I joined softball fans worldwide in cheering when the sport was reinstated for the 2020 Olympics. Team USA will travel to Tokyo to bring home gold. Last weekend, though, Team USA was in Rosemont for games against the National Pro Fastpitch Chicago Bandits and the USSSA Pride.

After many years of effort by softball advocates, softball was first included in the Olympics in 1996. It remained an Olympic sport in 2000, ’04 and ’08, before being removed in ’12. A renewed movement landed softball back in the Olympics for 2020.

Rachel Garcia

Monica Abbott

Cat Osterman

On Thursday I attended Team USA’s practice session and talked to several of the players. I interviewed three, each at a different but significant point in her career. Those interviews are on my Team USA YouTube playlist.

Cat Osterman was a three-time National Player of the Year at the University of Texas. She appeared in the 2004 and ’08 Olympics, winning a gold and silver medal, respectively. She pitched professionally for eight seasons, winning the NPF championship in four of them. Osterman retired in 2015, but the lure of the Olympics brought her back.

Osterman made her decision to un-retire and started working toward her goal long before her announcement. She has no doubts although she knows she isn’t quite at peak form yet. She has traveled all over the world, highlighted by stays in Beijing and Athens, but she has a special place in her heart for her hometown of Houston.

Monica Abbott © Chris Bejcek

Monica Abbott is in the prime of her career. She starred at the University of Tennessee, won silver at the 2008 Olympics and has pitched professionally in the United States and Japan since 2007. At 33 years old, Abbott is still dominant, regularly throwing more than 70 mph.

Also a world traveler, Abbott’s special places include Houston, Oklahoma City and Chicago. Abbott was a bit teary-eyed after the weekend, admitting she really missed Chicago and the tight bond with the fans here.

Rachel Garcia is in the early stages of her career although she already has an impressive resume. Last season, junior Garcia was named the Most Outstanding Player as her UCLA Bruins won the Women’s College World Series. She is also a two-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.

One of the youngest players on Team USA, Garcia talked about being surrounded by such legendary players. Soft-spoken and humble, Garcia emphasized the experiences with family, friends and teammates. In addition to being great on the mound, Garcia is also a threat batting. I particularly enjoyed seeing her face light up when discussing her hitting.

All three players talked of growing the game and passing it on to future players, a sentiment echoed by other teammates and the NPF players in casual chats all weekend. Their dedication is probably more for the game than team and individual accomplishments.

Kelly Kretschman

Megan Wiggins

Keilani Ricketts

Over the weekend, Team USA won three of the five games against the Bandits and the Pride. The real winners were the fans who packed the ballpark. The post-game autograph lines stretched around the field and all players participated, paying special attention to the youngsters.

It doesn’t get much better than this for a softball fan. I enjoyed a weekend of softball at the highest level. I am already counting the days until the Olympics.

— John Wroblewski, online writer