WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

05/06 12:52 CDT In a battle like McGwire and Sosa's '98 home run chase, Oklahoma, UCLA softball sluggers near record In a battle like McGwire and Sosa's '98 home run chase, Oklahoma, UCLA softball sluggers near record By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer College softball is putting on a home run chase reminiscent of the epic showdown between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa nearly 30 years ago. Back in 1998, McGwire hit 70 homers to edge out Sosa's 66 as both players blew past Roger Maris' single-season major league record of 61. The duel between the St. Louis Cardinals slugger and his Chicago Cubs counterpart helped rejuvenate baseball. College softball has a similar home run race going on this year, providing an opportunity to boost an already rising sport. Laura Espinoza's single-season record of 37, set for Arizona way back in 1995, could fall in the coming days. Oklahoma's Kendall Wells leads the pack with 36. A pair of UCLA seniors also are in the mix --- Megan Grant has 35 homers and Jordan Woolery has 33 as the teams head into their conference tournaments. Grant said pitching speeds increased in recent years and the hitters have caught up. UCLA and Oklahoma both have 173 home runs, having already shattered Oklahoma's single-season record of 161 set in 2021. Woolery said the game evolves in cycles. "I think it's just kind of one of those years or like, probably the next few years where we'll see a lot of offensive power," she said. "Then maybe in four years, when this freshman class is seniors, we'll some more dominant pitching and go back to those 1-0 games. I think it's going to ebb and flow throughout time." The trio of sluggers aren't the only ones hitting the long ball. Teams this season have exceeded last year's home run total across Division I softball with an entire month of action remaining. As of Monday, the national average of 0.80 home runs per game would top the record of 0.77 home runs per game set in 2015. Wells, Grant and Woolery can add to their numbers this week. Oklahoma will play LSU or Georgia in its Southeastern Conference tournament opener on Thursday. UCLA will play Northwestern or Penn State on Thursday in its Big Ten Tournament opener. Grant and Woolery may have more homers ahead, despite being seniors. Grant was selected fourth in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League draft on Monday (Portland Cascade), while Woolery was chosen sixth (Utah Talons). Grant said she and Woolery don't compete against each other. "Honestly, we know we help each other and we both want to win more than anything," Grant said. "And so it's just nice watching one of my best friends be able to achieve her dream." Woolery said her improvement has been gradual. She hit 23 homers last year and has 77 in her career. "I feel like as I've gotten older and just better and more refined in my craft, I think I've realized I don't need to work as hard to hit, maybe, borderline pitches," she said. "So seeing the pitch more over the heart of the plate, I think makes it easier to get a little bit more power." Grant bats second in UCLA's order and Woolery hits third, so Woolery takes advantage of Grant's ability to get on base. Espinoza's record of 132 RBIs, also set in 1995, is also in jeopardy because Woolery has 106 heading into league tournament play. What makes Wells' production so shocking is that she was in high school last year. Oklahoma's Jocelyn Alo set the career record of 122 home runs in 2022, and Wells is on pace to eventually catch her. "To be able to put up those numbers is quite literally insane, but also to do it as a freshman --- I mean I can't give her enough kudos," Grant said. "She is really changing the game as we speak, and it's just been really awesome to hear about." ___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports