Cat Osterman - The Caregiver

SOFTBALL - PITCHER - TEAM USA

ARCHETYPE: THE CAREGIVER

Day 14/135

Athletic Accomplishments

Cat Osterman is one of the best pitchers to ever walk the planet. At the collegiate, professional, and Olympic level, Osterman has achieved more than most athletes could ever dream of.

• 4x NCAA All-American

• 6x Professional All-Star

• 2x Olympic medalist (gold & silver)

• 4x National Pro Fastpitch Champion

• Named No. 3 Greatest College Softball Player of all time

She holds the Big 12 Conference pitching Triple Crown (career wins, ERA, and strikeouts), as well as shutouts, no-hitters, WHIP, and perfect games.

Her win-loss record in the NPF was 95-24 with an ERA of 0.91 and 1,260 strikeouts.

I’m also missing dozens of other accolades but you get the point. Simply put, Osterman is NASTY.

Character Archetype: The Caregiver

Cat Osterman knows that her career, talent, work ethic, and titles are enough. She knows that she’s one of the best to ever do it. She has a self-assured composure that only comes from having worked hard, taken chances, and succeeded. So, she doesn’t need your approval to keep being the best.

But you should give it to her anyway. Because this woman is building something bigger than herself. If women’s softball were already an established, well respected and funded enterprise, there is no doubt that Osterman would be a household name and everybody’s hero. She’d be the rookie card you saved.

But that’s just not the game right now. Osterman is forced to be selfless. To not just work on her own game—and not even just the win-loss record of her team—but to help build professional softball into a sport where women can make a career. It’s energy well-spent, but it this all a bit of a tragedy. Can you imagine if Clayton Kershaw had to spend half his career trying to find a league to play in, a contract that kept his lights on?

If I were Cat Osterman, I’d spend an hour a day screaming “WHAT MORE DO I HAVE TO DO?!?” Because this woman has done everything at every level to receive notoriety, a big fat contract, sponsorships, and respect. But most people don’t even know her name.

I’m not blaming you. It’s almost impossible to find and watch professional or Olympic softball games. So, as a viewer, not only do you have to have a very purposeful, deliberate intent to watch, but you also have to be a skilled detective to find the answer, subscribe to the service, and pray the feed doesn’t drop in the third inning.

An enormous part of the problem is that the most elite softball players have been forced to be drifters. Through the years, professional softball leagues have had almost no investment or funding. So, historically, they’ve opened and closed like seasonal ice cream shops after Labor Day.

So, what can you do? You can follow Athletes Unlimited to catch her games. You can watch her on the Olympics this summer. You can know her damn name.