SAN FRANCISCO — University of San Francisco baseball head coach Nino Giarratano has announced changes to his coaching staff for the 2019-20 year, with former USF all-West Coast Conference player Allen Smoot moving from the Dons' Director of Operations to the Volunteer Assistant position, and recent USF player and graduate Jordan Barchus joining the staff as Director of Operations.
 
Smoot, who played for the Dons from 2015-17, spent the 2018-19 year with his alma mater program as the team's director of operations. Smoot moves into the Dons' Volunteer Assistant position where he'll officially be a part of the Dons' coaching staff.
 
"I am very appreciative of the opportunity to be on the coaching staff here at USF," said Smoot. "I loved my time as a student-athlete here and am really excited to continue to be a part of the university. I am grateful for the things I learned from Coach G as a player and know there is still a lot more to learn on the coaching side."
 
Smoot finished his career on The Hilltop with top-10 program marks in career batting average and on-base percentage. His 39 walks drawn during his senior season of 2017 were seventh-most in a single season at USF. He earned the team's Dante Benedetti Award (Team MVP) in 2017, just as his father, Al, had done in 1981.
 
Smoot was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2017 MLB First Year Players Draft. He played a year of professional baseball in the Rays' minor league system for a year, where he continued his propensity for getting on base with a .352 clip and also rapping out 19 hits in 29 games during his rookie season.
 
Barchus will move into his first post-graduation professional position on the coaching/administrative staff side of things as the Dons' Director of Operations after playing the past two seasons on The Hilltop.
 
"I would like to thank Coach Giarratano for giving me this opportunity to start my career in a place that has given me so much," said Barchus. "I am looking forward to giving back to the players, the program, school and community. I am excited to get started on this journey at a place that let me live a dream of mine."
 
Barchus became a two-way player for the Dons last spring, appearing in 16 games on the field and 11 on the mound. He had four scoreless appearances for the Dons as a right-handed pitcher out of the bullpen. He hit his first career double in a pinch-hit appearance at first-place BYU on May 11 and came through with a clutch RBI single in the bottom of the 11th on May 17 versus CSUN, making it a one-run game at the time.