UCLA senior Megan Grant breaks the NCAA Division I softball single-season home run record, drawing on a return to softball after recent basketball success. Multiple outlets report that Grant ties the NCAA single-season record with her 37th home run during UCLA’s Big Ten title-game run. She then hits a 38th home run, surpassing the previous mark set in 1995 by Laura Espinoza of Arizona, a record that had stood for 31 years.
The Athletic and other sources describe how Grant’s overall season totals build toward the record, with one report noting she initially came into the moment with a basketball national title background. The Los Angeles Times reports that Grant frames her approach as aiming to win an individual pitching matchup when she hits her 37th homer, and also reports the Bruins’ Big Ten title game loss in the same stretch of games. Other coverage from Canadian outlets likewise highlights that Grant reaches 38 home runs and is credited with setting the new NCAA single-season record. Across sources, the record-breaking home runs occur in the context of UCLA’s Big Ten title-game participation.
