EUGENE, Ore. – Sydney Romero, a two-time NCAA champion as both a coach and a player, has been named assistant softball coach at Oregon, head coach Melyssa Lombardi announced Sunday.
“Sydney is a tremendous competitor and a determined leader,” said Lombardi, who coached Romero at Oklahoma. “As a player and a coach, she consistently performed and won at the highest levels and made those around her great.
“She is an exceptional teacher of the game and her passion to coach and play the sport is unmatched,” Lombardi said. “We’re excited to welcome her to Oregon and can’t wait to see what she will do for this team.”
Romero joins Lombardi’s staff after coaching stops at Duke and Oklahoma. She was an assistant coach at Duke in 2023 when the Blue Devils went 48-12 (19-5 in the ACC) and hosted an NCAA Super Regional for the first time in program history. She was Duke’s hitting and infield coach. Romero mentored outfielder D’Auna Jennings, who earned NFCA All-America second team honors in 2023 after setting Duke’s single-season record for batting average (.462) and hits (80). Jennings ranked sixth nationally in both categories.
Prior to Duke, as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma, Romero helped the Sooners win back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022. Oklahoma’s staff was named the 2022 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I National Coaching Staff of the Year, after going 59-3 overall. The Sooners were 56-4 in 2021.
“I am extremely excited to get this opportunity to work alongside Coach Lombardi and learn from her every day,” said Romero. “This staff is such a solid group and I am looking forward to working with the team. Oregon Softball has already made me feel right at home. Go Ducks!”
Romero will replace Nikki Ragin on Oregon’s staff. Ragin decided to step away from coaching to spend more time with her family.
In addition to her coaching duties, Romero has continued to play softball professionally as one of the top players with Athletes Unlimited since 2020. Prior to signing with AU, Romero was the third overall pick in the 2019 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) Draft by the USSSA Pride, where she was named to the 2019 All-NPF Team.
Romero, who holds dual citizenship in Mexico and the United States, played for the Mexican National Team at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
As a player at Oklahoma, Romero earned two first team All-America awards and won national championships with the Sooners in 2016 and 2017. She…
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