Home runs and hoops: UCLA softball standout Megan Grant also will play basketball in 2025-26
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Megan Grant, a two-time All-American softball player at UCLA, is joining the Bruins' women's basketball team for the upcoming season. She will play both sports in 2025-26.
'Basketball was my first love and has always brought out a childlike spirit in me, so putting on this jersey and being a small piece in this historically great program is a dream come true,' Grant said in a statement Friday.
She has been a key contributor for the softball team the last three years. She set the Big Ten single-season record for home runs with 26 and ranked in the top 10 nationally with 81 RBIs and a .933 slugging percentage this past season.
Grant helped the Bruins to consecutive Women's College World Series berths, two Pac-12 Conference regular-season titles and a Pac-12 Tournament title.
'She's arguably the number one softball player in the United States, we're trying to be the number one basketball program in the United States,' UCLA coach Cori Close said. 'There's a mindset crossover with that, so to combine her passion and joy for the game and having her standard of excellence and her mindset for her craft, that's going to be a huge addition to our program.'
The 5-foot-10 Grant will be listed as a guard/forward. She was a multi-sport star at Aragon High School in San Mateo, California, where she lettered in softball for four years and women's basketball and volleyball both for three years. Grant averaged 7.8 points and 5.9 rebounds during her prep hoops career.
Softball coach Kelly Inouye-Perez expressed pride in Grant's latest move.
'Our fanbase is familiar with the all-out effort Megan gives on the diamond each and every day, and I have no doubt that will translate to the hardwood,' she said.
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