UCLA softball player Megan Grant has been receiving advice from former teammates who understand what it takes to win a national championship.
As she and the eighth-seeded UCLA softball team get ready for the Women’s College World Series, Grant has been hearing from players from the UCLA women’s basketball team.
Five of those basketball players were first-round draft picks in the WNBA Draft last month, and now, Grant is trying to follow in their title-winning footsteps.
Grant’s Dual-Sport Experience
Grant is known as one of softball’s most dangerous power hitters. She also spent part of her senior year playing basketball with Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice and the rest of the Bruins.
Grant was listed as a 5-foot-10 guard/forward on the UCLA basketball roster.
She appeared in 14 games between Nov. 3 and Feb. 4. She hit her first home run of the season two days after her final basketball game.
Lessons Learned on the Court
Grant feels her time on the basketball court unlocked something within her. “I learned so much from that group,” Grant said.
She added, “Also, there was a lot of similarity between Coach Cori (basketball coach Cori Close) and Coach I (softball coach Kelly Inouye-Perez). I feel like the coaches at UCLA all talk the same language, which is awesome for me. They really brought out my joy and my competitive spirit, just balancing those two.”
Teammates Recognise Grant’s Joy
Grant’s teammates have noticed her happiness. UCLA pitcher Taylor Tinsley said, “I feel like I get the best seat in the house.”
Tinsley added, “Just seeing what Megan has been doing all year long and just seeing her development from our freshman year to now, it’s just crazy how much we both have grown up and both have grown up in this program as well, just leading the younger Bruins on and just seeing the way Megan takes the field just so calm and confident all the time.”
Chasing Records at the WCWS
Grant hit her 39th home run of the season two weeks ago, with Rice in the stands at UCLA.
Last week, Grant became the first college softball player to hit 40 in a season, and with one more this week, she’ll become just the 10th to hit 90 in a career.
That would tie her with UCLA slugger Stacey Nuveman, who is the only person in the 90-plus club to achieve that mark before 2015.
Grant and OU freshman Kendall Wells each topped Arizona star Laura Espinoza’s single-season record of 37 this season, a record that had stood for 31 years.
Grant’s college basketball career concluded with six points and fou