TAMPA — Watching the summer Olympics from the sidelines wasn’t easy. 

“For us, it was a dagger to the heart to be taken out so it was really hard to watch at first,” said U.S. pitcher Cat Osterman. “I think there were a lot of us that were really bitter. Just because, it’s not like we didn’t qualify. Our sport was just voted out.” 

Osterman is one of the most accomplished pitchers in the history of professional softball. 

She played a key role in Team USA’s gold medal win in 2004 and a silver finish in 2008. 

Flash forward to 2020, softball is returning to the world stage. 

"It’s an opportunity to showcase softball again at the highest stage and show the world that globally it’s a competitive sport because I think that’s where it’s misunderstood,” said Osterman. "It’s like the U.S. is so prepared going into the Olympics that we usually put on a really good show over there and people think other countries aren’t as competitive, but it’s a completely false understanding of that.” 

Softball will not be in the 2024 Paris games, meaning the games in Tokyo could make or break whether it will be on the slate for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. 

Head coach Ken Eriksen knows the significance of the opportunity. 

"It may not be played ever again,” Eriksen said. “This is the second time it’s been kicked out so you’ve got to make a great impression, lasting impression so the sport can get back in.”

But first comes the 35-city “Stands Beside Her” tour that will take the team across the country from February to June. 

“Because we’ve been out of the Olympics it definitely means so much more to us,” said catcher Aubree Munro. "Stand Beside Her can mean a lot of things. Personally, it’s a really exciting time to be a woman in sport right now. Stand beside her, the female athlete. Stand beside her, the little girl we used to be and the ones who show up at our games.” 

The impact of softball being back in the Olympics affects present and future generations of players. 

Many youth softball players attended Team USA’s exhibition game in Tampa, which kicked off the “Stand Beside Her” tour. In the crowd was 12-year-old Brooke O’Gradney, who is happy to see softball on the world stage. 

"I really think it shows a lot of power towards girls because softball isn’t treated as big as baseball or soccer or any other sport so I think its really inspiring for us to have softball be there now,” said O’Gradney. 

The Olympics gives young softball players a dream — one that hasn’t been a reality in their lifetime. 

"I look up to them a lot because they’ve been playing for years, for a long time and they’ve experienced all these times,” said 9-year-old youth softball player Brynn O’Gradney. 

The team knows much more than a medal is at stake. 

"It gives us a chance to let younger generations have the dream to be in the Olympics,” said Osterman. "Just being back on for 2020 shows that in the future, we could be on the docket again.”