Grace French joined the Wildcats as a Graduate Assistant ahead of the 2024 season after a decorated academic and athletic career at Bradley University.
French comes to Evanston to begin her coaching career following five seasons as a two-way player at Bradley. French is a two-time Second Team All-MVC and MVC All-Defensive Team honoree, and two-time MVC Scholar Athlete First Team member. Across her five seasons in Peoria, French posted a 3.42 ERA in 470.1 innings in the circle and a .787 OPS in 487 at bats. She ranks sixth in program history with 36 wins, sixth with 82 starts in the circle, eighth with 111 pitching appearances, eighth with 470.1 innings pitched, and ninth with 271 strikeouts. At the plate, her 33 doubles rank sixth in program history and her 24 hit by pitches are third most.
French entered the single-season record books in 2023, making the second-most starts (31) in program history, while roping the fourth-most doubles (18). In 2022, French earned Second Team NFCA All-Mideast Region and MVC All-Tournament Team awards after posting career-highs with a .288 batting average, seven home runs, 32 RBI, 34 runs scored, and an .894 OPS. French earned bachelor's degrees in both Kinesiology and Health Sciences and a master's degree Business Administration at Bradley. She made the Bradley AD honor roll in nine-straight semesters and earned 14 academic awards during her collegiate career. A native of Benicia, Calif., French comes from a family of baseball players. Her father, Peter, played baseball at San Diego State and UC Riverside, while both her grandfather, Raymond T. French, and great, great uncle, Ray French, played professional baseball in the early 1900s.
French comes to Evanston to begin her coaching career following five seasons as a two-way player at Bradley. French is a two-time Second Team All-MVC and MVC All-Defensive Team honoree, and two-time MVC Scholar Athlete First Team member. Across her five seasons in Peoria, French posted a 3.42 ERA in 470.1 innings in the circle and a .787 OPS in 487 at bats. She ranks sixth in program history with 36 wins, sixth with 82 starts in the circle, eighth with 111 pitching appearances, eighth with 470.1 innings pitched, and ninth with 271 strikeouts. At the plate, her 33 doubles rank sixth in program history and her 24 hit by pitches are third most.
French entered the single-season record books in 2023, making the second-most starts (31) in program history, while roping the fourth-most doubles (18). In 2022, French earned Second Team NFCA All-Mideast Region and MVC All-Tournament Team awards after posting career-highs with a .288 batting average, seven home runs, 32 RBI, 34 runs scored, and an .894 OPS. French earned bachelor's degrees in both Kinesiology and Health Sciences and a master's degree Business Administration at Bradley. She made the Bradley AD honor roll in nine-straight semesters and earned 14 academic awards during her collegiate career. A native of Benicia, Calif., French comes from a family of baseball players. Her father, Peter, played baseball at San Diego State and UC Riverside, while both her grandfather, Raymond T. French, and great, great uncle, Ray French, played professional baseball in the early 1900s.