This post was updated June 3 at 11:32 p.m..

The Bruins have produced many of the best players in softball history.

But a trio like Megan Grant, Taylor Tinsley and Jordan Woolery only graces a program once.

They put UCLA’s season on their backs this year, following an impressive first three years.

Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said in the fall, her team started with 10 new players and just 10 established players.

They had a lot of newbies to welcome into their culture, teach the standard to and build chemistry on the diamond with.

And the senior leaders succeeded.

Led by Grant and Woolery’s combined 78 home runs, the Bruins set a new NCAA single-season record with 209 long balls.

Even without Grant’s NCAA-record 42 home runs, UCLA still would have surpassed the previous record of 161. But that is not to say the Bruins would’ve actually broken the record without the slugger.

In fact, it might be the opposite.

Grant was so dangerous that she provided a smokescreen for other hitters at the plate. And everyone in the lineup benefited – eight players had double-digit home runs.

Meanwhile, Woolery had the second-most RBIs in NCAA history with 117.

While Grant and Woolery led the way in the batter’s box, Tinsley took control in the circle.

After UCLA lost two top-tier pitchers to the transfer portal last summer, Tinsley was the Bruins’ lone returnee. By taking on that sheer responsibility, she cemented herself as a UCLA great.

Her 181 pitches in Sunday’s contest – when UCLA was eliminated from the Women’s College World Series – was the most anyone has pitched in an extra-inning game at the WCWS, surpassing the 179 UCLA’s Rachel Garcia threw in 2019.

She pitched 66.1 of the Bruins’ 70 innings in the postseason.

Her 48 appearances and 33 wins are tied for the third-most in a single season in UCLA history.

It’s a feat unlikely to ever be repeated – partially because it was a somewhat absurd idea in the first place.

But Tinsley fully leaned into the role, giving all of herself to it.

When it comes to Grant’s and Woolery’s records – in particular, their home run and RBI figures, respectively – eye-popping stats aren’t the driving force behind their legacies at Easton Stadium.

The sport is different now from when UCLA alumna Stacy Nuveman Deniz set both previous Bruin records.

So although the Bruin Bomber duo set incredible records, it’s not the only way to gauge their collective impact given the sport’s updated landscape.

Instead, it’s their commitment to the program, leadership and all of the intangibles that make these Bruins special.

It’s also – as Inouye-Perez said after their WCWS elimination – because they stayed in Westwood in this era of transfer portal madness.

“Loyalty is big, and family is important,” Inouye-Perez said. “They’re loyal Bruins who took care of the program, and as a result, I believe the game paid them back, and we had a historic year for them.”

That along with Grant and Woolery’s ability to blast homers in the most clutch moments has been legendary.

But the truth is, no one’s collegiate legacy is complete when they graduate. Instead, it’s always defined by what comes after.

For many Bruin greats of the past, that meant leaving a profound impact on the sport as a whole – and for many, including Inouye-Perez and associate head coach Lisa Fernandez, as a coach.

Past Bruin greats are a major reason this sport has reached a place where the Athletes Unlimited Softball League can flourish while NCAA softball captivates a much larger audience than ever before.

So just like their records, it’s not really possible to compare Grant, Tinsley and Woolery’s impact to that of past legends until years after their respective collegiate careers.

But all three are going to make a big impact in the AUSL.

They’ll forever be known as part of the AUSL’s first generation in addition to their outstanding Westwood legacies. And that starts in the next few weeks, when they’ll officially join their new AUSL teams and add to their already illustrious softball careers.