Cat Osterman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cat Osterman
Osterman in 2006
USSSA Pride – No. 38
Pitcher
Born: (1983-04-16) April 16, 1983 (age 42) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Batted: Left Threw: Left
debut
May 29, 2007, for the Rockford Thunder
Last appearance
August 17, 2015, for the USSSA Pride
NPF statistics
Win–loss record	95–24
Earned run average	0.91
Strikeouts	1,260
Saves	12
Teams
Rockford Thunder (2007–2009) USSSA Pride (2010–2015)
Career highlights and awards
2× Honda Sports Award (2005, 2006) 4× Big 12 Pitcher of the Year (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006) 4× NPF Champion (2009,2010, 2013, 2014) 6× All-NPF (2009, 2011–2015) USSSA Pride No. 8 retired
Medals Women's softball Representing  United States Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens Team competition Silver 2008 Beijing Team competition Silver 2020 Tokyo Team competition

Catherine Leigh Osterman (born April 16, 1983) is a retired American softball player. She was an amazing pitcher for the United States women's national softball team. Cat won a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and silver medals at the 2008 and 2020 Summer Olympics.

She was named an All-American four times in college. She was also a six-time All-Star as a professional player. Cat played for the Longhorns at the University of Texas at Austin from 2002 to 2006. She holds many records for the Big 12 Conference in pitching. These include career wins, ERA (how few runs she allowed), and strikeouts.

In the National Pro Fastpitch league, Cat was the first player chosen in the draft. She holds records for strikeout ratio and no-hitters. She is one of only five college pitchers to strike out over 1,000 batters. She also had over 100 wins and a very low ERA. In 2020, she won the first championship in the Athletes Unlimited Softball league. Many consider her one of the greatest college softball players ever.

Early Years in Softball

Cat started playing softball in first grade. But she quit to play soccer and basketball. She found her way back to softball in fifth grade. She filled in as a backup pitcher for a little league team.

Cat was born in Houston, Texas. Her parents are Gary and Laura Osterman. She has two younger brothers, Craig and Chris. She went to Cypress Springs High School from 1997 to 2001. There, she set many records for her school's softball team.

In 2001, she struck out 33 batters in one game. This was a 14-inning game that her team won 1–0. This amazing performance set a national record for strikeouts in a game shorter than 20 innings.

College Career at the University of Texas

Freshman Year: 2002

Cat Osterman was named an All-American in her first year. She was also named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. She set new records for the University of Texas. These included wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts. She also led the NCAA in wins and strikeout ratio.

On February 6, she started her college career. She pitched six innings without allowing any runs. On March 20, she struck out 24 batters in a 10-inning game. This was a career best for her.

She became the first freshman at Texas to be named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. She threw two no-hitters in February. A no-hitter is when a pitcher doesn't allow any hits in a full game. She also threw the first perfect game in Texas history. A perfect game means no one on the other team reaches base at all. She threw two more perfect games that season. This set a record for freshmen.

Sophomore Year: 2003

Cat was again named an All-American, this time to the First Team. She was also named Big 12 "Pitcher" and "Female Athlete" of the Year. She won her first USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. Cat threw 4 no-hitters and another perfect game. She broke her own records for ERA and strikeout ratio. Her strikeout ratio was a new NCAA season record.

She pitched 65 innings in a row without allowing any runs. This was a career high and a Texas record. During this streak, she struck out 115 batters. Cat was the second pitcher in NCAA history to strike out 1,000 batters in just two seasons. She did this in only about 500 innings, which was the fastest ever.

In the Women's College World Series, she struck out 17 batters in one game. This tied a World Series record. She was named to the All-Tournament Team for her great pitching.

Olympic Journey: 2004 Athens Games

Cat took a year off from college in 2004. She joined the US National Softball Team to play in the Olympic Games in Athens.

Getting Ready for Athens

Cat was amazing during the team's practice games. She won all 24 games she pitched in. On May 17, she helped pitch a perfect game with teammate Jennie Finch. On July 10, she threw a no-hitter, striking out 13 batters.

Olympic Games Performance

At the Olympics, Cat earned two wins and one save. She struck out 11 batters in a 3–0 win against Japan. She also struck out 10 batters in a 3–0 win over Chinese Taipei. Her 23 strikeouts led the Team USA in the Olympics. The team won the gold medal!

Back to the University of Texas

Junior Year: 2005

Cat was named an All-American for the third time. She also won the Honda Sports Award for softball. She was named Sportswoman of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation. Cat set new personal bests for ERA, strikeouts, and strikeout ratio. She led the NCAA in ERA and strikeout ratio again. She threw 6 no-hitters and 3 perfect games this season.

On March 9, she threw her sixth career perfect game. She also struck out her 1,200th batter. Cat continued to climb the all-time NCAA strikeout list. She became the third pitcher to reach 1,400 strikeouts. Later, she passed 1,500 and then 1,600 strikeouts.

In the World Series, she struck out 17 batters in one game. She was named to the All-Tournament team again.

Senior Year: 2006

Cat earned her final All-American award and her second Honda Award. She set new career highs in wins, strikeouts, and shutouts. She became one of the first pitchers to have three seasons with over 500 strikeouts. For the fourth time, Cat led the NCAA in ERA and strikeout ratio. She won the Big 12 pitching Triple Crown.

