UCLA's Megan Grant ties college softball single-season home run record

The Bruin Bombers strike again.

UCLA senior Megan Grant hit her 37th home run of the season in No. 3 UCLA's 19-5, run-rule victory over No. 7 Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal on Friday. With the homer, Grant surpassed Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells for the most this season and tied Laura Espinoza's single-season record set in 1995 at Arizona.

Grant approached the plate in the second inning to face Wisconsin pitcher Kendra Lewis as the Bruins led 6-0 following Soo-Jin Berry's grand slam in the first inning. UCLA hit four homers altogether in the blowout win over Wisconsin to bring their season total to 181. The previous single-season home run record was 161.

"My mindset was just to be aggressive and I saw a great pitch and so I went through it," Grant said after also homering on Thursday. "Personally, I just think it's a one-on-one battle between me and the pitcher. I don't really focus on anything else. Just try to barrel up the ball as much as I can. See a good pitch and hit a good pitch."

Grant has now left the yard three times in the past four games. She has at least two more games to take sole ownership of the 31-year-old home run record as UCLA is set to face No. 1 Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament Final on Saturday. The Bruins are a shoo-in for the 2026 NCAA Tournament and are looking to make their third consecutive Women's College World Series appearance.

Meanwhile, Wells' conference tournament was cut short after No. 9 Georgia upset No. 1 Oklahoma in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal on Thursday. That means Wells will have to wait for the NCAA Tournament for another crack at the record.