Former Arizona softball 3B Jenna Sniffen commits to Ole Miss
· Yahoo Sports
All three former Arizona Wildcats who entered the portal after the 2026 softball season now have new programs. Former UA third baseman Jenna Sniffen announced her commitment to Ole Miss on Thursday.
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Former Arizona catcher Emma Kavanagh announced her commitment to Virginia Tech on Tuesday. Former infielder/designated player Anyssa Wild committed to UCF on Wednesday.
Sniffen has been the Wildcats’ starting third baseman for two years. That would seem to make her the most damaging loss of the three who entered the portal. Despite her sterling defense, she may be the one Arizona is best equipped to lose. The Wildcats have multiple players on the roster and in the incoming freshman class who can step into the third baseman role.
Sniffen earned her way into a starting role by being an incredibly reliable defender. She was second on the team with 13.92 defensive runs saved this season. Only centerfielder Regan Shockey with 14.85 was better. Shockey ranked 24th in the country in DRS. Sniffen was 32nd.
That defensive prowess at third base is important because of how Arizona approaches pitching. The “use your defense” mantra makes defenders like Sniffen incredibly important to team success. Sniffen fulfilled that role for the Wildcats with a great deal of skill.
The offensive side was a bit more difficult. She took a slight step back across the board her sophomore season. Her .295 batting average as a freshman fell to .267 as a sophomore. Her OPS went from .871 to .790. Her doubles fell from nine to five. The drop in home runs was much less glaring, going from seven to six despite playing in six fewer games.
During her two years at Arizona, Sniffen appeared in all 116 games with 115 starts. She hit .282 with an .834 OPS. She had 14 doubles, one triple, and 13 home runs. She knocked in 55 runs and had a fielding percentage of .959.
She will be going even further from her home in Hawai’i with the move to Oxford, but she will be joining a program with a more recent Women’s College World Series appearance. Ole Miss made its first trip to the WCWS in 2025 by eliminating Arizona in the Tucson Regional. The Rebels went 42-21 overall and 11-13 in the SEC that season.
In 2026, the Rebels had a bit of a backslide. They finished 36-26 overall and 6-18 in the SEC. They were swept in their first three conference series and five series in total. They finally got a series win on the road at Tennessee between Mar. 27-29. They were eliminated from the SEC tournament in the quarterfinals by Texas.
The strength of the SEC meant Ole Miss still got to the postseason quite easily. It was sent to Lubbock to face Texas Tech. The Rebels beat Boston University twice but were run ruled by the Red Raiders twice to end their season with a 2-2 record in the Lubbock Regional.
Softball America ranked Sniffen as the 58th-best transfer prospect this offseason. That put her second among the players who left behind No. 44 Kavanagh. The outlet only ranks the top 100, so only two of Arizona’s transfers out were ranked.
64 Analytics had Sniffen as the top transfer prospect to leave the program. She was ranked 27th. Kavanagh was ranked 52nd and designated player Wild was ranked 214th.
A year after eight contributors left Arizona for new programs, Arizona lost just three this season. The Wildcats were one of the more fortunate teams in that regard. They added four, three of whom were ranked higher by both Softball America and 64 Analytics than any of the three who left.