TUSCALOOSA | Former University of Alabama softball star Kelly Kretschman has been selected as one of 15 players to make the roster for the U.S. Olympic team that will compete this summer in the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, China.

Kretschman, a 2004 Olympian who won a gold medal with the U.S. and an alternate on the 2000 U.S. team that competed in Sydney, Australia, played at UA from 1998-2001 and still holds school career records in at-bats, runs batted in, home runs, runs scored, doubles, walks, hits, stolen bases and batting average.

“It’s always good to make an Olympic team,” Kretschman said. “To be honest, this was going to be it for me. To make my last [Olympic] team is very gratifying, probably a little bit more exciting.”

Kretschman said the process of waiting for Friday’s e-mail informing her she had made the team was more trying than in past years.

“It was difficult this time around,” she said. “A lot of the girls were worried about being on it or being alternates.”

Alabama head softball coach Patrick Murphy never doubted Kretschman would land a spot on the team.

“We had a pretty good idea she would make it,” he said. “It’s just a great day for everybody, for all her former teammates and the current team as well. A two-time Olympian is pretty special.”

An outfielder and left-handed batter from Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., Kretschman batted .333 at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece, and was the only player from any country to hit for the cycle -- with a single, double, triple and home run -- at the Olympics.

Kretschman is joined on the 15-member U.S. squad by position players Laura Berg, Crystl Bustos, Andrea Duran, Tairia Flowers, Vicki Galindo, Lovieanne Jung, Lauren Lappin, Caitlin Lowe, Jessica Mendoza, Natasha Watley and Stacey Nuveman, and pitchers Monica Abbott, Cat Osterman and Jennie Finch.

Three-time Olympian Lisa Fernandez, a right-handed pitcher who was also a top hitter on the past three gold-medalist U.S. teams, did not make the cut and was named as an alternate.

“When the former best player in the world doesn’t make it, that tells you how talented Kelly is,” Murphy said.

Kretschman has played in 12 of 18 games on the U.S. team’s pre-Olympic tour, batting .367 with 15 runs scored, nine RBIs and two doubles. She has drawn a team-high 17 walks and has a team-best .596 on-base percentage.

The U.S. team will play Alabama on April 15 at Liberty Park in Birmingham in an exhibition game.

Reach Tommy Deas at tommy.deas@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0224.