UCLA’s Megan Grant hits 38th homer of the year, breaking a 31-year old record

Megan Grant is now college softball's single-season home run leader. Brett Rojo / Imagn Images Share articleWith a blast over the center field wall in the third inning against Nebraska, UCLA star senior Megan Grant officially cemented herself in college softball history. That homer, her 38th of the 2026 college softball season, surpassed former Arizona star Laura Espinoza’s single-season mark of 37 set in 1995. “Records are made to be broken,” said Mike Candrea, Arizona’s legendary softball coach who led the program during Espinoza’s time as a Wildcat. “It’s a pretty phenomenal record to be able to break, so tip my hat off.” 3️⃣8️⃣ SINGLE-SEASON HOMERS ‼️@UCLASoftball's MEGAN GRANT HITS THE MOST HOME RUNS IN D-I SINGLE-SEASON HISTORY 🤯 📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/3BVu3tSYId — Big Ten Softball (@B1Gsoftball) May 9, 2026 While much of the attention has been centered on Oklahoma freshman catcher Kendall Wells’ chase for the record, Grant climbed her way closer to the mark before ultimately surpassing Wells as the nation’s home run leader with her 37th homer, tying Espinoza’s mark, on May 8 against Wisconsin in the semifinals of the Big Ten conference tournament. That home run, in addition to another long ball from Kaniya Bragg against the Badgers, also helped the Bruins to surpass the Sooners as the all-time team leader for home runs in a single season at 180 (and counting). Grant tied Wells a day earlier in the quarterfinals, as Wells’ longest streak of a game without a homer – a whopping five games – was extended in the Sooners’ upset loss in the SEC tournament against Georgia on May 7. In a doubleheader against in-state foe California on April 18, Grant — whose teammates affectionately call her Chef Megan for how she “cooks” at the plate — tied the UCLA program single-season home run record set by Stacey Nuveman with her 31st of the season. With that round-tripper, the 80th of her college career, Grant also joined Nuveman as the only other Bruin to reach that benchmark. Grant then became the UCLA program’s single-season leader with her 32nd of the year against Washington on April 24. Grant and fellow senior Jordan Woolery are now the first teammates in NCAA softball history to each hit 30-plus home runs in the same season. The two will continue their softball careers in the AUSL this summer, as both, along with fellow teammate Taylor Tinsley, were presented with Golden Tickets after that historic day on April 18. As the Bruins look to return to the Women’s College World Series at the end of May, Grant leads the way for an offense that joined the Sooners in breaking the NCAA team single-season record for home runs, which stood at 161 since 2021. The hunt for UCLA’s first title since 2019, which would be its 13th in NCAA history, would be Grant’s second championship ring of the year, as she also secured one as a member of the Bruins’ women’s basketball team. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms