July 18, 2025 • 11 mins
Today, for Legends of the Locker Room, Lifetime Longhorn and former Texas Softball Pitcher Cat Osterman as she discusses her role as General Manager of the Volt in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. She expressed her excitement for the Longhorns winning the Women’s College World Series. She explains what advice she gives to players on the Volts team and what she has left in the tank. She also talked about the atmosphere at the Dell Diamond for the games played there this weekend. You can hear it all here on “The Morning Kickoff Show!”
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Let's let's just set the locker pay. Let's just please
just go alive and we taken Let's just set the
locker pa, let.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Thead and you know that people speak the truth. Let's
just set the locker pay.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Let's just.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Go alive and we take it to but just we.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Let's just set the locker pain.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
Let's just.
Speaker 5 (00:34):
And you know the truth, Mark Kennedy and Mike.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
So when we play this segment, we gotta let the
music ride out just a.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
Little bit just so you can hear our name.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
We can hear our name because we like to hear
our names every once in a while. But it is
with a great honor that we have lifetime Longhorn, Legendary
Lifetime Longhorn.
Speaker 5 (00:56):
Kat Austraman joining.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Us, And let me just tell you, Cat, before we
get all the way into this, this has been something
that I've wanted to do for a very very long
time because I played a little fast pitch softball in
my day, and I always try to tell people I
would have struck out too.
Speaker 5 (01:14):
Don't worry about it. But Kat, thank you.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
First, thank you the first male athlete.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
To admit that yeah I am I am me And
Coach White you know, me and Coach White, we could
do that. We're not afraid of that. We're comfortable. We're comfortable.
But thank you for joining us. We're all excited to
have you on. And you know, when I've watched the
video of you and your joy of watching Texas Softball
win that national championship, and you know, the blood, sweat
(01:44):
and tears that you put into this program. You wanted
to get there, you wanted to make it happen, and
for to watch you enjoy that made everything to us.
I'm so thankful for you to have that opportunity to
enjoy it as well.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
It was a little heartbreaking that being there, but duty called,
obviously with my general manager role with AUSL and I
had to be at our kickoff party because we're doing
pretty big things in the pro space for softball. But yeah,
you know, I've been fortunate always been close to the
program there at Texas since I left, but closer in
the last you know, four or five years since I
stepped down at Texas State and Coach Singleton, the assistant
(02:24):
coach are will now associate head coach there. You know,
him and I formed a friendship and he basically was
like come around whenever you want, and you know, people
kind of like you weren't able to do that before
and it was just different. But I've been super close
and you know, my kids stay in the office during
games and all that jazz now, so it's kind of
not on staff, but part of it sometimes it feels like.
(02:46):
So I was really excited to see the staff and
the girls just finally bring that home. And you know, again,
like you said, it's been a long time coming for
the program and all of us that have helped lay
the foundation and just built over time. You know, Coach
Clark did a great job of building a very competitive
program nationally and Coash White has just elevated that. And
(03:07):
so yeah, I was I was literally trying not to cry,
but it didn't. It didn't help. I still cried, and
for just being proud and happy for them.
Speaker 6 (03:15):
Cat you you you mentioned kind of what you're doing now,
Can you explain to our listeners, like what your role
is now and what you're doing with Joseph, because you're
doing really big things and we love it when we
hear Texas Longhorns leave the playing field and go into
the boardroom.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Yeah, so I was part of Athletes unlimited during COVID
and that's when it launched, and its original model was
more of a fantasy based system. So we played and
as players, we drafted our own teams. We earned points,
and so there was an individual leader at the end
of it all.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
The team aspect was still really important.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
But after four years of that, the fans and the
players alike asked for a more traditional format where we
have four teams and they don't rotate and they don't
change and they get to play a season out with
their actual team. And so ausl is Athletes a limited
softball league and that is our traditional four team format
right now. It'll expand the six teams next year. Actually,
(04:15):
so we took year one on the road. We've done
a barnstorming tour. We were in our home stretch here
the last week and a half of it. But I
am the general manager. Well back, I was on the
advisory board originally, and as part of the advisory board
we helped hire the head coaches in the gms, And
in the middle of that process, my three other advisory
(04:35):
board members, who are all teammates of mine from Team USA,
kind of looked at me and we're like have you
ever thought of being a coach or a GM in
this league?
