The 2015 NPF Championship Series will broadcast live on CBS Sports Network starting Friday, August 14 and wrapping up Tuesday, August 18 at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala. FloSoftball previewed the event earlier this week, and today we’re giving you five reasons to tune in this weekend and watch.

1. Cat Osterman’s Last Ride

   

   Arguably the most dominant pitcher to ever take the mound, Cat Osterman will conclude her career this weekend at the NPF Championship Series. The softball legend announced on her blog earlier this summer that the 2015 NPF season would be her last, and the time has come for her to don her #8 for the last time. The two-time Olympic medalist and three-time NCAA Division 1 National Player of the Year has played eight seasons in the NPF, seven with her current team, the USSSA Pride out of Orlando, Fla. Cat goes into this series with 95 career NPF wins, 1,245 career NPF strikeouts and a 1.35 ERA on the season. More importantly than her stats, Osterman has served as this generation’s face of the game and will leave her mark as a pioneer. She has inspired countless young girls to play the game, and just this week while visiting the girlsinc of Birmingham, Osterman stated on her Instagram, “I’ll do cartwheels all day if it inspires others to dream and achieve!” In her recent FloSoftball documentary The Last Ride, she tells viewers, “You’re the best in the world at what you do. It’s crazy to think about that… One thing I want to leave behind, like, I want people to remember was this wasn’t easy. It never was easy. It’s always been a product of a work ethic that obviously you don’t see when you only see the games.” There’s no doubt #8 has been the best, and she deserves a fitting send off this weekend.
   
   
2. USSSA Pride looking for first-ever three-peat

   

   With a Championship Series win in 2014 and regular season titles in 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015, the Pride come into this year’s Championship Series as the No. 1 seed and favorite to win their record-setting fourth Cowles Cup. With the win, the Pride would be the only team in the NPF’s 11-year history to win back-to-back-to-back titles. Behind the pitching of their legendary southpaw, Cat Osterman, and their offensive juggernauts Natasha Watley and Kelly Kretschman, look for the Pride to dominate early in the weekend series. Hoping to upset the Pride is the No. 2 ranked Chicago Bandits. Finishing three games behind the Pride in the regular season, the Bandits are two-time Cowles Cup winners looking to capture their third championship series and bring them even with the Pride’s three. Boasting formidable opponents to the Pride in their league-leading pitcher Monica Abbott with an ERA of 0.31 and power-hitter Brittany Cervantes with nine home runs on the season, the Bandits could upset the Pride’s plan for a three-peat.
   
   
3. Dallas Charge’s inaugural season playoff run

   

   The Dallas Charge joined the league for the 2015 season as the first team in Texas since the Texas Thunder left Houston for Illinois in 2007. Head coach Jennifer McFalls, who serves as an assistant coach for the Texas Longhorns, has managed to lead her team to the Championship Series in its inaugural season. Grabbing the final playoff spot from the Pennsylvania Rebellion by means of a two-step tie breaker, the Charge begins its historical first season playoff appearance against the No. 1 ranked Pride on Friday, August 14, at 8:00 PM CST. Look for 2015 USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year pitcher and Charge rookie Lauren Haeger to make an appearance during the Charge’s playoff run.
   
   
   
4. NPF Awards Banquet
   This year’s annual NPF Awards Banquet  will be held Thursday night at The Hyatt Regency Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Ala. and is open to the public. The banquet presents awards for outstanding performance during the past season.Highlighted awards and honors presented are the 18-member All-NPF team, Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Offensive Player of the Year.Other awards presented are the Home Run Award for most home runs, the Diamond Spike Award for most stolen bases, Coaching Staff of the Year, and the Jennie Finch Award to the player who has most positively influenced the game both on and off the field.
   
   
5. These are the best softball players in the world!

   

   Softball fans, the NPF Championship Series is your World Series; the Cowles Cup should mean just as much to you as the Commissioner’s Trophy means to MLB fans. The NPF is the pinnacle of team and individual fastpitch talent and the Championship Series is the ultimate showcase of that talent. This series has the makings of great sports stories: a potential dynasty, legendary athletes, rising young talent, and a growing fan base. The names Andrea Duran, Natasha Watley, Monica Abbott, Brittany Cervantes, and Cat Osterman should carry as much weight as Mike Trout, Jose Bautista, Madison Bumgarner, Adrian Beltre, and Clayton Kershaw… at least in the softball community! If this really is the sport you love and are passionate about, step up to the plate and support these women as they close out what has been another amazing season of softball.