UCLA’s Megan Grant, UNC’s Emily LeGette and Oklahoma’s Kendall Wells: softball studs
Emily LeGette, Megan Grant, and Kendall Wells are making a strong impact.
With the college softball season approaching the halfway mark, it’s not a bad time to look across the D1 landscape to see which hitters are having some big seasons.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say UCLA’s Megan Grant is the best batter in college softball right now.
Grant has put her name at the top of almost every leaderboard, with a staggering triple slash of .527/.720/1.618.
Grant’s .720 on-base percentage (OBP) is the best by .085 points. The difference between first and second is the same as the difference between second and 43rd.
Unsurprisingly, Grant leads softball in total walks, with 34, while also managing nine hit-by-pitches in 24 games. Her elite 1.618 slugging percentage stems from 19 of her 29 hits being home runs.
Grant’s production will be critical if UCLA wants to not only win the Big Ten but also advance deep into the Women’s College World Series (WCWS).
The spot for the second-best hitter this season is not nearly as cut and dry. North Carolina’s Emily LeGette and Oklahoma’s Kendall Wells are both making their names heard.
LeGette’s performance has helped her team start with a strong 20-3 record. She has been off to a hot start in her first year with UNC, leading college softball in batting average, with a mark of .597.
Her .633 OBP ranks third in college softball, and 15 homers through 23 games is also third best. LeGette has smashed her previous single-season high in home runs, which was four last year for Virginia Tech.
Kendall Wells has started her collegiate career off strong, leading all hitters in home runs with 19. The freshman standout is part of an Oklahoma Sooners core that hopes to get their school a WCWS title once again.
She leads the Sooners clubhouse with a 1.195 slugging percentage and has seven more home runs than her next closest teammate.
Tennessee, ranked No. 1, is off to a 25-0 start due to a roster loaded with talent. At the top of that lineup, is Sophia Knight.
The usual leadoff hitter for Tennessee, Knight has a batting average of .519. She has 42 total hits on the season, with six going for extra bases.
If Knight can convert a few more singles into doubles down the stretch of the season, she can easily solidify herself as the best leadoff hitter in college softball.
The WCWS runner-ups from last season loaded up in the transfer portal as they try to go all the way this year. One of the best overall transfer portal players, Kaitlyn Terry, is making an immediate impression on the Red Raiders.
Terry, who transferred from UCLA, has immediately been one of the best hitters for Texas Tech. She leads the team in batting average (.574) and is second in OBP (.627).
Her impact has gone beyond the batter’s box, as Terry is also an elite pitcher. She is a perfect 11-0 with a 1.32 ERA over 53 innings pitched.
While these numbers will be difficult to maintain for another 30 games, these hitters have already left their mark on college softball.
Thank you for reading Female Athlete New. Carter Joseph Brooks is a student-intern at Penn State University.