AUSTIN, Texas — Longhorn legend Cat Osterman will have her No. 8 jersey officially retired on Saturday, April 16, as part of a pregame ceremony ahead of Texas Softball's Big 12 series finale against Oklahoma.
The University of Texas said that Osterman will become the first UT softball player and third UT female student-athlete to have her number retired. She will join women's basketball recipients Clarissa Davis (March 2020) and Kamie Ethridge (September 2019).
"When [Osterman] took to the circle, she was just unstoppable and amazing to watch. It's a special, special honor to have your jersey number retired, and no one is more worthy of that than Cat. She continues to make us so proud long after her time on the Forty Acres," UT Athletics Director Chris Del Conte said.
According to UT, Osterman is a three-time USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year, four-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American and a two-time ESPY Award winner for Best Female College Athlete. During her time at UT, she had a record of 136-25 with a 0.51 ERA and 2,265 strikeouts. She helped the Longhorns to three Women's College World Series appearances.
To this day, Osterman holds the NCAA record for highest career strikeout-per-seven-inning ratio at 14.34 and remains the only player in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in ERA on three occasions. She managed 20 no-hitters and seven perfect games while at UT.
That's not all. Osterman had pro success over an eight-year career with the Rockford Thunder and USSSA Pride. UT reports that she led the Thunder to the league title in 2009 and captured three Cowles Cup championships with the Pride in 2010, 2013 and 2014. She was named an All-NPF six times and the NPF's Pitcher of the Year three times (2011, 2013 and 2014).
In 2004, Osterman won gold as the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic Softball Team in Athens. She took silver four years later in Beijing. She came out of retirement to help the USA Softball Women's National Team take silver in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
"To have Cat Osterman become the first softball player to have her jersey retired at the University of Texas is befitting, as her name and Texas Softball are truly synonymous," Texas Head Coach Mike White said. "Cat helped to elevate our softball program to national prominence during her career on the Forty Acres. It is so exciting to have her number '8' immortalized into Texas Softball history and to honor her contribution to the growth of collegiate softball not only in the U.S., but also throughout the world."
Saturday's game is sold out. UT said that should additional tickets become available, they will be available for purchase on game day at the Red & Charline McCombs Field Box Office.
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