SAN DIEGO — Director of Baseball Operations Josh Nicoloff has been promoted and will now serve as an assistant coach, San Diego baseball head coach Brock Ungricht announced on Thursday afternoon.

"Josh has done an incredible job for us on the operations side over the past year while also providing invaluable mentorship to our players," Ungricht said. "His organizational skills and baseball savvy were an integral part of our 2025 WCC Championship run this spring as we navigated one of the most challenging and rewarding seasons in program history."

A native of Ladera Ranch, California, Nicoloff joined the Toreros in October 2024 as the program's director of operations. In that role, he oversaw all aspects of the program's travel, nutrition, and day-to-day operations, including the student manager program.

With him at USD in 2025, San Diego won its second consecutive conference title, clinching the WCC crown in a memorable run-rule victory over Pacific at Fowler Park. He helped the Toreros achieve a well-rounded resume that included ranking second in the league in batting average, hits, on-base percentage, and fielding percentage while taking on the nation's 11th-most difficult non-conference schedule.

All told, Nicoloff's presence on the staff helped four Toreros earn 2025 All-WCC First Team selections, three receive 2025 All-WCC Second Team recognition, two earn 2025 All-WCC Honorable Mentions, and three pick up 2025 All-WCC Freshman Team nods.

"This well-deserved promotion will allow Josh to narrow his focus to coaching and build upon the great work he has been doing," Ungricht added. "As an accomplished player himself with a track record of excelling at high-academic institutions, Josh embodies the core values of our program, and I am excited for the perspective and knowledge he will continue to bring to USD."

Nicoloff came to San Diego from his alma mater, Santa Margarita Catholic High School, where he served as the Eagles' hitting coach for two seasons. Under Nicoloff, the team won its first-ever Trinity League Championship while achieving 29 wins in 2023, the most in program history. His tutelage continued to be key in 2024, when SMCHS slashed a program-best .303/.422/.811 as a team. In total, his two-year tenure in Rancho Santa Margarita saw the Eagles post a school-record 24-6 ledger in Trinity League play.

Nicoloff has also coached in summer collegiate leagues, working as the hitting coach for the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters of the Northwoods League (2023) and the Menlo Park Legends of the California Collegiate League (2024).

His playing career saw him excel at both Columbia University and Kansas State. He won the 2018 Ivy League Championship with the Lions as a freshman and earned 2019 All-Ivy League honors as a sophomore. Nicoloff hit .394 as a junior during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, and led the team in batting average, hits, total bases, and stolen bases before the remainder of that season and the entirety of his team's next one were canceled due to the pandemic.

He transferred to Kansas State as a graduate student in 2022 and earned ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Finalist recognition at second base, picking up a Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honor as he started all 58 games, hit seven home runs, and notched 27 RBI alongside 12 multi-hit games, a 13-game hit streak, and a team-high 19-game on-base streak.

Nicoloff was a three-year letter winner at Santa Margarita Catholic, earning Trinity League All-Star honors in 2016 before receiving 2017 Orange County All-Star South recognition and being elected team captain for his senior year.

He graduated from Columbia University in 2021 with a degree in Political Science.