The two weeks immediately after the transfer portal opened were stressful for Arizona softball fans as nine active players and a former commit opted to leave. Since then, head coach Caitlin Lowe and her staff have brought in several highly-regarded transfers of their own. The latest is Big East Player of the Year Grace Jenkins, whose signing the program announced on Friday afternoon.
From the Big East to the Big 12!
Welcome to the Wildcat family, Grace! pic.twitter.com/NV3yiD11lm— Arizona Softball (@ArizonaSoftball) June 27, 2025
“She brings a powerful left-handed bat and her overall athleticism allows her to play multiple positions on the field,” Lowe was quoted in the program’s press release. “Grace is woman of high character that has done nothing but get better throughout her college career.”
Jenkins and her twin sister Hope left UConn after the Huskies’ season was over. Hope chose Ole Miss fairly quickly. Grace, a catcher/utility player rated as a four-star transfer recruit by Softball America, took longer. While she was offered by the Rebels, Washington, and Florida Atlantic, she ultimately decided to take a different path than her sister.
Jenkins hails from Folsom, Calif., about 25 miles outside Sacramento. She played prep ball for St. Francis High School, where she was a catcher and centerfielder. She played travel ball for Lady Magic, the same organization that produced current Arizona shortstop Tayler Biehl and former left fielder Dakota Kennedy. Jenkins was in the same recruiting class as Biehl and Kennedy.
Jenkins had a huge junior year in Storrs, where she was listed as a catcher on the roster. Her .424 batting average was the second-highest single-season average in UConn history. She set single-season program records in doubles (19), home runs (21), RBI (68), runs scored (65), walks (39), and total bases (154). She also wrote her name in the Huskies’ record book for career doubles (51) and career RBI (138).
She had 19 multi-RBI games and 18 multi-hit games. She ended the 2025 season on a 32-game on-base streak.
As a sophomore, Jenkins led UConn in RBI (40), doubles (16), and walks (23). She had a .344 batting average.
In her rookie campaign, she was named the 2023 Big East Freshman of the Year. That season, she had 16 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI games. She led the Huskies with 44 RBI and 17 doubles.
Arizona has two highly-regarded catchers on its roster in rising senior Sydney Stewart and sophomore-to-be Emma Kavanagh. However, Lowe noted Jenkins’ athleticism in the release, and the program lists her as a utility player. With her experience in center, she could conceivably be slotted in right field. The Wildcats will also need a designated player and a first baseman.
Jenkins joins All-Big Ten pitcher Jalen Adams (Iowa), All-Big 12 second baseman Sereniti Trice (Iowa State), outfielders Addison Duke (Ole Miss) and Tele Jennings (San Diego), and pitcher Jenae Berry (Indiana) in Arizona’s transfer class. They will join freshmen Molli Daley, Rylie Holder, Kezia Lucas, and Sina Talataina as the newcomers on Arizona’s roster. That brings the 2026 roster to 19 players, which is just below the 19.25 average for the program during Lowe’s four years as head coach.