SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis softball players Grace Jenkins, Hope Jenkins and Kayla Garber each earned selections to the 2022 Evening Optimist High School All-Star Game, as chosen by coaches in the greater Sacramento area. All three Troubadour seniors will play for the South team in the Large Schools game, held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Capital Christian School.
The South team is coached by longtime Sheldon High mentor Mary Jo Truesdale.
Hope Jenkins earned Delta League Player of the Year honors for a season in which she struck out 303 batters in just 192 innings, and fired three no-hitters including a perfect game. Offensively, she finished .512/.624/.892 with eight doubles and eight homers. Grace Jenkins earned All-Delta League distinction at catcher, providing team highs in runs (37), home runs (12), triples (3) and RBIs (37). She also slashed .489/.559/1.010. Garber also picked up an all-league nod, thanks to .316/.458/.605 and five extra-base hits at the plate this spring.
Both Jenkins twins signed National Letters of Intent with the University of Connecticut last fall. They were also jointly chosen as 49ers Sac-Hi Sports Co-Players of the Year in May. Garber will play for Sacramento City College, becoming the third generation in the Petralli/Garber family tree to roam the Panther diamonds.
Overall, St. Francis enjoyed one of its finest softball seasons in history, finishing with a 26-5 overall record and finishing as the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II runner-up under the tutelage of Delta League Coach of the Year Kevin Warren.
The three Troubie softball players are the fourth, fifth and sixth Troubadour student-athletes to earn slots in an Optimist All-Star event this school year, joining volleyball players Carli Padilla, Zoe Hopkins and Justine Pulmones last fall. Recent SFHS softball selections include Daniella Guerrera (2021), Paige Herbert (2021), Sydney Littles (2019), Chloe Smith (2019), Bella Valentine (2019) and Mary Baccay (2018).
Capital Christian is located at 9470 Micron Avenue. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $8 for seniors, $5 for students, $3 for children under 12. Children 5 and under are free.
