Oklahoma's record moment might not last with UCLA closing in fast

Oklahoma and its super freshman Kendall Wells had been chasing college softball home run history all season, and just one game into their series at home against Georgia on Friday night, the 2026 Sooners set a new NCAA record for team home runs in a single season.

Wells, of course, hit the record-breaking homer in the second inning in the 10-2 win over the No. 11 Bulldogs. It was also Wells' 35th of the season, which put her three away from breaking the individual NCAA home run record. However, although the 2021 OU team held its home run record for nearly five years, the 2026 Sooners might not hold onto it even before the season ends.

Sooners set NCAA home run record but UCLA is also chasing history

I haven't done the definitive math, but it wouldn't be too hard to jump to the conclusion that Oklahoma softball is the all-time home run queen of college softball with more total home runs than any team in history.

While most of the media attention this season has been focused on Oklahoma's record-setting home run chase, though, there is another prominent softball program on the West Coast that is on a similar record-breaking pace. The UCLA Bruins, who own more national championships (12) than any team in the sport, are right there with Oklahoma with just one more weekend after this one remaining in the regular season.

Read more: Oklahoma is doing something college softball has never seen

UCLA has hit 155 balls out of the park entering this weekend, but unlike Oklahoma, the Bruins have two players with 30 or more home runs. Megan Grant has 31 home runs in 46 games this season and Jordan Woolery is right there with her, just one back at 30. Both are seniors in their final season at UCLA.

The Bruins, 41-5 and ranked No. 7 in the ESPN/USA Softball Top 25, will also likely join the Sooner in breaking the 2021 record for home runs in a season. In addition, their two power hitters might also be able to break the individual record for home runs in a season, which currently stands at 37 by Arizona's Lauren Espinoza in 1995. The two UCLA seniors are currently three and four back of the OU freshman Wells, who is just three away from breaking the 31-year record held by Espinoza.

Both Oklahoma and UCLA have five regular-season games left followed by their conference tournaments, and both should advance deep in the postseason. So with as many as 18 to 20 more games to play, it's not hard to imagine the new team home run record blowing past 200 -- not just breaking but totally obliterating the old mark.

The question, though is: Which team will own the new record when the dust finally settles from the 2026 season? The ability for either team to advance as far as it can in the postseason will also be a huge determining factor.

Although the home run numbers this season are comparable for both Oklahoma and UCLA (both teams average three-plus per game), it should be pointed out that UCLA's Easton Stadium is more home-run friendly than Oklahoma's Love's Field. The outfield dimensions at 32-year-old Easton Stadium are 190 feet down both foul lines and 210 feet to dead center field. By comparison, Love's Field is 200 feet at the left- and right-field corners and 225 in center field.

No telling how many Oklahoma fly balls that were caught on the warning track at Love's Field this season would have been home runs at Easton Stadium, but we know there would have been a few more.

No. 1 Oklahoma has led all of Division-I softball in multiple offensive categories for most of the 2026 season, but in the past week or so, UCLA has jumped over the Sooners into the top spot in the categories of on-base-percentage (.504 to .500), slugging percentage (.846 to .834) and scoring (11.3 per game to 10.8). Oklahoma still leads the nation in total runs and home runs ahead of UCLA.

It was just one month into the 2026 season when it became readily apparent that Oklahoma was making a full-out assault on the single-season NCAA home run record. When the Sooners reached the 100 home run mark and became the fastest team to do so in college softball history in 25 games, the probability skyrocketed from maybe to likely. The general belief all along has been that if that record was to fall this season, it would be Oklahoma that does it.

Don't look now, but there is UCLA right behind, hovering like a distance runner on the shoulder of the race leader who is setting the pace. The Sooners remain out in front heading into the homestretch in this year's record-breaking home run race, but the race is not over and it is still very much up for grabs.

One thing we do know at this stage of the season is that two teams are going to blow by the old single-season record, but will only one -- and which one? -- owns the record on the final day of the season? The other thing we know is that it's Oklahoma's to lose.

The only thing that would be better than setting a new home record is winning a ninth national championship. Two for two would also be nice.

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