Nino Giarratano Last College: William Jewell, 1985 Position: Head Coach Experience: 11th Year

2005-06 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year
Three-time National Junior College Coach of the Year

USF head baseball coach Nino Giarratano prepares for his 10th year on the Hilltop after guiding the Dons to the most successful four-year stretch in program history. Since 2004, USF owns a 104-69 (.601) record, highlighted by the first back-to-back 30-plus win seasons in school history in 2005-06.

Giarratano guided the Dons to a share of fourth place in the demanding West Coast Conference in 2007, despite losing the 2006 league pitcher and player of the year along with the conference RBI leader. His next victory in the Green and Gold will be victory No. 250 and Giarratano currently ranks 10th in overall victories among WCC coaches.

DIAMOND DONS BREAK THROUGH
Giarratano directed the Dons to the best season in program history in 2006. San Francisco captured the program's first WCC Championship and NCAA Regional berth and set a program wins record with 39. After guiding the Dons to only the second runner-up WCC showing in 2005, the Dons responded in 2006 by winning seven games against top-25 opponents, including the first ever road series victory over Pepperdine, eight wins against 2006 NCAA Regional participants and a school record 19 road victories. The Dons led the league in pitching for the second straight season, posting a 2.69 ERA during WCC games.

After propelling the Dons to the first league title, Giarratano was selected by his peers as WCC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season, joining current men's soccer coach Erik Visser as the only Dons mentor to win coaching accolades in back-to-back years since the 1960's. Giarratano is only the second baseball coach in school history to win the honor and first since USF Hall-of-Famer Dante Benedetti won it in 1971 following one of just two second place league finishes.

Building A Tradition Of Excellence On The Hilltop
A proven recruiter, Giarratano continues to shape the Dons into a force to be reckoned with on the West Coast and in the WCC. During his tenure on the Hilltop, 25 players have signed professional contracts, including a program record of four drafted in the 2004 Major League Draft and three last season. In addition, 16 players have earned First Team All-WCC honors, while an additional 11 players have earned second team all-league selection. Giarratano is committed to excellence in the classroom and 21 have earned All-WCC Academic selection, including a program record four in 2004 and 2006-07. In addition, 56 USF baseball student-athletes were named to the WCC Honor Roll in the last five seasons.

Diamond Dons Making An Impact
Since Giarratano's arrival on the Hilltop, USF has made steady progress in the challenging WCC schedule, posting a first place finish in 2006 and second place divisional finishes in 2003 and 2005. Multiple team records have fallen since Giarratano arrived eight years ago. The Dons led the WCC in ERA for the first time ever, posting the best mark in program history (2.86). Four program records fell in 2004, including hits (688) and pitching strikeouts (389). His 2000 club set no fewer than four offensive team records, including hits (656), doubles (127) and RBI (378). USF's pitching has never been stronger after a record setting campaign in 2005, the 2006 (3.77) and the 2001 (4.57) squads posted the three lowest team ERA's in the metal bat era. In both 2002 and 2004, the Diamond Dons pitching staff compiled a record 389 strikeouts. USF issued 133 walks in 2007, 141 in 2006 and 165 in 2005, easily the lowest back-to-back-to-back tallies since 1975.

In the last nine years, USF's recruits have earned three Freshman All-American honors, most recently Cy Donald and Royce Fukuroku in 2002. Two players earned All-District VIII selection (Steve Booth & Taggert Bozied) and Bozied was a three-time All-American.

DIAMOND DONS ENTERING PROFESSIONAL RANKS
USF made more history in 2007 when LHP Aaron Poreda became the first Diamond Don selected in the Major League Baseball Draft. All told, four USF student-athletes signed, matching the most in school history.

Three Dons were selected in the 2006 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, headlined by WCC Player of the Year Scott Cousins, a third round pick by Florida. WCC Co-Pitcher of the Year Patrick McGuigan was taken by Toronto in the 27th round and WCC First Teamer Stefan Gartrell was chosen by the Chicago White Sox in the 31st.

In 2005, Nick Pereira was a 10th round selection by the San Francisco Giants, and T.J. Franco was tabbed in the 30th round by Oakland.

A school record four Diamond Dons were drafted in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft, led by Kevin Rose (Philadelphia, 23rd), and followed by Joe Jacobitz (Seattle, 25th), Armand Gaerlan (New York Mets, 28th) and Derek Tate (Toronto, 34th).

