By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
UCLA slugger Megan Grant made NCAA softball history Saturday, blasting her 38th home run of the season to set the Division I single-season record.
Grant drove an 0-2 pitch from Nebraska’s Jordy Frahm deep to left-center field for a solo home run in the third inning of the Big Ten championship game, giving the Bruins a 2-0 lead. The homer broke the record she had shared for one day with Arizona’s Laura Espinoza, who hit 37 home runs in 72 games in 1995. Grant reached No. 38 in her 55th game.
The milestone came in a 7-2 loss to Nebraska, which rallied to win the Big Ten tournament title. Still, Grant’s record-setting swing stood as one of the biggest moments of the college softball season.
The chance to write her name into the record books as one of the sport’s best is what Grant wanted when she came to college.
“To be able to do that, it’s just, it’s surreal,” Grant said. “I’m just so grateful for the opportunity I was blessed with, and just to follow the people that were before me, it’s just an honor.”
Grant said she knew the ball had a chance once she heard the crowd react.
“The pitch was up, and I had a feeling it was out once I heard the crowd cheering,” Grant said. “I kind of usually just put my head down and run as hard as I can to first base, and then I think right when I touched first I knew.”
After the game, Grant had the record-setting ball in her backpack and said she planned to give it to her grandmother.