Megan Grant Just Hit Her 38th Homer and Broke a 31-Year-Old Record in 17 Fewer Games

UCLA senior Megan Grant did something on Saturday that hadn't been done since 1995: she broke the NCAA Division I softball home run record. In the third inning against Nebraska, Grant launched a blast to deep left-center field for her 38th long ball of the 2026 season, passing Arizona's Laura Espinoza, who set the previous mark of 37 homers back in 1995.

Here's what makes this even wilder: Grant did it in 55 games. Espinoza needed 72 games to hit 37. That's a 17-game difference. Even Mike Candrea, the Arizona coach who watched Espinoza set that record three decades ago, had to respect it. "Records are made to be broken," Candrea told The Athletic. "It's a pretty phenomenal record to be able to break, so tip my hat off."

A Two-Sport Machine Breaking Records Left and Right

Grant isn't just a softball star, either. She was also a member of UCLA's 2026 NCAA basketball championship team. That's the kind of elite two-sport athlete you see once in a generation.

Her record-breaking bomb on Saturday came at the end of a brutal day for the Bruins. Nebraska defeated UCLA 7-2 to claim the Big Ten title. But Grant's individual achievement overshadowed the loss. When she spoke to reporters after the game, she couldn't quite find the words. "When I first came into college, I wanted to put myself in the books as one of the best, and I didn't really know how to at the time, but throughout my career, just more and more has gone on, and to be able to do that, it's just, it's surreal," Grant said. "I am just so grateful for the opportunity I was blessed with, and just to follow the people that were before me. It's just honor."

The Rest of UCLA's Historic Season

Grant isn't carrying this team alone. On Friday against Wisconsin in the Big Ten semifinals, UCLA reached 181 homers as a team, breaking the previous record of 161 that had stood since 2021. Grant added homer number 182 with her record shot on Saturday.

Senior teammate Jordan Woolery has been swinging it too, hitting 33 homers this season. Grant and Woolery are the first teammates in NCAA softball history to each hit 30-plus home runs in the same season.

Grant's 85 career homers puts her just five behind UCLA's all-time leader Stacey Nuveman, who finished her career in 2002 with 90. Only Nuveman and Grant have ever hit at least 80 career homers for the Bruins.

The NCAA Division I Selection Show happens Sunday afternoon. UCLA, sitting at 47-8, will find out its postseason seeding and bracket placement. The Bruins are chasing their first Women's College World Series title since 2019 and their 13th in school history.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.