Wildcats Land Transfer Outfielder Gigi Ganje

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern Head Coach Kate Drohan announced the addition of junior transfer Gigi Ganje to the Wildcats' roster on Thursday.

Ganje comes to Northwestern from the University of Pennsylvania, where in two seasons she hit .371 (95-for-256) with 57 RBI and 66 runs scored in 83 games. A native of Laguna Niguel, California, she earned First Team All-Ivy League and NFCA Second Team All-Region honors as a sophomore this spring.

"Gigi plays a physical brand of softball," Drohan said. “She has power, speed, and great toughness in the outfield. We are excited for her to join our program and add to our success on the field and in the classroom.”

Most recently in 2026, Ganje posted one of the best seasons in Penn Softball history as a sophomore, breaking the Quakers’ single-season home run record with 16 home runs while posting a team-high 1.453 OPS. She led the Quakers in slugging percentage (.921), on-base percentage (.532), hits (60), walks (31) and runs scored (50), and ranked second on the team in doubles (15) and RBI (41) while going 11-for-13 on stolen base attempts.

Ganje’s 50 runs scored led all Ivy League players, and she ranked second among all conference hitters in both OPS and home runs. Her .921 slugging percentage ranked 15th in the nation and third among all sophomores in the country.

In Ivy League play, Ganje hit .383 (25-for-67) with a team-high 24 runs scored and 16 walks in 21 games. She posted a .500 on-base percentage and a .746 slugging percentage with seven doubles, three triples and four home runs.

As a first-year in 2025, Ganje started all 39 games in center field and led the team with a .302 batting average and 35 hits, including eight multi-hit games.

Across her two seasons at Penn, Ganje posted a .956 fielding percentage, recording 11 assists in 2025 and 13 assists in 2026. Per 643 Charts/Synergy defensive analytics, Ganje’s range and arm strength ranked among the top outfielders in the country in consecutive seasons. She posted 8.87 defensive runs saved in 2025 and 7.41 defensive runs saved in 2026. As a first year, she led all outfielders in the nation with 9.93 outfield arm runs saved (measuring how many runs an outfielder saves her team with arm), then posted 4.57 outfield arm runs saved as a sophomore in 2026.

Prior to her time at Penn, Ganje was a four-year letter winner in softball at Aliso Niguel High School. She was a three-time First Team All-League selection and helped lead her team to a league championship as a junior in 2023. As senior, she was named a team captain and a First Team All-County selection. She also lettered in flag football and track & field at Aliso Niguel, serving as a captain for both teams.

"I love everything about Northwestern softball, it's the perfect place to compete at the highest level with a team culture built on love for the game," Ganje said. "I knew this was where I could grow, be challenged, and become the best version of myself as a student-athlete. Go 'Cats!"