Melyssa Lombardi
{{short description|American softball coach}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Melyssa Lombardi
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| current_title = Head coach
| current_team = Oregon
| current_conference = Big Ten
| current_record = {{winpct|155|85|record=y}}
| contract =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Glendale, Arizona, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater = Oklahoma
| player_years1 = 1993–1994
| player_team1 = Central Arizona College
| player_years2 = 1995–1996
| player_team2 = Oklahoma
| player_positions = Catcher
| coach_years1 = 1997
| coach_team1 = Oklahoma (Student asst.)
| coach_years2 = 1998–2007
| coach_team2 = Oklahoma (asst.)
| coach_years3 = 2007–2018
| coach_team3 = Oklahoma (AHC)
| coach_years4 = 2019–present
| coach_team4 = Oregon
| overall_record = {{winpct|155|85|record=y}}
| bowl_record =
| tournament_record =
| championships = As an Assistant:
4× Women's College World Series (2000, 2013, 2016, 2017)
10× Big 12 regular season (1999, 2000, 2009, 2012–18)
5× Big 12 Tournament (2001, 2007, 2010, 2017–18)
| awards = As an Assistant:
2017 NFCA Division I Assistant Coach of the Year
4× NFCA National Coaching Staffs of the Year (2000, 2013, 2016–17)
11× Regional Coaching Staffs of the Year (1999-01, 2004, 2012–18)
| coaching_records =
}}
Melyssa Lombardi is an American softball coach who is the current head coach at Oregon.{{cite web |title=Melyssa Lombardi |url=https://goducks.com/coaches.aspx?rc=2882&path=softball |website=GoDucks.com |publisher=Oregon Athletics |accessdate=1 February 2019}}
Early life and education
Lombardi graduated from University of Oklahoma in 1997 with a degree in Health and Sports Science.{{cite web |title=Melyssa Lombardi |url=http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=210266768 |website=SoonerSports.com |publisher=Oklahoma Athletics |accessdate=1 February 2019}}
Coaching career
=Oregon=
On July 9, 2018, Melyssa Lombardi was announced as the new head coach of the Oregon softball program, replacing Mike White who left to be the head coach of Texas.{{cite web |url=http://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/24052630/oregon-ducks-tap-melyssa-lombardi-softball-coach |website=ESPN.com |date=10 July 2018 |publisher=ESPN |accessdate=1 February 2019|title=Oregon taps OU's Lombardi as softball coach }}
Controversy
When Lombardi became the head coach of the Oregon softball program, several players transferred from the program including Miranda Elish, Lauren Burke, Mary Iakopo, Shannon Rhodes, Megan Kleist, Maggie Balint, Alyssa Pinto, Mia Camuso, and Alexis Mack. Another player, Maddie MacGrandle, who transferred into the program that year quit the team midseason. This exodus of talented players left only one starter from the previous season's lineup still on the team, Haley Cruse. Most players did not speak publicly about their reasons for leaving but those who did cited concerns about the team culture.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/drama-heartbreak-and-transfers-inside-oregon-softballs-upheaval/|title = Oregon Softball's Transfer Epidemic: Maggie Balint Discusses How the Ducks Roster Crumbled Under a New Regime| date=28 January 2019 }}
In her third season with the Ducks, the NCAA gave Texas the 15-seed and did not seed the Ducks, instead sending them to the Austin Regional. Oregon and Texas met in the finals, setting up the first showdown between Lombardi's team and Mike White's team, which included Burke, Iakopo and Rhodes. Oregon won the first game 3-2 in an extra inning walk-off. Cruse scored the winning run to beat her former coach. Texas won the second game, 1-0 as the Ducks couldn't get anything going offensively. Burke scored the only run of that game. Since Oregon had already dropped a game earlier in the regional this was their second loss, eliminating them from the tournament while Texas moved on to the Super Regionals.
Head coaching record
=College=
{{CBB yearly record start | type =coach | conference = | postseason= }}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Oregon Ducks
| conference = Pac-12 Conference
| startyear = 2019
| endyear = 2024
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2019
| name = Oregon
| overall = 22–30
| conference = 5–19
| confstanding = 9th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2020
| name = Oregon
| overall = 22–2
| conference = 0–0
| confstanding =
| postseason = Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2021
| name = Oregon
| overall = 40–17
| conference = 14–10
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason = NCAA Regional
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2022
| name = Oregon
| overall = 33–19
| conference = 10–14
| confstanding = 5th
| postseason = NCAA Regional
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2023
| name = Oregon
| overall = 38–17
| conference = 14–10
| confstanding = 5th
| postseason = NCAA Super Regional
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2024
| name = Oregon
| overall = 32-22
| conference = 13–10
| confstanding = 4th
| postseason = NCAA Regional
}}
{{CBB yearly record subtotal
| name = Oregon
| overall = {{winpct|187|107|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{winpct|56|63|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Oregon Ducks
| conference = Big Ten Conference
| startyear = 2025
| endyear = Present
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2025
| name = Oregon
| overall = 26-3
| conference = 2–1
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB yearly record subtotal
| name = Oregon
| overall = {{winpct|26|3|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{winpct|2|1|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB yearly record end
| overall = {{winpct|192|96|record=y}}
}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Big Ten Conference softball coach navbox}}
{{Navboxes|list=
{{Oregon Ducks softball coach navbox}}
{{2013 Oklahoma Sooners softball navbox}}
{{2016 Oklahoma Sooners softball navbox}}
{{2017 Oklahoma Sooners softball navbox}}
}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lombardi, Melyssa}}
Category:Sportspeople from Glendale, Arizona
Category:Oklahoma Sooners softball players
Category:Oklahoma Sooners softball coaches
Category:Oregon Ducks softball coaches
Category:American softball coaches