University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Gophers Add Lombardo, DeBord to Softball Coaching Staff
8/13/2025 9:45:00 AM | Softball
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota's Softball team announced Wednesday the hiring of Stephanie Lombardo as their new Assistant Coach.
"Stephanie brings experience across professional and collegiate levels, and we're excited to welcome her to the Gopher family," said head coach Piper Ritter. "Her player development background, passion for teaching, and calm presence will be an incredible asset to our program."
Lombardo joins the Gophers after serving as a development coach for the Greensboro Grasshoppers, the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Grasshoppers currently sit atop the South Atlantic League with a 71–30 record.
Prior to her time in Greensboro, Lombardo worked as a development coach and operations assistant with the Pirates' Single-A affiliate, the Bradenton Marauders. She also served as a coaching and operations assistant for the FCL Pirates in 2023.
Lombardo's international coaching resume includes stops in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic with the Dominican Instructional League, and in Barranquilla, Colombia, where she served as an infield coach for Los Caimanes de Barranquilla.
Her coaching career began at Eastern Kentucky University as a graduate assistant, where she helped guide EKU to its first Ohio Valley Conference Championship and NCAA Regional appearance since 2004. A former standout at the University of Wisconsin, Lombardo returned to her alma mater as a volunteer assistant coach.
As a player, Lombardo was a four-time Big Ten Scholar-Athlete, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2019), and a two-time NFCA Academic All-American (2018, 2019). She earned her bachelor's degree in Economics and Retailing & Consumer Behavior from Wisconsin and later completed her master's in Exercise and Sport Science at EKU.
The Gophers also announced the addition of Morgan DeBord as the program's new Director of Operations.
"Morgan understands our program from the inside and brings a detailed, driven mindset to everything she does," said Coach Ritter. "She's a competitor, a leader, and we're thrilled to bring her back to Dinkytown."
DeBord returns to Minnesota after competing in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, where she hit .333 with four hits in 12 at-bats over nine games.
She previously played her graduate season for the Gophers in 2023, earning Second Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Defensive Team, CSC Academic All-District, and NFCA Great Lakes All-Region Second Team honors. She started all 53 games that season, batting .359 with 145 at-bats.
A native of Hillsboro, Ore., DeBord spent her first four collegiate seasons at Loyola Marymount, where she was a First Team All-WCC selection in 2023 and Second Team All-WCC in 2022.
Academically, DeBord was a WCC All-Academic First Team honoree in 2022 and earned Honorable Mention in 2021 and 2023. She holds a bachelor's of science in Health and Human Sciences with a minor in Health and Society, and a master's in Sports Management from the University of Minnesota.