Kretschman, Duran To Represent U.S. at Japan Cup; Pauly Makes U.S. Training Team

September 27, 2006 - Kelly Kretschman didn’t take too fondly to being left off the 2006 U.S. National Team. She responded by being the hardest hitter to retire during the 2006 NPF season. By batting a league-leading .410, Kelly showed Team USA exactly what they were missing, as she helped catapult the Brakettes to the NPF Championship game. On Monday, Kretschman and fellow Brakette Andrea Duran were tabbed to represent the U.S. at the Japan Cup in November. The Japan Cup will feature the U.S., Japan, China, and the Netherlands. 18 players have been named to the squad. It is Kretschman’s second tour of duty with Team USA, as she won a gold medal in 2004 in Athens, Greece. Kelly also led the league with a .566 on-base percentage, 35 walks, nine doubles, and was in the top ten in slugging, runs scored, and hits. The former Alabama All-American also won an NPF Championship in 2005 with the Akron Racers.


Duran played with the US National Team this past summer, most recently batting .267 with a homer, a double, and seven RBI’s in 11 ISF World Championship games. Duran started all 11 games, as the US went 10-1 en route to their sixth consecutive ISF gold medal. Andrea won two NCAA College World Series Championships while at UCLA, as she established herself as one of the best third basemen in the game. As a senior, Duran batted .355, with 15 home runs, and 42 RBI’s. She started all 59 games her team played, and amazingly played in every game possible throughout her four years at UCLA. In limited action with the Connecticut Brakettes this season, Duran hit .263 in just six games, as she was with Team USA for the majority of the summer.


Sarah Pauly was named to the 23-member 2007 U.S. Training Team, which will begin combines in January. While not represented on the Japan Cup roster, Pauly will join Kretschman and Duran on the active roster of players still being considered for the 2008 Olympics, to be played in Beijing, China. Sarah showed a meteoric rise through the NPF ranks in 2006, as she led the league in wins, (15), ERA, (1.22), and was second in strikeouts with 138. Her status as one of the best pitchers in the world was cemented when she was named 2006 NPF Most Outstanding Pitcher in her rookie professional season. Pauly will head to Australia in October to begin play in the Australian pro league, which has a season opposite the NPF schedule.


Unfortunately, the U.S. National Team did not include Jessica Merchant in their 2007 plans, as she was left off both teams. Despite a solid showing at tryouts, and a 2006 NPF season matched by no one, Merchant was still on the outside looking in. Jessica led the league with 12 homers, was second with 31 RBI’s, and third in batting with a .354 mark. Her .752 slugging percentage trailed only Crystl Bustos among NPF leaders, and she also ranked in the top 10 in hits, runs scored, doubles, and on-base percentage. Her remarkable 2006 season was capped off when she was named the NPF Offensive Player of the Year.

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