EUGENE -- In the days leading up to the 2016 NCAA softball tournament's super regional between Oklahoma and Louisiana Lafayette, Sooners assistant Melyssa Lombardi and pitcher Paige Parker spent countless hours together scouting the Ragin' Cajuns.
They studied opposing hitters on video, found tiny weaknesses and ran through mock lineups.
"She went into so much detail," Parker said. "And so much into depth."
But it wasn't all softball. Talk would occasionally turn to their shared love of the Harry Potter books and Lombardi's interest in the series is fitting. Among college softball insiders, she is regarded as a wizard with pitchers and catchers after producing 20 combined All-America honors in her 21 years as a Sooners assistant.