By Catherine Laroche

If someone would have told University of Louisville senior, Catherine Bishop, 10 years ago that she would be the 2006 Big East pitcher of the year and named to the 2006 ESPN Magazine Academic All-American softball third team, she probably would have thought they were crazy.

Just a decade ago, a local softball club in Australia approached Bishop and asked her if she would be interested in playing softball. After her mother gave her permission to play, Bishop began her softball journey.

Softball wasn’t Bishop’s first experience with sports. Following her passion for sports, Bishop swam, played the English sport, net ball, played field hockey and rode horses.

“I pretty much played anything you can think of,” Bishop said. “I’ve always loved playing sports.”

At the age of 16, Bishop realized that playing multiple sports was too much for her to handle. She was playing at the state level in both net ball and softball when she made the Australian softball team. “It got to the point where I couldn’t do both because of the time commitment,” Bishop said. “I wouldn’t say I enjoyed softball more than net ball because I’ve always loved both sports. Because I was already playing on an Australian squad for softball, that’s where I headed.”

One of the reasons why Bishop loves playing softball is the fact that a player can achieve as an individual and as a team. “It’s very much a team sport, but at the same time you have individual components that you have to do to support the team,” Bishop said.

During her senior year of high school the U of L softball staff was seeking another pitcher and approached Bishop with an opportunity to play for the Cards. She had already been thinking about coming to the U.S. for softball and decided, “It was too good of an opportunity to turn down.”

The transition from Australia to the U of L wasn’t too hard for Bishop to overcome. She says that although some of the rules and philosophies are different, the game is still the same.

As a Cardinal, Bishop has already accomplished plenty. Beside the numerous accolades, she has also compiled a 30-7 record as a junior, which set a school record for single season wins. She also tied the record for career shutouts with 25. Last year, she led the conference and was ranked fourth in the nation with a 0.78 ERA. Since Louisville has joined the Big East Conference, Bishop has been named the Big East pitcher of the week four times, including the final three weeks of last season.

“It’s always nice to get recognition for a good season, but I don’t play the sport for the awards,” Bishop said. “I play because I love it. It’s wonderful to get accolades. I would love to have a great season again and be named for the award, but it’s not the ultimate goal. It’s helping my team get to the World Series.”

It doesn’t stop there. Not only is Bishop an amazing athlete, she is also quite the scholar. While balancing softball and a social life she maintains a 3.43 GPA. “The best thing about her is her work ethic, her desire to excel, and she’s a humble kid,” head coach Sandy Pearsall said.

Although she has learned a great deal in the classroom, she is also learning on the field. The best thing that Bishop has learned from her coaches and teammates is absolute dedication to a sport. She says that after practicing everyday she still puts in the extra hours by working on improvements during the weekends and in her spare time.

“Catherine is the hardest working athlete I’ve ever coached in my 21 years of coaching,” Pearsall said. “She’s done everything she’s needed to do to get where she is today. She came in and I’d say she was good, but she worked hard to be great. She did things in the weight room and conditioning. She spent individual time on her own to improve her pitching. She wouldn’t have been at the point she’s at in her life without the hard work she’s put into it.”

While Bishop is learning from her coaches and friends on the team, she is also reflecting positively on her teammates. “She works hard everyday and I try to model myself after her,” Moore said. “She has such a good heart. You’ll never hear her say a bad thing about a person. She’s always nice and always positive. She’s a really good person.”

Bishop and the Cardinal softball team began their season over the weekend sweeping the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Bishop pitched 4.2 innings, allowing one earned run and striking out three in game number two for the win.