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Megan Grant did something in the Big Ten Softball Tournament championship that no Division I softball player had done in 31 seasons — it had been flirted at, but never broken until then.
The UCLA softball right-handed hitter lasered an 0-2 pitch off Nebraska's Jordy Frahm over the right center fence for her 38th home run of the season, passing Laura Espinoza's NCAA single-season home run record, which the latter set at Arizona in 1995.
REQUIRED READING: UCLA's Megan Grant breaks home run record with solo shot vs Nebraska, Jordy Frahm
And Grant, who was selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the AUSL draft by the Portland Cascade, isn't done yet.
One of the premier batters in the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament, she'll look to continue an impressive streak through the postseason, where the No. 8 seed UCLA bruins hope to make a deep run through the regionals and super regionals to the Women's College World Series.
Grant is hitting a career-high .515 at the plate to rank sixth in the country, adding 107 RBIs in 167 at-bats and scoring a nation-leading 1.216 slugging percentage. But the Bruins' senior isn't alone in her quest for college softball immortality, either.
She was tied with Oklahoma's Kendall Wells at home run No. 36 going into the final week of the regular season before she overtook the Sooners freshman. Wells' recent struggles at the plate allowed Grant to move ahead of her and make softball history.
The question now is whether Grant can keep it going and hold onto the single-season record, potentially becoming the first player in NCAA history to slug 40 home runs in a season. Or will someone, like Wells, find her swing again in the postseason and give Grant a run for her money?
Here's a look:
REQUIRED READING Five teams feeling the heat as the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament begins
Grant enters the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament with 38 home runs on the season, including four of the Bruins' last five games and one in each of their last three.
"To be able to do that, it’s just, it’s surreal," Grant said after breaking the home run record, according to the Associated Press. "I'm just so grateful for the opportunity I was blessed with and just to follow the people that were before me, it’s just an honor."
Here's a look at the class of hitters that Grant is part as the single-season home runs leaders in the history of college softball:
Note: Players in bold are still competing this season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How many home runs does Megan Grant have? Tracking UCLA slugger's record
Continue reading...
The UCLA softball right-handed hitter lasered an 0-2 pitch off Nebraska's Jordy Frahm over the right center fence for her 38th home run of the season, passing Laura Espinoza's NCAA single-season home run record, which the latter set at Arizona in 1995.
REQUIRED READING: UCLA's Megan Grant breaks home run record with solo shot vs Nebraska, Jordy Frahm
And Grant, who was selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the AUSL draft by the Portland Cascade, isn't done yet.
One of the premier batters in the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament, she'll look to continue an impressive streak through the postseason, where the No. 8 seed UCLA bruins hope to make a deep run through the regionals and super regionals to the Women's College World Series.
Grant is hitting a career-high .515 at the plate to rank sixth in the country, adding 107 RBIs in 167 at-bats and scoring a nation-leading 1.216 slugging percentage. But the Bruins' senior isn't alone in her quest for college softball immortality, either.
She was tied with Oklahoma's Kendall Wells at home run No. 36 going into the final week of the regular season before she overtook the Sooners freshman. Wells' recent struggles at the plate allowed Grant to move ahead of her and make softball history.
The question now is whether Grant can keep it going and hold onto the single-season record, potentially becoming the first player in NCAA history to slug 40 home runs in a season. Or will someone, like Wells, find her swing again in the postseason and give Grant a run for her money?
Here's a look:
REQUIRED READING Five teams feeling the heat as the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament begins
How many home runs does Megan Grant have?
Grant enters the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament with 38 home runs on the season, including four of the Bruins' last five games and one in each of their last three.
"To be able to do that, it’s just, it’s surreal," Grant said after breaking the home run record, according to the Associated Press. "I'm just so grateful for the opportunity I was blessed with and just to follow the people that were before me, it’s just an honor."
NCAA softball single-season home run leaders
Here's a look at the class of hitters that Grant is part as the single-season home runs leaders in the history of college softball:
Note: Players in bold are still competing this season.
| Player | Home runs | Games | Year |
| Megan Grant (UCLA) | 38 | 55 | 2026 |
| Laura Espinoza (Arizona) | 37 | 72 | 1995 |
| Kendall Wells (Oklahoma) | 36 | 54 | 2026 |
| Karli Spaid (Miami Ohio) | 36 | 58 | 2024 |
| Jocelyn Alo (Oklahoma) | 34 | 62 | 2022 |
| Jocelyn Alo (Oklahoma) | 34 | 60 | 2021 |
| Addison Barnard (Wichita State) | 33 | 52 | 2022 |
| Jordan Woolery (UCLA) | 33 | 55 | 2026 |
| Lexie Elkins (Louisiana) | 32 | 54 | 2015 |
| Camilla Carrera (UTEP) | 32 | 53 | 2012 |
| Stacie Chambers (Arizona) | 31 | 63 | 2009 |
| Cori McMillan (Virginia Tech) | 31 | 56 | 2025 |
| Stacey Nuveman (UCLA) | 31 | 69 | 1999 |
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How many home runs does Megan Grant have? Tracking UCLA slugger's record
Continue reading...
