Osterman to retire after ’21 season with Athletes Unlimited

Defending champion Cat Osterman has committed to return for the second season of Athletes Unlimited softball before she retires.

Osterman is set to compete for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics before finishing her career with Athletes Unlimited later this year. The 37-year-old left-handed pitcher was an Olympic gold medalist in 2004 and a silver medalist in 2008. In college at Texas, she was a three-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.

She retired from the sport in 2015 and returned to action in 2018 for a chance to play in the Olympics. She’s excited about the chance to close out her career with Athletes Unlimited.

“Year one was an incredible experience, on and off the field, which made playing one more time an easy decision,” she said. “I look forward to another amazing time and ending my career once and for all here in the U.S.,”

Last season, Osterman was the highest point earner in games played during a five-week season played in a bubble at a sports complex in Rosemont, Illinois. She compiled 2,408 points, followed by Jessica Warren, Victoria Hayward and Erika Piancastelli.

Osterman is one of six Olympians from four countries slated to return. Others are Team USA members Haylie McCleney and Hannah Flippen, Canada’s Hayward, Mexico’s Danielle O’Toole and Italy’s Piancastelli.

Four more players have agreed to return — Warren, Aleshia Ocasio, Haylie Wagner and Megan Wiggins. The league expects to have 60 players for the season, which is scheduled to start Aug. 28.

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