The Oregon Ducks are taking all they can get from Oklahoma's college softball dynasty.
Oregon announced on Wednesday that it hired OU great Paige Parker as the Ducks' Director of Player Development. Parker will be reunited with her old OU pitching coach, Melyssa Lombardi, who is now the head coach at Oregon.
"Paige was an elite student-athlete," Lombardi said in a statement. "Her relentless work ethic and drive to excel helped her win on the sport's biggest stage and become a two-time national champion. She had an exceptional ability to spin the ball and compete on the mound. Having had the honor to coach her previously, I am overjoyed to now have the opportunity to work with her professionally."
Paige Parker joining Ducks staff
Parker pitched for the Sooners in 2015-18 while Lombardi was on Patty Gasso's staff. After 21 years on Gasso's staff, Lombardi finally left Norman in 2018 for her first head coaching job at Oregon. Lombardi just led the Ducks to the Women's College World Series for the first time in 2025.
While together at OU, Parker and Lombardi were part of two national championship teams in back-to-back seasons in 2016 and 2017. Parker ended her career as a four-time All-American and four-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Year.
"I couldn't be more excited to reunite with Coach Lombardi and join her staff at the University of Oregon," Parker said in a statement. "I'm so thankful to Coach Amy Hogue and the University of Utah for everything over the past four years — it's been an incredible journey.
"I'm looking forward to what's ahead at Oregon as we continue building toward something great. Competing for the Women's College World Series year after year is the goal, and I'm all in. Getting to do it with Coach Lombardi makes it even more special."
After her playing career, Parker started her coaching career as an assistant coach at William Jewel in 2019. Gasso then added her as a volunteers assistant in 2020 before she spent one season at Tulsa. Parker has been the associate head coach at Utah the last four seasons. At this rate, Parker will definitely be a big-time head coach one day.
Lombardi has loaded her Oregon staff with ties to OU beyond just Parker. Associate head coach Sam Marder was a volunteer assistant at OU in 2021 before Lombardi lured her to Oregon. Sydney Romero played for the Sooners and was a graduate assistant under Gasso before eventually becoming an assistant coach at Oregon.
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