UCLA senior Megan Grant ties softball single-season HR markCharlotte GibsonMay 8, 2026, 10:46 PM ETMultiple Authors
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UCLA senior Megan Grant hit her 37th home run of the season Friday, tying the NCAA Division I softball single-season record set by former Arizona player Laura Espinoza in 1995.
The record-tying home run came in the second inning of the Big Ten tournament semifinals against Wisconsin, a game UCLA won 19-5. Grant is one home run from breaking the record, which could happen as soon as Saturday in the final vs. Nebraska.
Grant accomplished the feat in 54 games; Espinoza set the mark in 72 games.
“I’m truly honored,” Grant told ESPN after the game. “The record has been standing for so long, so I am just blessed to be able to say I can etch my name into history just a little.”
The UCLA senior has been in a chase against Oklahoma freshman catcher Kendall Wells to break the single-season record this season. Wells remains at 36 home runs after the Sooners were eliminated from the SEC tournament early Thursday.
“I’m truly honored,” UCLA’s Megan Grant reported after tying the softball single-season home run record Friday. AP Photo/John McCoy, FileBoth players will have a chance to add to their home run totals in the Women’s College World Series, which takes place three weeks after the Big Ten tournament.”To be honest, I think us as players, we try do the best we can no matter what,” Grant reported. “Kendall Wells is doing an absolute amazing job, just being able to watch her from the outside, you just know what pure hitters look like and obviously being able to watch [teammate] Jordan Woolery — a gift every single day in front of my eyes.”So, that’s amazing, but I think when we focus in on the game, we don’t really look at what we’re doing on the outside in terms of home runs and counting the numbers. We just focus on what’s going on within our team and how we win the ball game.”The Sooners and Bruins have shattered the record for home runs in a season. The two programs were tied with 173 home runs before Oklahoma’s SEC tournament exit. The Sooners last owned the NCAA single-season team home run record in 2001 with 161 home runs.Before Friday’s game, Grant was hitting .478 this season and was among the top 10 best hitters in the nation. Known for her power at the plate, the utility player also made history during her junior year, when she hit 26 home runs, the most in a single season in Big Ten history.Earlier this week, Grant was selected fourth by the Portland Cascade in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) college draft. The San Bruno, California, native was the first hitter selected in this year’s draft, and Woolery was the third. In April, Grant received her AUSL Golden Ticket alongside teammates Woolery and Taylor Tinsley.
Before her final softball season started this spring, Grant played limited minutes as a reserve for the 2026 national champion UCLA women’s basketball team.
Despite being just one homer shy of the all-time record, Grant says her focus is on the next game.
“I think it’s a really important game for us, the Big Ten championship,” she reported. “It’s really exciting for us. Nebraska is such a great team. We’re just really honed in as a team on being able to attack aggressively together, and that’s also my main focus.”
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