Utility player Megan Grant, pitcher Taylor Tinsley, and infielder Jordan Woolery from the UCLA softball team have been named to the 2026 Big Ten Players to Watch List. The announcement was made by the Big Ten Conference office on Thursday.
Each of the 17 teams in the Big Ten had three players selected for this preseason recognition. UCLA is entering its second season in the conference after finishing last year with a 17-5 record and placing second in both regular season standings and the conference tournament.
This honor adds to a series of preseason accolades for Grant, Tinsley, and Woolery. All three were included on the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List. Grant and Woolery have now appeared on this list three times during their careers, while it is Tinsley’s second selection.
The trio also received Preseason All-American honors from Softball America and D1Softball. Both outlets named Grant and Woolery to their first teams; Tinsley was chosen as a first team member by Softball America and as a second team member by D1Softball.
Last season, all three athletes were recognized as National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Americans. Grant and Woolery earned first team honors, while Tinsley was named to the third team. Together, Grant and Woolery combined for 167 runs batted in—a new record for a UCLA duo—and hit 49 home runs, ranking them second among all pairs nationally for that season. Grant set a new Big Ten single-season home run record with 26 homers, which also placed her second in UCLA’s history books. Woolery achieved career highs with a .424 batting average, 23 home runs, and 86 RBIs; she also delivered what was described as “the Bruins’ most epic moment of the year” with a walk-off three-run homer during Game 2 of the NCAA Columbia Super Regional.
Tinsley contributed significantly from the pitching circle by throwing over 100 innings in 2025. She finished with a record of 15-6 and led UCLA’s staff with an earned run average (ERA) of 2.44 across nearly 138 innings pitched. Her efficiency stood out nationally: she ranked fourth for strikeout-to-walk ratio at 6.63 and eleventh for walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) at 0.95.
UCLA will start its upcoming season at Easton Stadium on February 6th with games against UC Santa Barbara at 4 p.m., followed by Northern Colorado at 6:30 p.m. Single-game tickets are available online through this LINK. Fans can also purchase an Olympic Sports Card for $110 that grants admission to every home game throughout the season.
After these opening games, UCLA’s next appearance at Easton Stadium will be March 6th when they begin their Big Ten schedule for their second year in conference play.
In recent preseason polls, UCLA has been ranked No.7 by NFCA, No.10 by USA Softball/ESPN.com and D1Softball, and No.8 by Softball America.
