Her path to softball stardom was not the typical one. In fact, she didn’t want to play college softball at all. She wanted to play basketball. But now she is an integral part of the No. 18th-ranked team in the nation.
Senior infielder Andrea Gustafson had basketball on her mind when she enrolled at Lane Community College. But instead she joined the club softball team because the basketball team was not very good and she wasn’t having any fun.
“It wasn’t what I expected,” Gustafson said. “I was kinda upset with that decision [to play basketball] because I always knew I was a better softball player.”
After two years of club softball, Gustafson was the beneficiary of a phone call from her coach at Lane to Oregon head coach Rick Gamez. She was given the opportunity to try out, and she impressed Gamez and his staff enough to earn a spot on the Oregon squad.
“She was a kid that would come out early and stay late,” Gamez said. “She has worked herself into a darn good player. Her stats speak for themselves.”
This season Gustafson is the Ducks’ second-leading hitter, with a .346 batting average. She’s also tied for third on the team with 29 runs batted in.
Gustafson’s tough persona has helped her come from a mere walk-on player to a major contributor. She is now the lead-off hitter and an offensive catalyst.
“She’s great. She gets a walk, a base hit, or a home run, she lets us know what the pitcher is throwing,” fellow senior and roommate Jill Robinson said. “She’s really aggressive.
“I always have to fight with her for the remote control at home. She’s always trying to be tough with my dogs. But the other day I came home and she was asleep with my dog cuddling in her arms.”
According to Robinson, Gustafson is a “softy” who tries to act tough, which is why the song that plays when she goes to bat is a perfect fit.
Gustafson said she chose “The Humpty Dance” by Digital Underground mainly as a joke.
“I really wanted the Humpty Dance because I really like rap music,” Gustafson said. “It just fits me. It’s funny because my teammates know I’m really into rap and I’m laid back and funny.”
This weekend Gustafson will be anything but laid back as she returns to her hometown of Corvallis to take on No. 14 Oregon State for the last time. The double header is big for the whole team because the Beavers (31-13-1 overall, 3-8 Pacific-10 Conference) got the best of the Ducks (30-18, 4-6) at Howe Field on April 11th. But Gustafson said she feels more pressure because her friends and family will be there.
“I remember going there last year and not playing the way I wanted to,” Gustafson said. “And this being the last time, I wanna play the way people remember me playing in high school. It’s always tough because I know there’s going to be a lot of people there I know and I want to play well for them.”
But Gustafson will not be able to beat Oregon State alone. She is going to need her teammates to step up and contribute at the plate. Recently that has not been a problem for the Ducks, winners of six of the last seven. During that stretch, Oregon has scored 34 runs while giving up only 20.
“We’re going to continue to try to the put the ball in play and make their defense work a little bit,” Gamez said. “We’ll need to shorten up our swings so we can put more runners on and produce more runs.”
Gustafson will be a big part of that. After starting the season batting in the third spot, she was recently moved into the lead-off spot, which has benefited both her and the team.
Since moving to the lead-off spot, Gustafson has gone seven for 21 with three RBIs and three runs scored.
“She showed signs of being a pretty good lead-off hitter, so we moved her there and kept her there,” Gamez said. “And it’s paid off.”
Not only has she set the table nicely for the big bats in Oregon’s lineup, Gustafson has also been a steadying force in the middle of the infield, helping along younger players such as shortstop Alyssa Laux.
“Her experience has been a big factor for the infield,” Gamez said. “The right side has been pretty solid all along.”
It will have to remain that way to control the potent Beaver offense. Oregon State’s lineup features Tarrah Beyster who leads the team in batting at .449 and in home runs (11) and RBIs (35).
“Hopefully we’ll play a little better defense,” Gamez said. “And we hope to get some better pitching performances up there.”