Early Life and High School
She started playing softball in first grade before quitting to play soccer and basketball. Cat found her way back to the diamond in fifth grade, when she was filling in as a backup pitcher for a little league team.
Osterman was born in Houston, Texas to parents Gary and Laura Osterman. Her younger brothers are Craig (born 1986) and Chris (born 1994). She attended Cypress Springs High School in Cypress, Texas from 1997 to 2001, where she set several records on the school's softball team.
In 2001, she struck out 33 batters in a 14-inning 1-0 shutout over Cy-Fair High School. The performance ranked 16th on the strikeouts-in-a-single-game (extra innings) list, behind:
- 61, Alicia Hollowell; Fairfield Middle School 0, Woodland High School 1; May 25 & 29, 2001; 30 innings
- 53, DeeDee Weiman; Cerritos Gahr 0, Lakewood St. Joseph 1; 1986; 29 innings
- 49, Jennifer Deering; Salinas North Salinas 9, Gilroy 4; April 14 & May 8, 1997; 34 innings
- 48, Lisa Fernandez; Lakewood St. Joseph 1, Cerritos Gahr 0; 1986; 29 innings
- 47, Kristen Sloubar; Van Nuys Montclair Prep 2, Santa Monica Crossroads 1; May 8–9, 2005; 21 innings
- 44, Samantha Freeman; Pleasant Hill MO vs. Jefferson City Helias MO; October 20, 2001; 21 innings
- 43, Terry Carpenter; Huntington Beach Edison 0, Burbank Burroughs 0; 19xx; 24 innings
- 43, Jenny Schachtner; Flintridge Prep 2, Westright Tigers 1; June 27–29, 2005; 26 innings
- 42, Kristy Goodrich; Warren Lordstown OH 6, Bristol OH 2; 1998; 21 innings
- 42, Tracy Tiensvold; Truman MO vs. Blue Springs MO; October 14, 2000; 35 innings
- 40, Marissa Marzan; Fresno Bullard 0 vs. Clovis 1; 2000; 22 innings
- 40, Michele Granger; Placentia Valencia 1, La Mirada 0; 1988; 25 innings
- 40, Kayla Richardson; West Jefferson Ashe County NC vs. Mt. Airy North Surry NC; April 22, 25 & 27, 2005; 26 innings
- 35, Lucy Cezarez; Chula Vista Bonita Vista 1, La Mesa Helix 0; 1976; 29 innings
As such, she set a national record for strikeouts in a game under 20 innings, beating Jenny Stallard's previous record of 31 in 19 innings in 1978; she also set a national record for strikeouts in a 14-inning game, breaking Michelle Granger's former record of 31 in 1985.
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