Megan Grant (left) and Jordan Woolery (right)
Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
Grant and Woolery Make Top 10 List for NFCA Freshman of the Year
May 11, 2023 | Softball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Infielder Jordan Woolery and utility Megan Grant on the No. 2 UCLA softball team were both named to the TUCCI/NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year Top 10 List, it was announced by the association Thursday morning.
The award was created in 2014 to honor outstanding athletic achievement among Division I freshmen softball student-athletes. The list will be trimmed to three finalists on May 25. The 2023 TUCCI/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year will be announced on May 30 prior to the start of the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
UCLA and Duke each had two student-athletes who made the cut for the top 10 list. The duo of Grant and Woolery brings the Bruins' total of top 10 finalists to seven. UCLA also had two finalists on the top 10 list for NFCA Freshman of the Year in 2019 with Kelli Godin and Megan Faraimo.
The freshmen sensations were each named to the All-Pac-12 First Team yesterday. Woolery was honored as the 2023 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, becoming the ninth Bruin to win the award.
Grant and Woolery have combined for 99 runs batted in this season which is the most by a UCLA freshman duo in program history. The two sluggers rank top 10 in the Pac-12 in several categories, anchoring the top of the UCLA lineup.
Woolery, UCLA's every-day first baseman, led all Pac-12 freshmen and ranked third in the conference with a .409 batting average in the regular season. She also paced Pac-12 freshmen in slugging percentage with a .691 mark and ranked second behind teammate Grant in runs batted in with 45.
Woolery belted her first career home run with a grand slam off Alabama's Montana Fouts on Feb. 17. She recorded the first multi-homer game of her career with two longballs against Oregon State on April 6.
For 26 straight games, the Walnut Creek, Calif. product held down the No. 3 spot in the lineup before missing last weekend's competition. Woolery turned up the heat in Pac-12 play with a .427 average which was tied with Brady for second in the conference.
Grant ranks second among all freshmen in the country with 54 runs batted in. She leads all freshmen in the Pac-12 and ranks second on the squad with 12 home runs.
The San Bruno, Calif. product has bat lead-off in UCLA's last 19 games and paces the team with 19 RBI, 47 total bases and 12 extra-base hits in that span. Grant has belted two lead-off home runs since taking over the new role. Earlier this season, Grant recorded a team-long 24-game reached base streak and 14-game hitting streak.
In conference play, Grant led the Pac-12 with nine home runs, 16 extra-base hits, an .889 slugging percentage and 26 RBI.
2023 NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 10
NiJaree Canady, Stanford
Cassidy Curd, Duke
Megan Grant, UCLA
D'Auna Jennings, Duke
Reagan Johnson, Arkansas
Taryn Kern, Indiana
Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee
Alexis Pupillo, Northern Iowa
Makenna Reid, Florida State
Jordan Woolery, UCLA
The award was created in 2014 to honor outstanding athletic achievement among Division I freshmen softball student-athletes. The list will be trimmed to three finalists on May 25. The 2023 TUCCI/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year will be announced on May 30 prior to the start of the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
UCLA and Duke each had two student-athletes who made the cut for the top 10 list. The duo of Grant and Woolery brings the Bruins' total of top 10 finalists to seven. UCLA also had two finalists on the top 10 list for NFCA Freshman of the Year in 2019 with Kelli Godin and Megan Faraimo.
The freshmen sensations were each named to the All-Pac-12 First Team yesterday. Woolery was honored as the 2023 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, becoming the ninth Bruin to win the award.
Grant and Woolery have combined for 99 runs batted in this season which is the most by a UCLA freshman duo in program history. The two sluggers rank top 10 in the Pac-12 in several categories, anchoring the top of the UCLA lineup.
Woolery, UCLA's every-day first baseman, led all Pac-12 freshmen and ranked third in the conference with a .409 batting average in the regular season. She also paced Pac-12 freshmen in slugging percentage with a .691 mark and ranked second behind teammate Grant in runs batted in with 45.
Woolery belted her first career home run with a grand slam off Alabama's Montana Fouts on Feb. 17. She recorded the first multi-homer game of her career with two longballs against Oregon State on April 6.
For 26 straight games, the Walnut Creek, Calif. product held down the No. 3 spot in the lineup before missing last weekend's competition. Woolery turned up the heat in Pac-12 play with a .427 average which was tied with Brady for second in the conference.
Grant ranks second among all freshmen in the country with 54 runs batted in. She leads all freshmen in the Pac-12 and ranks second on the squad with 12 home runs.
The San Bruno, Calif. product has bat lead-off in UCLA's last 19 games and paces the team with 19 RBI, 47 total bases and 12 extra-base hits in that span. Grant has belted two lead-off home runs since taking over the new role. Earlier this season, Grant recorded a team-long 24-game reached base streak and 14-game hitting streak.
In conference play, Grant led the Pac-12 with nine home runs, 16 extra-base hits, an .889 slugging percentage and 26 RBI.
2023 NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 10
NiJaree Canady, Stanford
Cassidy Curd, Duke
Megan Grant, UCLA
D'Auna Jennings, Duke
Reagan Johnson, Arkansas
Taryn Kern, Indiana
Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee
Alexis Pupillo, Northern Iowa
Makenna Reid, Florida State
Jordan Woolery, UCLA
Players Mentioned
P/1B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
INF
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