Speaker 2 (04:43):
And I was like, well, I didn't know if it
was allowed being on an advisory board, but if it is, yeah,
I've thought about it.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
And so I got interviewed and did one of those,
you know, got one of the GM jobs for the Volts,
and yeah, it's different being in the boardroom or in
the you know, front office. We drafted a team that,
on paper I thought was going to be a bunch
of power hitting and run scored and home runs, and
instead my pitching staff was leading the league in the
(05:09):
era until last night, I think, and you know, that's
not what we prioritized, but that's what showed up. So
it's different. We're in year one and obviously a lot
of learning curves, but I'm enjoying it. You know, I
still miss playing a little bit. I watch out there
and I'm like, oh, there's nothing I can do to
influence this game. I just can sit up here and
yell and scream and try to, you know, send all
(05:31):
the good vibes down.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
But it's been fun. It's been fun to be a GM.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
It's been fun to be part of something so big,
because ever I think we're totally seventeen sellouts so far,
and technically I don't know if Round Route goes down
as a sellout because the stadium is so much bigger,
But we had four thousand people there last night, and
we haven't played in front of four thousand people in
pro softball in a very long time, if at all.
Speaker 5 (05:56):
That was my next thing. I was like, do you
ever get that itch?
Speaker 6 (05:59):
And you're looking down and you go, man, I I
could give them three innings, like what you got left?
Speaker 5 (06:06):
Then you what was left in the tank?
Speaker 4 (06:09):
Three spipey the max. But there are times where I'm like, man,
you could just throw this pitch. And the girl Cordy
Getten's who I hired as our pitching coach, is like, Kat,
you can't just say you just throw this pitch.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
It's not that simple. And I'm like, it seems like it, but.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
I don't want to do the training for it anymore.
So I'm definitely shut down. But yeah, there's times where
it's like, man, if I could just get down there
for it, any or two.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
We're talking to Kat Austraman lifetime Longhorn and GM of
the vaults in the ausl and last night they had
you on camera a little bit and there was a
challenge play obstruction that was at third base and you
were like, nope, She's said, don't worry about it.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
We're gonna be all right, We're gonna be back in
the play.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
But it goes back to that competitive spirit that you
have in these particular moments. Do you ever have time Well,
I know that you have the time, but do a
lot of people come to you pitchers and talk to
you about certain pitches or how you would do this
batter compared to that batter, and just kind of pick
your brain a little bit.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
I mean, I hired a staff, so as a GM,
part of it is letting your staff, you know, be
empowered to do their job.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
And I said, Courtney Gettens.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
She's actually the pitching coach at Florida Gulf Coast, but
she's done some grad assistant work at Alabama and with
Coach White at Texas, so that's.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
How I know her. But I do talk to her
quite a bit.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Occasionally I'll see a game and I'm like, all right,
I've pitched, I've played against this player for a while,
so this is how you know I would pitcher. And
here's where I know her hole is, especially if you
know runners are on and they're trying to, you know,
take big swings. And I did talk with our pitchers
a little bit early on in season, especially after I
drafted them, what I liked about them, what I needed
them to do a little bit better, And then over
(07:52):
the course as we scrimmaged and stuff, just watching their
pitch patterns and one of them has a really nasty
off speed and I'm like, why don't you ever throw
that back to back? And so there have been a
couple of games where she's like, hey, I got that
back to back off speed for you, and I'm like,
and it worked.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
So I think that's part of my learning.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Curve is after this year, I could probably be a
little bit more involved, especially with the pictures, because I
do think they want to soak in everything I can provide,
and so I don't think it's against kind of you know,
my roller stepping on toes to go ahead and go
in and give them a little bit more insight, you
know what.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
I also love this too, because you were talking about
the barnstorming approach and being able to come back to
Central Texas and being able to talk to everyone and
get Central Texas involved. Obviously, Chris Amadaris, who connected you
and I yesterday, was talking about being able to come
to Dale Diamond, and Dale Diamond does an amazing job,
(08:48):
from the staff to the production on the outside. They
never control on what's happening on the field. That's up
to us, but for them it is a great experience.
