Lisa Fernandez Covers Megan Grant's Chef-Fan Run
lisa fernandez, Kaitlyn Laabs became a familiar sight at UCLA softball games in a poofy white chef’s hat and blue apron. She started wearing the outfit at Easton Stadium after Megan Grant broke the NCAA single-season home run record, then kept showing up as UCLA pushed into the postseason.
Laabs said Grant’s record-setting season gave her a reason to build the look. Grant responded by meeting Laabs last weekend, after the fan had already turned the outfit into part of her routine around the Bruins.
Easton Stadium and Megan Grant
Laabs wears the hat and apron with a spatula and whisk in the front pocket. She said she wanted to show support for Grant, who hit home runs No. 39 and No. 40 in the regional, including a grand slam, two weeks after breaking the NCAA single-season home run record.
Laabs said, “I just think that Megan Grant is a generational player not just in her skill set on the field but in how she carries herself — she’s a class act, and she’s the consummate teammate.” She also said, “She’s getting the Barry Bonds treatment,” after Central Florida walked Grant six times in seven plate appearances during the weekend.
Grant Meets Laabs
Grant said, “She kind of looks like me, too, like with her hair and everything — I thought I was seeing double for a second. It’s just really cool to see people taking on the chef attire, and I’m just really grateful for it.” Laabs said Grant told her it was funny, and that seeing the reaction from Grant and the crowd made her keep going.
“She told me it was funny and I saw that it was bringing joy to her and to other people in the stands, so I just kept doing it because this team is all about playing loose, playing free, playing with that child-like enthusiasm, and as an athlete myself, if you can be in that world of playing like a kid, like that sandlot-style enthusiasm, why not try and bring that to the fans, bring that to the team? That’s where you want to be as an athlete always,” Laabs said.
UCLA's Postseason Run
Laabs played softball at Brown University from 2005-09 as a left-handed No. 2 hitter and said she was more of a slap hitter than a power bat. She moved back to Southern California in 2020 and began following UCLA closely, where she said she immediately appreciated the freshman class that included Grant, Jordan Woolery and Taylor Tinsley.
UCLA beat Central Florida in the Super Regional on Saturday to advance to the Women’s College World Series, and Laabs said she would wear the chef’s outfit this week while supporting the Bruins at Watch Me! Sports Bar in Long Beach. Asked whether she would keep up the fan routine, she answered, “100%,” and added, “We’ve got to keep the good vibes going.”
For UCLA, the chef outfit has become part of the scene around Grant’s record season. For Laabs, it is a way to stay connected to a team she has followed closely since 2020, even when she cannot be at the Women’s College World Series in person.
