COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) 鈥� UCLA slugger Megan Grant set the single-season home run record for Division I softball when she hit her 38th of the season on Saturday.
Grant drove an 0-2 pitch from Nebraska’s Jordy Frahm deep to left-center field for a solo home run, giving UCLA a 2-0 lead in the third inning of . The senior took the record in her 55th game. Arizona鈥檚 Laura Espinoza hit 37 home runs over 72 games in 1995.
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.
鈥淭o be able to do that, it’s just, it’s surreal,” Grant said of the home run record. 鈥淚’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.鈥�
Grant had the ball in her backpack after on Saturday to win the conference championship. She planned to give the ball to her grandmother.
Down 0-2, Grant was just hoping to put the ball in play anywhere she could against Frahm.
鈥淭he pitch was up, and I had a feeling it was out once I heard the crowd cheering,鈥� Grant said of her home run. 鈥淚 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.鈥�
Grant said she let out a lot of energy rounding the bases celebrating all the way to the dugout with her teammates. She thinks they were focused on the milestone before refocusing on trying to win the game.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to be able to do it on a big stage,鈥� of Grant’s record-setting home run.
Grant trailed Oklahoma鈥檚 Kendall Wells by one homer heading into conference tournament play. Wells did not homer in Oklahoma鈥檚 loss to Georgia on Thursday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Grant hit home runs in each of UCLA’s three Big Ten Tournament games.
The race to see could last until the Women鈥檚 College World Series. Wells has 36 and Grant鈥檚 teammate, Jordan Woolery, has 33.
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