Osterman made her Olympic debut in 2004, taking a redshirt season at Texas to become the only collegiate athlete on the team and, at 21, its youngest member. She won gold that year on a USA team that spanned generations, featuring pitching icons like Lisa Fernandez and Jennie Finch alongside legendary hitters like Jessica Mendoza and Crystl Bustos. Osterman led the team in strikeouts (23) while picking up two wins and a save in Athens.
In the 2008 Olympics, Osterman got off to another hot start, pitching a no-hitter in her first game in Beijing and notching two wins and another save before taking the mound for the gold medal game against Japan. Osterman pitched five innings but was tagged for three runs, the first she'd given up in her Olympic career. She took her first Olympic loss that day as the US fell 3-1, the team's first defeat in 22 games and the first time the US failed to win Olympic gold in four Games.
The Beijing Games were the last to feature softball, and Osterman recently told the Wall Street Journal that "there was a finality to 2008 that made it sting. It was almost like ending your career on a sour note." With softball back in the Olympics, Osterman now has a chance to claim the ultimate redemption.