And I saw last night that it was an outstanding
experience for everyone.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
It was.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
We had four thousand people, you know, Chris put my
family up in a suite, and Hayley, the woman that
was serving us, basically said at the end, she goes,
I haven't seen Dell Dimond like this in the five
years I've worked here.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
And then even the other two two of.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
The other workers stopped and we're like, this atmosphere was
completely different than baseball. She was, this was so fun
to witness and be part of tonight, and we're excited
for the next three nights just because it's a different
crowd with all the little girls and all the families,
and not that families don't come to the Express, but
like softball typically is your family friendly event, especially even
in a college space.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
And so they said, the merchandise line.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
They were like it went around the concourse and it
never got smaller, like it just stayed that big. And
the same four girls for AU were just constantly working
and ringing things up and it was big. And you know,
I think the other piece is that Athletes Unlimited has
done a great job of making the concourse and the
outside part of the field a space.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
That people want to come to as well.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
You know, little girls want to go get their hair
braided at the Goodie Bar because Goody is a sponsor
for us, and you can go, you know, do all
sorts of crafts that one for each team, even if
your favorite team isn't here in this stop, and there's
just so much going on that they've done a good
job to make it not just the game on the.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Field, but more a more overall experience.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
And yeah, I was kind of wild when you know,
even the employees last night were talking about how incredible
it was. It's like, Okay, now we impacted people who
didn't even have to buy tickets, which is really cool.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
That is awesome.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
You got three more nights over at the Dale Diamonds,
so make sure you go out and support AUSL. It
is outstanding. I watched all the game last night. I've
been watching the games. It's a lot of fun. But
most importantly, thank you for taking the time today because
I know you're busy, but thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Yeah, no worries, thank you guys for having me. And yeah,
everyone come out tune in. It's MLB app it's for
free if it's not on ESPN, so everybody can watch.
We're no longer behind the paywall after many many years,
so tune in and show these ladies a lot of love.
Speaker 5 (11:12):
All right, that's right.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Test tonight is on ESPN U, so you get a
chance to check it out tonight.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Thanks Kat, Thank you guys.
Speaker 5 (11:19):
All right,
Let's let's just set the locker pay. Let's just please
just go alive and we taken Let's just set the
locker pa, let.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Thead and you know that people speak the truth. Let's
just set the locker pay.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Let's just.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Go alive and we take it to but just we.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Let's just set the locker pain.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
Let's just.
Speaker 5 (00:34):
And you know the truth, Mark Kennedy and Mike.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
So when we play this segment, we gotta let the
music ride out just a.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
Little bit just so you can hear our name.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
We can hear our name because we like to hear
our names every once in a while. But it is
with a great honor that we have lifetime Longhorn, Legendary
Lifetime Longhorn.
Speaker 5 (00:56):
Kat Austraman joining.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Us, And let me just tell you, Cat, before we
get all the way into this, this has been something
that I've wanted to do for a very very long
time because I played a little fast pitch softball in
my day, and I always try to tell people I
would have struck out too.
Speaker 5 (01:14):
Don't worry about it. But Kat, thank you.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
First, thank you the first male athlete.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
To admit that yeah I am I am me And
Coach White you know, me and Coach White, we could
do that. We're not afraid of that. We're comfortable. We're comfortable.
But thank you for joining us. We're all excited to
have you on. And you know, when I've watched the
video of you and your joy of watching Texas Softball
win that national championship, and you know, the blood, sweat
(01:44):
and tears that you put into this program. You wanted
to get there, you wanted to make it happen, and
for to watch you enjoy that made everything to us.
I'm so thankful for you to have that opportunity to
enjoy it as well.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
It was a little heartbreaking that being there, but duty called,
obviously with my general manager role with AUSL and I
had to be at our kickoff party because we're doing
pretty big things in the pro space for softball. But yeah,
you know, I've been fortunate always been close to the
program there at Texas since I left, but closer in
the last you know, four or five years since I
stepped down at Texas State and Coach Singleton, the assistant
(02:24):
coach are will now associate head coach there. You know,
him and I formed a friendship and he basically was
like come around whenever you want, and you know, people
kind of like you weren't able to do that before
and it was just different. But I've been super close
and you know, my kids stay in the office during
games and all that jazz now, so it's kind of
not on staff, but part of it sometimes it feels like.
