Haylie McCleney - The Sage
SOFTBALL - TEAM USA - THIRD BASE
ARCHETYPE: THE SAGE
Day 32/135
Athletic Accomplishments
In college and her pro career, outfielder Haylie McCleney has consistently been a powerhouse. Not only has she played for the United States national softball team, she’s also dominated in the Athletes United professional league and throughout her college career.
While playing at the University of Alabama, McCleney was a four-time All-American and three-time finalist for Collegiate Player of the Year. She has played for Team USA for seven years, where she has continued to dominate, winning all kinds of hardware, including:
2 WBSC World Championship gold medals
3 Pan American Games medals
2 World Cup of Softball gold medals
And she’s a clutch hitter, who has frequently bat over .500 in team tournaments, including a team-best .613 in the 2017 Pan American Championship, .520 in the 2018 WBSC Women’s World Championship, and .565 in the 2019 Pan American Games. In all of those tournaments, McCleney’s bat helped deliver the gold medal for Team USA.
She currently plays professionally in the Athletes United league, where she ranks 7th in overall points and is the reigning Geico Defensive Player of the Year.
Character Archetype: The Sage
As an outfielder for Team USA’s Olympic softball team, Haylie McCleney has a powerful arm, a sweet swing, and can motor around the bases. But what sets McCleney apart from the competition is what she’s got inside her noggin. McCleney is just plain smart.
"It's a game of failure. It forces you to compete not only physically, but mentally. You have to win the battle in between your ears in order to win the battle between the lines."
In the field, her superior intellect mean she’s always one step ahead, knowing all the situational outcomes and what to do if the ball or runner comes to her. But beyond the field, McCleney earned Academic All-American honors three times and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Alabama before going on to earn her masters degree.
Her dream is to be a D1 strength and conditioning coach, applying her degrees in Human Performance and Exercise Science to make the next generation of athletes even stronger, faster, fitter, and better. But not before winning a gold medal at this summer’s Olympic games.