Megan Grant shatters single-season home run record in Big Ten championship
Senior utility Megan Grant stands in the batter’s box during an at-bat. Grant has boasted a .478/.650/1.346 slash line this season. (Karla Cardenas-Felipe/Daily Bruin staff)
By Grant Walters
May 9, 2026 12:04 p.m.
Senior Megan Grant broke yet another record Saturday morning.
The utility hammered her 38th home run of the season in the Big Ten championship game against Nebraska, surpassing Arizona alumnus Laura Espinoza who previously set the record in 1995.
The senior, who has lifted a four-bagger in every game of the conference tournament thus far, barreled the solo home run in the top of third off Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Jordy Frahm.
The San Bruno, California, local boasts a .478 batting average, a nation-high 1.346 slugging percentage and a 1.996 OPS this season – all of which represent career highs.
And Grant has hit an out-of-the-park blast in 30 games throughout the 2026 campaign.
Although the single-season home run record may represent her most substantial achievement this year, Grant had already accomplished notable accolades ahead of Saturday’s contest.
Grant became the fastest Bruin to reach 20 home runs in a single season, needing just 26 games to hit the threshold.
Grant also broke the single-season UCLA home run record when she hammered her 32nd and 33rd home runs of the 2026 campaign to surpass Bruin alumnus Stacey Nuveman’s previous UCLA season-high record when the Westwood squad defeated Washington on April 25.
The two-time NFCA All-American also cemented the “Bruin Bomber” duo’s historical status, when Grant and her slugging partner, senior infielder Jordan Woolery, became the first duo in NCAA softball history to each record 30 home runs in a distinct season.
Both Grant and Woolery earned First Team All-Big Ten selections Friday morning ahead of UCLA’s semifinal contest against Wisconsin. Woolery secured Big Ten Player of the Year honors, marking the first time a Bruin has won a conference player of the year award since Westwood alumnus Maya Brady was named Pac 12 Player of the Year in 2024.
With the First Team honors, Woolery and Grant have now earned a conference top-team selection in all four of their collegiate campaigns.
Grant, Woolery and pitcher Taylor Tinsley are the sole seniors on the Bruins’ 2026 roster and represent the veteran core of coach Kelly Inouye-Perez’s squad. The trio was recently celebrated May 3 at UCLA’s Senior Day.
The new single-season home run record holder played on the UCLA women’s basketball team throughout its championship campaign before transitioning to UCLA softball when the team’s season began in early February.
