Olympian, 4-Time World Champion Haylie McCleney Retires from Pro Softball

Savanna Collins

Aug 24, 2024

After over a decade with the USA Softball Women’s National Team and nine years as a pro, Haylie McCleney is retiring from professional softball.

McCleney announced her decision on Instagram in July after the 2024 WBSC World Cup Finals. Nicknamed “Halo” by her teammates, McCleney was considered one of the best outfielders in the pro game throughout her career.

McCleney is a native of Morris, Alabama, and played for the University of Alabama from 2013 to 2016. She is one of six players in program history to earn NFCA All-America honors four times, including three First-Team nods. McCleney is the Crimson Tide’s all-time leader in batting average, on-base percentage, and triples. She also ranks second in school history with a .944 career stolen base percentage, swiping 118 bases in 125 attempts, and holds second place on the career walks list with 199.

She was drafted 13th overall to the USSSA Pride in the National Pro Fastpitch draft in 2016. McCleney played professionally for the Pride, Texas Charge, and Scrapyard Fastpitch before joining AU Pro Softball.

McCleney has been a part of AU Pro Softball since its inception, competing in the inaugural AU Pro Softball season in 2020. She was the second player in league history to play in 100 career games.

She was voted to the All-Defensive team in all four seasons the award has been honored. She has finished in the Top 10 of a Championship or AUX season leaderboard three times. The highest standings of her career were in the 2022 Championship season where she earned a third-place medal.

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A post shared by Haylie McCleney (@hayliemac8)

McCleney has been a member of the United States women’s national softball team since 2013. She represented Team USA at the 2020 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal. She paced the team in batting average, hitting .529 throughout the 2020 Olympics with nine hits and four runs in six games. She earned a spot on the WBSC All-Olympic Team.

Beginning her career with the Junior Women’s National Team in 2013, McCleney has helped the U.S. to two Pan American Games gold medals (2019, 2023) and three World Championship gold medals (2016, 2018, 2022). She participated in the World Championships six times, the Pan American Games three times, and the World Cup of Softball four times.

McCleney represented the red, white, and blue on over 15 Women’s National Team rosters throughout her time on the international stage.