Raybestos Brakettes voted into 2026 USA Softball Hall of Fame

The 44th Annual Induction Ceremony was held in Oklahoma City on Saturday night, with Kelly Kretschman becoming the 25th Brakette to be inducted into the USA (formerly ASA) Softball National Hall of Fame.

Toward the conclusion of the ceremony, USA Softball announced that the (Raybestos/Hi-Ho/Stratford) Brakettes have been selected for induction into the National Softball Hall of Fame in 2026 in the Team Category.

Widely recognized as the most successful softball team of all-time, the Brakettes’ 4,133-369 record over 79 years of continuous play is simply unparalleled. The franchise won 28 ASA National Titles with 13 runner-up finishes from 1947 to 2008, with the club appearing in 41 out of 62 possible ASA Women’s Major National Championship Games over the span.Amid their decades-long dominance over the ASA Women’s Major division, the Brakettes also captured three International Softball Federation (ISF) World Championships, in 1974, 1978, and 1986.

The Brakettes have won 13 Women’s Major Softball (WMS) Championships in the 17 seasons since the demise of the ASA National Tournament.

In addition to the 25 National Hall of Famers to grace the playing field in Stratford, the Brakettes have also seen three field managers inducted into the National Hall of Fame, with John Stratton most recently receiving the honor in 2023.

Kretschman won the 2003 ASA National Title with Stratton and the Brakettes, leading Stratford past Team Smith (California) in Pekin, Illinois. Kelly went on to win gold with the 2004 USA Olympic Softball “Dream Team” in Athens and a silver medal in 2008 in Beijing. Including Kretschman, a total of 11 Olympians have played for the Brakettes.

Help the Brakettes celebrate their 80th season by submitting your historical pictures and share your memories on Facebook at Stratford Brakettes.

Stayed tuned, this article will be updated with further details as they come in.