OKLAHOMA CITY (July 27, 2024) – Former USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) member and Tokyo Olympic silver medalist, Haylie “Halo” McCleney (Morris, Ala.) has announced her retirement following a remarkable career representing the Red, White and Blue.
“After playing this game for the last 25 years, across 10+ countries, & basically all the United States… This season at Athletes Unlimited will be my last,” McCleney wrote in an Instagram post. “It’s impossible to thank every single person that impacted my journey throughout my career, but I’m going to try to formulate the words when the timing is right. As always, the best is yet to come & I couldn’t be more excited for this next chapter.”
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), three World Championship gold medals (2016, 2018, 2022) while also becoming an Olympic silver medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Overall, McCleney is a six-time World Championship participant, three-time Pan American Games participant and four-time World Cup of Softball participant, while representing the U.S. on over 15 WNT rosters throughout the last 10 years.
“You could never describe in full what Haylie brought to our USA program. From the greatest teammate to the greatest competitor, to the greatest coach on the field, to perhaps one of the greatest players of all time,” said former WNT head coach, Ken Erickson. “Her impact on the game, and in every game, was immeasurable. The person that was raised by her parents should be the person every parent wants their kid to grow up to be. She made those around her better on the ball field and will continue to make those around her better in ‘real life.’ Haylie, thank you for making me a better coach and a better person,” he added.
Known as one of the best outfielders in the softball community, McCleney has showcased her impressive glove work in over 160 games during her 10-year career with Team USA. With 555 plate appearances, the former Alabama star made significant offensive contributions for the U.S., maintaining a .421 career batting average. In 2018, she led the Red, White, and Blue to a World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Championship title, scoring two home runs, six RBIs and 14 runs. Additionally, in 2022, McCleney was awarded the Most Valuable Player title at the World Games after guiding Team USA to a gold medal finish with a .533 batting average (8-for-15), while also earning All-World Team honors.
“All I can say is thank you. It’s been an honor to represent the best country on the biggest stage in the best sport. Wearing USA was something I never took for granted,” said McCleney.
“I’ve enjoyed being in the dugout coaching Haylie since 2017. Haylie is a coach’s dream,” said WNT head coach Heather Tarr. “What makes Haylie even more special, is that she’s a teammates dream. Her ability to get along with all people, in combination with being a fierce competitor makes her who she is. Our game is better because of how she competed while she was in it. I will forever be searching to be around people like her. She will be forever remembered and truly missed in our game,” she added.
McCleney’s influence extends beyond Team USA as she currently plays professionally with Athletes Unlimited, being part of the league since its inception in 2020. In 2023, McCleney took on a role at the SEC Network, contributing to the coverage of collegiate softball across the U.S.
CUMULATIVE STATS
| Year | AVG | OBP | OPS | SLG | H | RBI | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 0.337 | 0.383 | 0.865 | 0.482 | 28 | 10 | 22 |
| 2015 | 0.400 | 0.520 | 0.970 | 0.450 | 16 | 8 | 16 |
| 2016 | 0.385 | 0.421 | 1.056 | 0.635 | 20 | 8 | 16 |
| 2017 | 0.492 | 0.564 | 1.231 | 0.667 | 31 | 14 | 25 |
| 2018 | 0.429 | 0.529 | 1.244 | 0.714 | 18 | 9 | 18 |
| 2019 | 0.442 | 0.496 | 1.227 | 0.731 | 46 | 18 | 29 |
| 2020 | 0.548 | 0.632 | 1.696 | 1.065 | 17 | 6 | 10 |
| 2022 | 0.533 | 0.556 | 1.222 | 0.667 | 8 | 5 | 4 |
| 2023 | 0.500 | 0.632 | 1.274 | 0.643 | 7 | 5 | 5 |
| 2024 | 0.143 | 0.350 | 0.564 | 0.214 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| TOTAL | 0.421 | 0.497 | 1.139 | 0.642 | 193 | 86 | 149 |