(02:46):
So I was really excited to see the staff and
the girls just finally bring that home. And you know, again,
like you said, it's been a long time coming for
the program and all of us that have helped lay
the foundation and just built over time. You know, Coach
Clark did a great job of building a very competitive
program nationally and Coash White has just elevated that. And
(03:07):
so yeah, I was I was literally trying not to cry,
but it didn't. It didn't help. I still cried, and
for just being proud and happy for them.
Speaker 6 (03:15):
Cat you you you mentioned kind of what you're doing now,
Can you explain to our listeners, like what your role
is now and what you're doing with Joseph, because you're
doing really big things and we love it when we
hear Texas Longhorns leave the playing field and go into
the boardroom.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Yeah, so I was part of Athletes unlimited during COVID
and that's when it launched, and its original model was
more of a fantasy based system. So we played and
as players, we drafted our own teams. We earned points,
and so there was an individual leader at the end
of it all.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
The team aspect was still really important.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
But after four years of that, the fans and the
players alike asked for a more traditional format where we
have four teams and they don't rotate and they don't
change and they get to play a season out with
their actual team. And so ausl is Athletes a limited
softball league and that is our traditional four team format
right now. It'll expand the six teams next year. Actually,
(04:15):
so we took year one on the road. We've done
a barnstorming tour. We were in our home stretch here
the last week and a half of it. But I
am the general manager. Well back, I was on the
advisory board originally, and as part of the advisory board
we helped hire the head coaches in the gms, And
in the middle of that process, my three other advisory
(04:35):
board members, who are all teammates of mine from Team USA,
kind of looked at me and we're like have you
ever thought of being a coach or a GM in
this league?
Speaker 2 (04:43):
And I was like, well, I didn't know if it
was allowed being on an advisory board, but if it is, yeah,
I've thought about it.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
And so I got interviewed and did one of those,
you know, got one of the GM jobs for the Volts,
and yeah, it's different being in the boardroom or in
the you know, front office. We drafted a team that,
on paper I thought was going to be a bunch
of power hitting and run scored and home runs, and
instead my pitching staff was leading the league in the
(05:09):
era until last night, I think, and you know, that's
not what we prioritized, but that's what showed up. So
it's different. We're in year one and obviously a lot
of learning curves, but I'm enjoying it. You know, I
still miss playing a little bit. I watch out there
and I'm like, oh, there's nothing I can do to
influence this game. I just can sit up here and
yell and scream and try to, you know, send all
(05:31):
the good vibes down.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
But it's been fun. It's been fun to be a GM.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
It's been fun to be part of something so big,
because ever I think we're totally seventeen sellouts so far,
and technically I don't know if Round Route goes down
as a sellout because the stadium is so much bigger,
But we had four thousand people there last night, and
we haven't played in front of four thousand people in
pro softball in a very long time, if at all.
Speaker 5 (05:56):
That was my next thing. I was like, do you
ever get that itch?
Speaker 6 (05:59):
And you're looking down and you go, man, I I
could give them three innings, like what you got left?
Speaker 5 (06:06):
Then you what was left in the tank?
Speaker 4 (06:09):
Three spipey the max. But there are times where I'm like, man,
you could just throw this pitch. And the girl Cordy
Getten's who I hired as our pitching coach, is like, Kat,
you can't just say you just throw this pitch.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
It's not that simple. And I'm like, it seems like it, but.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
I don't want to do the training for it anymore.
