CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Entering the 2019 USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) Selection Trials, one thing is certain -- Monica Abbott, 33, is still a tour de force on the mound. Her dominating performance for Team USA includes 10 wins in as many starts with a 0.98 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 57 ⅓ innings, most recently a complete game, 10-strikeout, 2-hit shutout in the USA’s 4-0 victory over Japan to capture the Japan Cup. 

While the final roster still needs to be officially earmarked by Women’s National Team leader Ken Eriksen and the rest of the selection committee, it is hard to imagine a 2020 Olympic squad without Abbott on it. Her performances over the first few days of the trials at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater have resembled the same precision as she’s shown in recent international competition and professional ball. 

On the other hand, Cat Osterman admittedly is seeking to find that dominating form again as she attempts to solidify her comeback to the mound. Initially, in her “five” controlled innings of work (during the trials, each pitcher faces four batters during an inning), the 35-year-old left-hander looked like the 21-year-old Olympian who holds the Big 12 pitching Triple Crown for leading in career wins, ERA, strikeouts, as well as shutouts and no-hitters.

Over the course of the first two innings facing eight batters, she struck out six, forced a batter into a lazy fly ball to the edge of the infield, and walked a batter on a questionable ball four. Then, over the next two frames, she surrendered three consecutive doubles, a single, and a sacrifice fly.

“I think right now I’m just trying to get comfortable facing hitters again,” said Osterman, a former three-time National Player of the Year, four-time All-American and two-time Olympic medalist who is in her fifth season as an assistant coach, second as associate head coach at Texas State. “Last night, I was trying to get the emotions under control and tonight, I came out really sharp and commanding the zone. I’m not sure what shook that but it’s part of the process of being able to reset again. You have to retrain your brain again in a competitive setting.”

Osterman said getting into trouble and finding ways out of it in a competitive environment is necessary to get back in the flow of things, even for someone who went 15-4 with a 1.16 ERA and a league-best 164 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings in her final season with the USSSA Pride of National Pro Fastpitch in 2015.

“I don’t want to coast through things because it won’t be easy in international competition, just as much as it isn’t easy facing these incredible players (at the USA Trials),” said Osterman, who has been running, biking, lifting and doing agility drills on a daily basis to get back into form. 

Additionally, Osterman said she was working with catcher Aubree Munro on a different type of off-speed pitch than she has used in the past.  

“Part of this process is also using the Trials to work on certain things in a competitive setting to see how it does against quality batters,” Osterman said. “Obviously, that off-speed pitch I tried didn’t necessarily work too well so I’m going to have to re-evaluate whether to use it or not but it’s all a part of the process.”

Part of that process is being able to connect with the person receiving the ball. Munro developed a rapport with Abbott during international play in 2018 and is excited about the opportunity to possibly work with Osterman for the Pan American Games and the Olympics. Munro caught Osterman for the first time during Thursday night’s session.

“Catching Cat is fun,” said Munro, who was the starting catcher on Florida’s back-to-back NCAA championship-winning teams in 2014-15. “I like catching pitchers who have a plan and are experienced. They can do things with the ball that a lot of pitchers can’t. As a catcher, it’s fun to be a part of.”

Munro cemented herself as the National Team’s best catcher throughout the 2018 competitions, not just because of her defensive play behind the plate and her ability to find synergy with one of the sport’s best pitchers ever, but because of her improved presence as an offensive player. Munro demonstrated a certain sense of the moment in the World Championships last summer when she hit a home run that started a rally in the semifinal to propel the U.S. to a comeback victory over Japan and when she hit a two-out double off  2008 Olympic hero Yukiko Ueno that tied the gold-medal game. 

“Turned the corner?” Munro repeated when asked if she believed she had turned the corner in all phases of the game during last year’s play. “I don’t know if I would call it turning the corner. I just believe my confidence changed in terms of feeling more impactful like you’re doing things to help the team succeed.” 

Additionally, her time behind the plate catching for Abbott helped her enhance her game.

Getting to work with a pitcher as great as Monica allowed me to become more creative in the way I call a game,” said Munro, who caught Abbott during Wednesday’s evening session. “She has a plan and a strategy and goes about facing each batter with a specific plan. We were really able to hit a stride in terms of understanding each other. She is able to hit the corners and spots that allows me to be more creative as a catcher in terms of calling a game.”

Abbott appreciates greatness just as much as anyone, especially when she’s able to throw to someone with a skill set like Munro.

“Iron sharpens iron,” said Abbott, who is the NCAA Division I Softball all-time leader in career wins, strikeouts, shutouts, innings pitched, games started and games pitched. “This is such an incredible opportunity for some of the world’s best players. It’s difficult. Everyone is incredibly talented. This group I feel like is very driven. They're very driven to put on a show and be successful and I think that’s good for everyone.”