Haylie McCleney and Kelly Kretschman selected to 2018 U.S. Women’s National Team Rosters

USA Softball announced a pair of National Team rosters Saturday, slated for international competition this summer. A pair of four time All-Americans from Alabama will don the red, white and blue, as five-time selectee Haylie McCleney is joined by Kelly Kretschman, playing on a national team roster for the first time since the 2008 Olympics.

McCleney is one of 17 athletes selected to the World Championship roster, who will compete at the World Cup of Softball and the 2018 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women’s World Championship. The team will look to defend its gold medal finish from the 2016 WBSC Women’s World Championship and qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. A second roster of 17 athletes, which includes Kretschman, will represent the United States at the Japan All-Star Series and compete as a second National Team at the World Cup of Softball.

McCleney has competed with Team USA every year since 2014. Last summer, the Morris, Ala., native hit .474 with nine hits and six RBIs at the World Cup of Softball XII, leading the team to a runner-up finish. McCleney and Team USA later won gold at the 2017 Pan American Championship as she hit a scorching .613 at the plate with 17 runs scored and seven walks.  The four-year All-American concluded her Crimson Tide career in 2016 with four school career records, including a .447 career batting average. She is just the fifth player in program history and the 21st in NCAA history to total 300 hits, 200 runs and 100 stolen bases. She is a four-time All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive team honoree.

Kretschman, the program's first four-time All-American, was part of Team USA in both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, earning gold and silver medals, respectively. Since then, she has been one of the premiere players in the National Pro Fastpitch league, winning Player of the Year honors in each of the last three seasons. A 2001 Alabama graduate, she still holds career records in slugging percentage (.766), games started (273), runs scored (288), hits (368), doubles (65) and home runs (60).