KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Team USA's Cat Osterman warmed up at Rainbow Wahine Stadium yesterday. The Texas pitcher led the nation in ERA.
USA’s Osterman
is the cat’s meowThe pitcher is gaining valuable
experience at the U.S. Cup
Summer? What summer?
That's how Cat Osterman is feeling right now. In Hawaii for a week, the 20-year-old is planning on getting a lot of sun ... but not at the beach.
It will be out at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium where the youngest member of Team USA will continue adding international experience to her already impressive resume in this week's U.S. Cup. The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year is expected to see relief action tomorrow and Friday with a probable start Saturday against either Chinese Taipei at 4:30 p.m. or Canada at 7 p.m.
"I don't have a summer, I have softball," said Osterman, who led the country with a 0.38 earned-run average this past season while pitching for the University of Texas. "But it's good. I get to work on my softball and get international experience by playing in a tournament like this.
"This is also helping us get prepared for the Pan Am Games. Any time you can play against people who play your sport at the highest level is good. And playing for the U.S. ... anytime we don't come with the gold, it is a disappointment."
In this tournament here two years ago, the then-18-year-old Osterman tossed a one-hitter and struck out nine as the U.S. defeated China 4-0 for the gold medal. Earlier in the round-robin event, she went the distance in shutting out Japan 1-0 with a three-hit, 13-strikeout performance.
Last Sunday, Osterman started the U.S. season opener against Canada at Surrey, British Columbia. The 6-foot-2 left-hander struck out five in two innings in a 14-0 rout cut to five innings by the 10-run rule.
U.S. coach Mike Candrea used three other pitchers against the Canadians, something he intends to do this week. He has five starters "and we'll use them all," he said.
"We have our veterans in Lisa Fernandez and Lori Harrigan (both 32 years old and two-time Olympians). And we have our younger players. Cat is part of our future, just like Keira Goerl (21) and Jenny Finch (22). We need players who will step in to fill their shoes when our older players retire."
Playing in Hawaii for a third consecutive year continues to help the U.S. team, which has dominated international softball since the 1970s. The team's trophy case includes seven of the past eight gold medals in the World Championships, five of the past six gold medals in the Pan American Games, and both Olympic gold medals.
"It's not hard being on top, but you try not to be complacent," said Candrea. "Right now, this team needs to get better and this is a good tournament to do that. Hawaii has great weather, an international atmosphere, and it's also easier for the other teams to get here.
"Chinese Taipei is a good test. We don't know much about Greece. With Canada, you never know which team will show up."
Candrea said he was particularly disappointed when Japan pulled out last week -- "they've been a benchmark for us," he said -- and also canceled next month's Japan Cup. No reason was given, but officials suspect it could be related to the SARS epidemic in Asia.
The U.S. Cup is part of the Olympic team evaluation and selection process. The July 4-13 Canada Cup in Surrey, B.C., and the Aug. 5-14 Pan Am Games in the Dominican Republic will also be used, with the final team announced following the Selection Camp, Sept. 3-8, in Chula Vista, Calif.
OSTERMAN SAID she dreams about going to Athens next year. It would mean leaving school and red-shirting next season for the Longhorns.
"Making it would be a dream come true for me," she said. "Everyone looks toward that as a goal."
Osterman started her athletic career in goal ... as a soccer player at age 5. She turned to softball around age 11 "because I got bored being in the goal," she said. "I started playing softball and fell in love with pitching because you're involved with every play."
The Houston native already has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated (when Texas was chosen the top college for athletics), has "Cat Cat" wallpaper available for download off a Web site, and was named an All-American for the second time on Monday. She's enjoyed remarkable success at the amateur level, helping her teams to the senior women's titles in 2002 and the 18-under titles in 2000 and '01; she was also the 2001 Gatorade National High School Player of the Year.
However, Osterman is still seeking one thing: an NCAA title. Third-ranked Texas was eliminated by eventual champion UCLA 2-1 last month as the Longhorns finished the year at 49-9 and Osterman at 32-6.
"Our goal is to light the tower at least once for an NCAA title," Osterman said of the Texas tradition where the campus tower is lit burnt orange for a national championship. "We had it lit twice for our Big 12 championships.
"I don't think my (recruiting) class will leave without doing it. We've had a taste of the World Series the past two years and now we want to win it."
Osterman said she's looking forward to some down time this summer in between tournaments. There's one thing she wants to do.
"I haven't seen 'Finding Nemo' yet," she said of the new Disney movie. "My two good friends back in Texas promised they'd wait for me to come back and see it."
U.S. Cup
What: Women's international softball
Where: Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
Tickets: $5 adults, $3 students (18-under).
Tomorrow: Canada vs. Chinese Taipei, 11:30 a.m.; Canada vs. Greece, 2 p.m.; Opening ceremony, 4 p.m.; U.S. vs. Greece, 4:30 p.m.; U.S. vs. Chinese Taipei, 7 p.m.
Friday: U.S. vs. Greece, 11:30 a.m.; Chinese Taipei vs. Canada, 2 p.m.; Greece vs. Chinese Taipei, 4:30 p.m.; U.S. vs. Canada, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Canada vs. Greece, 11:30 a.m.; Greece vs. Chinese Taipei, 2 p.m.; U.S. vs. Chinese Taipei, 4:30 p.m.; U.S. vs. Canada, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Bronze medal game, 11 a.m.; Gold medal game, 1:30 p.m.