She started the season with six shutouts in a row. On February 11, she won her 100th career game. On February 25, she became the all-time NCAA Division I strikeout leader. She passed Courtney Blades with 1,774 strikeouts. On March 1, she became the first pitcher to reach 1,800 strikeouts.

On April 5, she became the first pitcher to reach 2,000 strikeouts. Her 2,000th strikeout was against Jamie Hinshaw. Later, she became the first to reach 2,100 and then 2,200 strikeouts.

Cat finished her college career with 136 wins. She also had 85 shutouts, putting her second all-time. She holds many records at the University of Texas and in the Big 12 Conference. She is ranked among the top pitchers in NCAA history for wins, strikeouts, shutouts, and perfect games.

After College: Professional and National Team Career

On July 2, 2006, Cat threw a no-hitter in a USA Softball Exhibition game. She struck out 12 batters. On July 17, 2006, she won the championship game of the 2006 World Cup. She beat Team Japan, striking out 11 batters.

She also worked as a TV commentator for softball games on ESPN.

Professional Softball Career

On February 15, 2006, Cat was the first player picked in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) draft. She signed with the Rockford Thunder.

On May 29, 2007, Cat made her professional debut. She struck out 24 batters in a 12-inning game. This tied the league record for strikeouts in a single game. In her first professional season, she had 126 strikeouts. She also threw her first professional no-hitter on August 26, 2007.

In 2009, Cat had a career-best streak of 55 innings without allowing a run. She won the Cowles Cup Championship with a shutout. She was named an All-Star and MVP.

After announcing her retirement, Cat had one of her best seasons ever in 2013. She won the pitching Triple Crown. This means she led the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. She also set new season records for wins and strikeouts. She threw two more no-hitters. She helped her team win the Cowles Cup Championship again and was named MVP.

In 2014, she was named Pitcher of the Year. She won her second straight pitching Triple Crown. She also had a perfect season, winning 16 games without any losses. Her team, the USSSA Pride, won the Cowles Cup championship again. She threw her fifth career no-hitter.

Cat started the 2015 season with three more wins. This extended her winning streak to 21 games in a row, going back to 2013. On July 10, 2015, she pitched her sixth career no-hitter in the NPF.

On June 8, 2017, the USSSA Pride retired her jersey number 8. Cat is currently first in career strikeout ratio and no-hitters in the NPF. She was also the first pitcher to reach 1,000 career strikeouts.

US National Team Again

Cat continued to play for the US National Team. In 2003, she threw two no-hitters in the Canada Cup. On August 15, she threw a perfect game to win the Gold Medal game at the 2003 Pan American Games against Canada.

In 2005, she helped Team USA win the Gold Medal at the International Sports Invitational. In 2007, she threw another 5-inning no-hitter against Cuba.

Olympic Journey: 2008 Beijing Games

Getting Ready for Beijing

Cat was undefeated in 28 games during the team's tour before the Olympics. She won 15 games and struck out 247 batters. She helped pitch several combined no-hitters and perfect games. On May 16, she threw a complete-game no-hitter.

Olympic Games Performance

On August 13, Cat threw a no-hitter against Australia. This was Team USA's 16th straight Olympic win. It was also only the second no-hitter in US Olympic history. On August 15, she helped Team USA win their 18th straight game. On August 18, she earned her third win of the tournament.

On August 20, Cat earned a save in a tough 9-inning win over Japan. This helped Team USA reach the Gold Medal Match. On August 21, Team USA faced Japan again for the Gold Medal. Cat pitched the first 5 innings, but Team USA lost 3–1. This ended their amazing 22-game winning streak. It was the first time the US National Team didn't win gold in four Olympics.

Return for the 2020 Summer Olympics

Cat retired after the 2008 Olympics. But in 2018, she announced she would come back to play. Softball was added back to the Olympics for the 2020 games. Cat made the team for the 2019 season. She helped Team USA win a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Cat did not allow any runs in 14 innings of pitching. She won two games for Team USA. She started the gold medal game against Team Japan, but her team lost 2–0 on July 27, 2021.

Athletes Unlimited

On December 4, 2024, Cat Osterman was named the general manager for the Volts team. This is for the new Athletes Unlimited Softball League.

Fun Facts and Achievements

Cat's favorite athletes include fellow Texans Roger Clemens and Nolan Ryan. She was the first softball player to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. She appeared on it twice!

She is a spokesperson for Under Armour. She also has a special glove with Wilson.

In 2012, Cat Osterman was added to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. In 2014, she became an assistant softball coach at Texas State University.

Career Statistics

Career Records and Achievements

• 2,265 career NCAA Division I strikeouts (2nd all-time)
• 14.34 NCAA strikeouts per 7 innings (1st all-time)
• 3-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year (2003, 2005, 2006) (1st all-time)
• 136 career NCAA Division I wins (6th all-time)
• 0.50 ERA NCAA NCAA Division I sub-1.00 ERAs
• 85 career NCAA Division I shutouts (3rd all-time)
• 25 career Big 12 Pitcher of the Week awards (1st all-time)
• 20 career NCAA Division I no-hitters (3rd all-time)
• 7 career NCAA Division I perfect games (2nd all-time)
• 4-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Year (T-1st all-time)

See also

In Spanish: Cat Osterman para niños