USF sent two more players into the professional ranks following the 2002 campaign and boasted a player selected in the first 10 rounds of the Major League draft for the third straight season (Steve Booth, ninth round). The success in 2002 was an encore to the 2001 draft, which included three players drafted, led by pitcher Jesse Foppert, who was selected in the second round by the San Francisco Giants, becoming the highest Dons pitcher ever drafted. Bozied was selected in the third round by the San Diego Padres following three First Team All-American seasons at USF. All-WCC outfielder Jeramy Janz also signed with Arizona. Five Diamond Dons signed pro contracts in 2000, highlighted by left-hander Ian Perio, selected by Boston in the 14th round and All-WCC outfielder Danny Trumble chosen by San Francisco in the 25th round.

GIARRATANO AMONG THE NATIONAL ELITE
Prior to coming to USF, Giarratano spent two seasons serving as an assistant coach at Arizona State under head coach Pat Murphy. Giarratano served as hitting instructor, offensive coordinator and third base coach for the Sun Devils. During his final season in Tucson, Giarratano helped ASU reach the 1998 College World Series Championship game, and constructed a staggering offense, boasting a .318 team batting average, driving in 557 runs off 723 base hits, including 57 home runs to go along with 120 stolen bases. In 1997 the Sun Devils hit .327 with 217 extra-base hits, 54 homers, 430 RBI and posted a team slugging percentage of .497. Giarratano also served as recruiting coordinator for Arizona State and the 1996 class was ranked third in the country by Baseball America, while the 1997 class was rated second.

A Three-Time National Coach Of The Year
Giarratano has also had a wealth of success as a head coach in the junior college ranks, earning Collegiate Baseball's National Junior College Coach of the Year on three occasions while at Trinidad State Junior College from 1989-94. He led the Trojans to five College World Series appearances in six seasons as Trinidad State posted a 233-86 (.730) mark during his tenure. In between his posts at Trinidad State JC and Arizona State, Giarratano spent two seasons (1995-96) as the head coach at Yavapai Community College in Prescott, Arizona. He posted a 77-36 (.681) record at Yavapai in just two seasons and sent 25 players into the professional ranks. Giarratano's overall record as a junior college head coach was a sparkling 310-122 (.718).

In addition to his wealth of experience at the Division I level and at the Junior College levels, Giarratano owns additional coaching experience. Giarratano coached semi-professional summer teams in both the Cape Cod and Alaskan leagues, and was a head coach at La Veta High School. He has also directed camps at both Trinidad State Junior College and Yavapai Community College, in addition to participating in numerous camps including the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals.

A STRONG ACADEMIC FOCUS
Giarratano compiled an impressive resume as a coach and recruiter, and has demonstrated a fierce commitment to academic as well as athletic achievement at every stop of his coaching career. The 2004, 2006 and 2007 teams boasted a school record four All-WCC Academic Team selections and a school record 14 student-athletes earned selection to the 2003 and 2007 WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll (3.0 GPA or higher). Giarratano's assistant coaches are no strangers to the correlation between academic and athletic success. Both Greg Moore and Troy Nakamura were named to the All-WCC Academic Team during their careers in the Green and Gold.

During his time in the junior college ranks, Giarratano graduated 97% of his recruited freshman athletes and sent 100% of his student-athletes into four-year universities.

EXPERIENCE MATTERS
After nine years at San Francisco, Giarratano ranks second in tenure among head coaches in the West Coast Conference. San Francisco has been a picture of coaching stability and Giarratano is just the sixth head coach for the Dons since 1946.

USF also boasts the most stable staff in the conference with the three assistant coaches amassing 16 years coaching the Dons and two competed for the University of San Francisco. Pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Greg Moore finished his sixth year after spending one as a volunteer assistant, Troy Nakamura, completed his ninth season as a coach, while Joe Della Cella served his first year as a volunteer assistant in 2007. Moore pitched three seasons under Giarratano and Nakamura was a four year letter-winner for the Diamond Dons.

REACHING A MILESTONE
Giarratano enters the 2008 campaign with 249 victories at USF and is just the fifth coach in Dons athletics history to surpass 200 victories on the Hilltop. His 200th victory was an 8-2 win over eventual National Champion (No. 12) Oregon State on March 29. Giarratano joined NSCAA Hall-of-Famer Steve Negoesco (544), baseball legend Dante Benedetti (373), women's basketball legend Mary Hile-Nepfel (270) and baseball's Ken Bowman (209) in the 200 victory club. All previous Dons mentors to reach 200 career wins played and graduated from the University of San Francisco.

THE GIARRATANO FILE
Giarratano received his Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education from William Jewell College in 1985. One year later, he earned a Master's Degree in Secondary Administration from Adams State. He lives in the City with his wife Brenda and their two children, Bianca and Nico.