The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Softball legend Osterman to be enshrined in Little League Hall of Excellence
08.03.2016 | Softball
Former UT ace will be honored on Aug. 23 prior to the 2016 Little League Baseball World Series
AUSTIN, Texas – Following a distinguished career throughout all levels of softball, legendary Texas pitcher Cat Osterman will be inducted into the Little League Hall of Excellence in an on-field ceremony to be held on Tues., Aug. 23, prior to the 6:30 p.m. CT game of the Little League Baseball World Series in South Williamsport, Pa.
Enshrinement into the Hall of Excellence is the highest honor that Little League can bestow. Osterman is joining Tom Coughlin, former NFL Coach, and Torii Hunter, former Major League Baseball player, as 2016 Hall of Excellence Enshrinees. After their enshrinement, there will be 52 people honored as members of the Little League Hall of Excellence. Osterman is the fourth female to be honored, and the first to be recognized for a career in softball.
"Without question, Ms. Osterman was one of the most dominate forces ever to step inside the softball circle, and we're proud that her legendary career began on a Little League field," Little League President and CEO Stephen D. Keener said. "As a young girl, she showed leadership, a strong work ethic and a total commitment to the teams she played on. The drive she showed on the Little League Softball fields at the Bear Creek Little League continued through her collegiate, Olympic and professional career and not just on the field, but in the classroom and as a teacher and mentor, as well. We are honored to enshrine Ms. Osterman into the Little League Hall of Excellence."
As a child, Osterman preferred soccer and basketball until the day her Little League Softball coach needed another pitcher because the team's top two pitchers could not throw due to Little League's pitch count regulations. She volunteered, fell in love and never left the softball circle.
After graduating from Cypress Springs High School as the Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year, Osterman joined Team USA, where she accumulated an impressive career that included a top national ranking in strikeouts per seven innings (15.4) and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on two separate occasions. While playing at the University of Texas, she became the first NCAA pitcher to register 2,000-plus strikeouts in her career and would later go on to win a gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics and a silver at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
During her time at Texas, Osterman was named USA Softball National Player of the Year three times. As a freshman, she pitched the first perfect game in Longhorns softball history – the first of seven career perfect games and just one of her 20 career no-hitters. Osterman was also a four-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American and a three-year member of the All-Big 12 Academic Team.
In 2006, she was the first overall pick in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) draft and in 2007, made her professional debut for the Rockford Thunder, striking out 24 batters in a 12-inning, 1-0 win over the Chicago Bandits. In her rookie season, Osterman set a league record with career best strikeout ratio of 12.5. She also had her first career professional no-hitter with a win over the New England Riptide, which led her team to the Cowles Cup Championship. In 2009, she would go on to win the Cowles Cup Championship and was named an All-Star and MVP. She retired from the NPF after the 2015 season.
In 2006, Osterman made her television broadcast debut during ESPN2's broadcast of the National Pro Fastpitch Championship and All-Star Games. Currently, she is a softball coach at Texas State University.
Established in 1988, enshrinement in the World of Little League Hall of Excellence is an annual honor bestowed on a Little League graduate (or graduates) who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in their chosen profession and exemplify the values learned as children in Little League Baseball or Softball. For more information and a complete list of Hall of Excellence enshrinees, visit LittleLeagueMuseum.org.
