The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Softball legend Cat Osterman wins first Athletes Unlimited individual pro title
09.29.2020 | Softball
The pitcher won the league’s overall crown after going 13-1 with 95 strikeouts and 2,408 total points
AUSTIN, Texas – The legend of Cat Osterman added another chapter late Monday night as the standout pitcher secured the inaugural Athletes Unlimited individual points title as her Team Gold topped Team Warren at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Ill., 18-3.
With a unique scoring system, over a five-week season, to determine an overall champion based on points earned for individual statistics, innings won and team wins, Osterman picked up 2,408 total points to nab the crown over 56 other professional players. She was a part of 13 winning teams, won 69 different innings, registered 95 strikeouts, including 16 in a single contest, tossed six complete games and registered a 1.53 ERA with two shutouts.
As a result of her efforts, the lefthander picked up a gold medal and has the honor of being the first entry into the Book of Unlimited, a 500-page book which chronicles the history of the property and records every champion from each Athletes Unlimited sport during a postgame on-field ceremony.
This title only added to Osterman's strong professional-playing legacy. Drafted No. 1 overall in the 2006 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) Draft, she went on to tremendous pro success over an eight-year career with the Rockford Thunder and USSSA Pride. She led the Thunder to the league title in 2009 and captured three more Cowles Cup championships with the Pride in 2010, 2013 and 2014. Osterman was named All-NPF on six occasions and the NPF's Pitcher of the Year three times (2011, 2013, 2014).
During a decorated career on the Forty Acres, Osterman, a three-time USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year, four-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American and two-time ESPY Award winner for Best Female College Athlete put up a staggering career record of 136-25 with a 0.51 ERA and 2,265 strikeouts while helping the Longhorns to three Women's College World Series appearances.
Osterman still holds the NCAA record for highest career strikeout-per-seven-inning ratio at 14.34, remains the only player in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in ERA on three occasions and managed 20 no-hitters and seven perfect games while at Texas.
On an international level, Osterman won gold as the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic Softball Team in Athens in 2004 and then took silver four years later in Beijing. She had already highlighted an impressive comeback from retirement by earning a roster spot on the USA Softball Women's National Team for the upcoming 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