So I'm definitely shut down. But yeah, there's times where
it's like, man, if I could just get down there
for it, any or two.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
We're talking to Kat Austraman lifetime Longhorn and GM of
the vaults in the ausl and last night they had
you on camera a little bit and there was a
challenge play obstruction that was at third base and you
were like, nope, She's said, don't worry about it.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
We're gonna be all right, We're gonna be back in
the play.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
But it goes back to that competitive spirit that you
have in these particular moments. Do you ever have time Well,
I know that you have the time, but do a
lot of people come to you pitchers and talk to
you about certain pitches or how you would do this
batter compared to that batter, and just kind of pick
your brain a little bit.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
I mean, I hired a staff, so as a GM,
part of it is letting your staff, you know, be
empowered to do their job.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
And I said, Courtney Gettens.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
She's actually the pitching coach at Florida Gulf Coast, but
she's done some grad assistant work at Alabama and with
Coach White at Texas, so that's.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
How I know her. But I do talk to her
quite a bit.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Occasionally I'll see a game and I'm like, all right,
I've pitched, I've played against this player for a while,
so this is how you know I would pitcher. And
here's where I know her hole is, especially if you
know runners are on and they're trying to, you know,
take big swings. And I did talk with our pitchers
a little bit early on in season, especially after I
drafted them, what I liked about them, what I needed
them to do a little bit better, And then over
(07:52):
the course as we scrimmaged and stuff, just watching their
pitch patterns and one of them has a really nasty
off speed and I'm like, why don't you ever throw
that back to back? And so there have been a
couple of games where she's like, hey, I got that
back to back off speed for you, and I'm like,
and it worked.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
So I think that's part of my learning.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Curve is after this year, I could probably be a
little bit more involved, especially with the pictures, because I
do think they want to soak in everything I can provide,
and so I don't think it's against kind of you know,
my roller stepping on toes to go ahead and go
in and give them a little bit more insight, you
know what.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
I also love this too, because you were talking about
the barnstorming approach and being able to come back to
Central Texas and being able to talk to everyone and
get Central Texas involved. Obviously, Chris Amadaris, who connected you
and I yesterday, was talking about being able to come
to Dale Diamond, and Dale Diamond does an amazing job,
(08:48):
from the staff to the production on the outside. They
never control on what's happening on the field. That's up
to us, but for them it is a great experience.
And I saw last night that it was an outstanding
experience for everyone.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
It was.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
We had four thousand people, you know, Chris put my
family up in a suite, and Hayley, the woman that
was serving us, basically said at the end, she goes,
I haven't seen Dell Dimond like this in the five
years I've worked here.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
And then even the other two two of.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
The other workers stopped and we're like, this atmosphere was
completely different than baseball. She was, this was so fun
to witness and be part of tonight, and we're excited
for the next three nights just because it's a different
crowd with all the little girls and all the families,
and not that families don't come to the Express, but
like softball typically is your family friendly event, especially even
in a college space.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
And so they said, the merchandise line.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
They were like it went around the concourse and it
never got smaller, like it just stayed that big. And
the same four girls for AU were just constantly working
and ringing things up and it was big. And you know,
I think the other piece is that Athletes Unlimited has
done a great job of making the concourse and the
outside part of the field a space.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
That people want to come to as well.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
You know, little girls want to go get their hair
braided at the Goodie Bar because Goody is a sponsor
for us, and you can go, you know, do all
sorts of crafts that one for each team, even if
your favorite team isn't here in this stop, and there's
just so much going on that they've done a good
job to make it not just the game on the.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Field, but more a more overall experience.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
And yeah, I was kind of wild when you know,
even the employees last night were talking about how incredible
it was. It's like, Okay, now we impacted people who
didn't even have to buy tickets, which is really cool.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
That is awesome.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
You got three more nights over at the Dale Diamonds,
so make sure you go out and support AUSL. It
is outstanding. I watched all the game last night. I've
been watching the games. It's a lot of fun. But
most importantly, thank you for taking the time today because
I know you're busy, but thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Yeah, no worries, thank you guys for having me. And yeah,
everyone come out tune in. It's MLB app it's for
free if it's not on ESPN, so everybody can watch.
We're no longer behind the paywall after many many years,
so tune in and show these ladies a lot of love.
Speaker 5 (11:12):
All right, that's right.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Test tonight is on ESPN U, so you get a
chance to check it out tonight.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Thanks Kat, Thank you guys.
Speaker 5 (11:19):
All right,
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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.