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Softball Ace Didn't Give Batters a Chance
Junior Katie Osburn led Cabrini to its second straight title in dominant style.
June 25, 2007— -- George Steinbrenner might have made a big mistake.
Maybe instead of luring future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens out of retirement for a generous $4.5 million a month, the Yankees owner should have turned his scouts' attention to Allen Park, Mich.
This year, Allen Park's Cabrini High School featured one of the most dominant young pitchers in America -- Katie Osburn. Of course, until Major League Baseball allows underhand pitching, Osburn can't pitch for the Yankees. And that might be a good thing for opposing hitters.
Osburn, a 17-year-old junior, pitched every inning of every game for Cabrini's girls' softball team, leading the Monarchs to an undefeated season and a second consecutive state title. But the championships tell only part of the story.
Among Osburn's junior season stats? Twelve no-hitters and an ERA of 0.04. No, that's not a typo.
Osburn gave up a paltry 38 hits, allowed just one run, and had 320 strikeouts and a 35-0 record. She also set records by netting 26 consecutive shutouts during the Monarch's 74-game winning streak.
Stats like these are nearly impossible to achieve and are rarely seen at any level of competitive baseball or softball -- and certainly no one in the Major Leagues has ever come close to such numbers.
Over a similar span of 300-plus innings in 1963, legend Sandy Koufax's air-tight 1.88 ERA and 306 strikeouts pale in comparison to the marks set by the Michigan superstar.
And while Koufax wasn't known for his bat, Osburn is a pitcher who can also handle the lumber. She hit .485 this season, knocking in 36 RBIs and clubbing four home runs.
Osburn, who is committed to Miami University in Ohio, enjoyed a strong supporting cast, including the other half of one of the most commanding batteries in sports: junior catcher Amanda Chidester.
Chidester etched her name in Michigan softball record books with an astonishing .740 batting average and finished the year with 16 home runs and 90 RBIs in 35 games. She has her sights set on playing at the University of Michigan after next season.
Head coach Debbie Norman called the championship season a team effort, but made it known that the team was lead by some phenomenal athletes.
"[Katie] and Amanda are the focal points of the team," Norman said in an interview with ABC News.
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