Aragon graduate Megan Grant is UCLA softball’s new home run queen

Now, those comparisons ring truer for the 2022 Aragon graduate than ever, as, like Bonds, Grant has stepped into the echelon of home run royalty. Friday, in No. 7-ranked UCLA’s 7-5 win at University of Washington, Grant connected for a solo home run in the first inning, her 32nd on the year, breaking the all-time single-season mark in the storied history of Bruins softball set by Stacey Nuveman in 1999.

“You know, Stacey Nuveman is a classic,” Grant said. “So, I’m just honored to be able to rewrite that history.”

Grant’s mother, Christine, was on hand at Husky Softball Stadium to witness the historic blast. Also in the crowd was McDonald, who made the trip north to watch all three games of UCLA’s sweep to maintain second place in the Big Ten Conference standings, staying in lockstep one game back of first-place University of Nebraska.

It came as no surprise Grant pulverized an outside fastball on her first swing of the series to record home run No. 32. The soaring shot not only cleared the left-center field wall, but all five rows of seating in the outfield stands to leave the stadium.

“It was a no-doubter, for sure,” McDonald said.

Grant added to the record in a hurry, homering in her first two at-bats Friday. She added a solo shot in the third for No. 33 of the year. Then in Saturday’s 7-2 win, she mashed her third homer of the series, and 34th of the year, with a solo blast in the seventh.

Now, Grant has other potential records in her sights. She is currently tied for fourth all-time in NCAA Division I softball history in single-season home runs. The record is 37, set by University of Arizona’s Laura Espinoza in 1995. However, Grant currently ranks second in the nation in homers, with University of Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells sitting on 36 home runs.

The UCLA all-time home run mark isn’t far off either. Now with 83 home runs in her career, Grant is seven away from Nuveman’s program record of 90. With three regular-season games remaining on the Bruins’ schedule, Grant’s ability to catch the career record and/or the NCAA mark will likely depend on UCLA making a deep postseason run. And she knows it.

“That’s the plan,” Grant said.

Grant knows all about deep postseason runs, as does 12-time national champion UCLA. The last came in 2019, Grant’s freshman year at Aragon. The Bruins have appeared in the NCAA tournament in each of Grant’s three collegiate seasons. Last year, UCLA advanced to the Women’s Softball College World Series, only to be eliminated in the quarterfinal round in an excruciating back-and-forth 5-4 loss in extra innings to University of Tennessee.

The Bruins never led in the game, but, trailing 4-2 in the seventh, tied it on a two-run home run by Grant. In what was an uncharacteristic celebration — Grant did the Steph Curry night-night pose as she jogged into a sea of teammates gathered at home plate — the play was appealed by Tennessee, who claimed Grant did not step on home plate.

What ensued was an gut-wrenching five minutes of infamy as the ESPN television camera focused on Grant standing in the corner of the dugout at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, holding her emotions in check while instant replay decided if the game would continue, or if it would be ruled the last out of UCLA’s season.

“It was definitely just a lot of pacing back and forth,” Grant said. “Antsy. I was just thinking: ‘I can’t believe i saved my season and possibly ruined it all in one swing.’”

In what is now known as the “appendix G” call, Grant’s home run was upheld as the home plate umpire did not rule she had missed home plate in real time, even though the television replay showed she had.

“Shoutout to appendix G,” Grant said.

It turned out to be the last official at-bat of Grant’s season. She came to the plate once more in the ninth, but was intentionally walked to load the bases before the following batter grounded out to end the inning. Tennessee then walked off in the ninth on a game-winning single by Laura Mealer.

Grant, however, found another way to hone in on a national championship. During the summer, she shocked the nation when it was announced one of the best collegiate softball players on the planet would spend her senior year as a two-sport athlete, as Grant earned a spot on the UCLA women’s basketball team.

A reserve on the eventual national championship Bruins, Grant appeared in 14 games. She left to team in early February, one month prior to the start of the postseason, to rejoin softball. But when UCLA won its national championship game 79-51 over South Carolina on Sunday, April 5, in Phoenix, Grant flew into town for the coronation celebration.

“I’m just bringing all that juju back to the girls with the softball team ... and energy is high,” Grant said. “We’re just ready to bring home the next one.”

2026 UCLA softball has emerged as one of the best hitting teams in NCAA history. While Grant is the current single-season home run record holder, there’s no guarantee she’ll finish the year that way. Her fellow senior, Jordan Woolery, has 31 home runs and a single-season program record 102 RBIs to her credit.

Still, a national championship is the only guarantee this year’s Bruins will be esteemed among the best teams in program history.

“Quite a storied tradition and program,” McDonald said. “They have to win a College World Series before they can go down as one of those teams. ... I can’t imagine there’s a better offensive team ever. They’re a very good offensive team; 1 through 9, very polished hitters.”

Grant is as polished as they come. While her hitting approach resembles Bonds in both the pure hit tool and power tool departments, perhaps where the similarity is most uncanny is Grant’s strike zone judgement.

“I think a lot of it has to do with experience,” Grant said. “Four years in, you start to learn the college strike zone. ... When you have good plate discipline and good pitch selection, good things happen.”

Not only does she have an 80-grade batter’s eye, the left-handed slugger has earned the respect of home plate umpires in the same manner Bonds did. Meaning, if she takes a borderline pitch, it’s probably out of the strike zone, and is almost always called a ball.

“She’s matured so much,” McDonald said. “She knows how to communicate with the umpires and she gets the respect on the field. She’s going to get a little more because she’s Megan Grant. She’s earned it.”