Megan Grant Can’t Stop Hitting Home Runs

Megan Grant is a spectacle of softball. Sheer strength and immense talent set her worlds above other players. She’s a home run machine.

A utility player for the Portland Cascade, Grant rotates through fielding positions but frequents third base and right field. She usually hits in the two or the four hole, both powerful spots to maximize her opportunities to collect RBIs.

Known for her consistency and power when it comes to home runs, Grant has taken the Athletes Unlimited Softball League leaderboards by storm.

A rookie in the professional world, Grant is just beginning to show us her full potential. The California native was a standout at UCLA both on the field and the court for the softball and basketball teams.

Now playing in Portland, Grant has continued to do what she does best: hit home runs. But these home runs don’t just drop over the fence – they clear it by tens of, if not a hundred, feet. Such strength had yet to grace the AUSL, and fans are loving it.

Greatness as a Bruin

Impressive would be an understatement for Grant’s time as a Bruin. During her four years playing softball, she recorded 91 home runs, breaking the career home run record at UCLA. Of her career homers, she hit 42 of them in the 2026 season, shattering Laura Espinoza’s previous record of 37.

During her historic season, she posted a .455 batting average and NCAA-leading on-base and slugging percentages with .639 and 1.308, respectively.

Grant added 91 RBIs, 88 runs scored, and drew 76 walks in her senior season. In her junior season, she led the team in home runs with 26, slugging percentage with .933, and on-base percentage with .540. In that season, she tied a UCLA record of homers in five straight games.

Her trophy shelf is overflowing with awards, including a top-three finalist for USA Softball’s Collegiate 2026 Player of the Year, a two-time First Team All-American, and a four-time First Team All-Conference.

Two-Sport Athlete

Grant joined the women’s basketball team her final year at UCLA and took on the demand of being a two-sport athlete with overlapping seasons.

Though the start of softball season cut her basketball career short, Grant appeared in 13 games and logged six points for the 2026 national champions. Unable to play in the championship, Grant surprised her basketball teammates after they won for much-needed congratulations.

Making an Early Mark

Grant was the number four pick in the 2026 AUSL draft and the first non-pitcher to be selected. After finishing her collegiate run in Oklahoma City at the Women’s College World Series, Grant headed up to Portland to join the Cascade.

In Grant’s professional debut, she sailed a ball 313 feet over the right field fence off Karlyn Pickens for her first career hit.

In typical Grant fashion, she broke the AUSL record for farthest ball hit. With an exit velocity of 86 mph, the ball easily cleared the 190-foot fence by over 120 feet.

Grant’s second professional hit also left the park, collecting two RBIs in the series opener against the Talons. She tattooed this one 293 feet over the right field fence to give Portland the lead and ultimately claim the win.

A Unique Approach

Anyone who watches just one of Grant’s at-bats will notice one thing: her routine. Between pitches, she steps out of the box with her front foot, leans forward, takes a breath, and adjusts her helmet.

She has done so between each and every pitch, from college to professional ball. A short reset gives her the power to send balls flying.

No Signs of Slowing Down

The home run leaderboard has been neck and neck this season, with the ranking changing daily as players continue to launch balls out of the park.

As it currently stands, Grant is tied for first in home runs with eight. She’s hitting .255 with a 1.133 OPS. The former Bruin is second overall in walks with 13, likely the result of opponents pitching around her to avoid what she does best.

She leads her team in home runs by a margin of five, and her OPS sits .288 points above second place. She’s also in first with runs batted in with 15.

Grant said, “I’m just trying to stay as relaxed as possible… Every pitcher is an All-American, so just making sure I’m sticking to my process through and through.”

The battle for a postseason run is coming to an end. The Cascade currently sit in third place, 4.5 games ahead of the Spark. With two final series left against the Talons, who have already clinched, and the Volts, who sit in last place, the Cascade just need to hold on a little longer to head to College Station.

Will Megan Grant’s bat stay hot to propel her team to a handful of more wins? She definitely doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. In 2026 alone, Grant has recorded 50 home runs and 106 RBIs between the NCAA and the AUSL, and she’s still just a rookie.

Grant will be a star of professional softball for years to come. After the 2026 season, you’ll see her in the All-Star Cup as the winner of the fan vote and participating in international competition as a member of Team USA.

And you bet she’ll be right back to the professional stage next season.