we will miss the most about Whitney,” said teammate Tiffany Smith, a sophomore exercise and science major from Torrance, Calif. “She raises the intensity of each game and makes sure that each teammate is ready to go.” Gustafson will graduate this Saturday, April 18, and after the softball season is over, she plans to move back to Utah with her husband. She hopes to continue to coach softball at her old high school, Bingham High School, as well as go on to pharmacy school at the University of Utah and start a family.May 21, 2015
Writer: Matthew Roberts~ Multimedia Journalist
