UCLA senior slugger Megan Grant stepped into the box Friday and swung her way into NCAA history, crushing her 37th home run of the season in a 19-5 beatdown of Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament semifinal in College Park, Md. The blast tied the NCAA Division I single-season record and headlined a full-on power show for the Bruins, who launched multiple homers and punched a ticket to Saturday's championship game against Nebraska. Grant's milestone has been one of the most-watched home run chases in college softball this spring, and she caught it in stride.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Grant's record-tying shot came in the middle of UCLA's rout, one of four Bruin home runs in the semifinal, and triggered an on-field celebration that quickly turned into a live postgame interview on BTN. First pitch for the game had been moved up earlier in the day in an effort to dodge incoming storms in Maryland, the paper noted. The Big Ten Network and UCLA's social accounts quickly amplified the clip, pushing the moment across feeds well beyond Westwood.
The mark she tied
Grant's 37th home run pulls her even with a standard that has stood for decades. The total matches the Division I single-season record first set in 1995 by Arizona star Laura Espinoza, according to NCAA.com. She is not the only one chasing the number this year. Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells is sitting at 36 home runs and has been featured in national coverage of the race, per Sports Illustrated.
Bruins' power surge
UCLA's offense has been built around a stacked group of power bats, with seniors like Grant and Jordan Woolery driving the home run barrage all season. UCLA Athletics notes that Grant had already broken the program's single-season home run record earlier this spring, and the Bruins' league-leading power numbers help explain why they arrived in College Park as one of the most feared lineups in the country.
Grant's reaction
"I was just focusing as much as I can, just competing within that at-bat," Grant said afterward, according to the Los Angeles Times. Her teammates erupted behind her in the dugout, and the whole scene unfolded live on BTN as UCLA pivoted almost immediately to thinking about Saturday's title showdown.
What's next
UCLA now faces Nebraska in the Big Ten championship game at Maryland Softball Stadium on Saturday, with the matchup scheduled to air on the Big Ten Network, tournament listings show. Maryland Athletics and the conference schedule confirm the site and timing. The winner will grab the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament and, if Grant has anything to say about it, likely add another chapter to this spring's home run story.
