SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga Baseball Head Coach Mark Machtolf has announced the hiring of Justin Jacobs as an assistant coach and the director of baseball operations. Jacobs, a former GU outfielder from 2015-2017 and graduate assistant coach in 2019, returns to the Bulldogs staff after four seasons as a minor league coach in the Texas Rangers organization.
 
"I'm fired up to be coming back to Gonzaga! I couldn't ask to work with a better staff," Jacobs said. "This baseball program has given me so much and I'm excited to be able to give back and assist in the development on and off the field of all current and future Zags."
 
For the past two seasons, Jacobs has served as a coach for the Hickory Crawdads, the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. In 2023, the Crawdads finished atop the South Atlantic League standings with a 70-55 record before bowing out in the playoffs to eventual champion Greenville. Prior to his time in Hickory, Jacobs served as a development coach with Low-A Down East Wood in 2022 after a brief stint as a coach with the ACL Rangers in 2021.
 
"We are very excited to have Justin joining our coaching staff. He is a great Zag who will add a tremendous amount of knowledge and energy," Machtolf said. "It's always nice to have former Zags return home!"
 
Prior to coaching in the Rangers organization, Jacobs spent three years within the collegiate ranks in various assistant coaching roles, including George Washington (volunteer assistant – 2020), Gonzaga (graduate assistant – 2019), and Spokane Falls Community College (assistant coach – 2018).
 
Jacobs played two seasons in the Texas Rangers organization in 2017 and 2018, signing as a free agent after the conclusion of his senior season with Gonzaga. During his time playing for the Zags, Jacobs compiled a career .312 batting average over 154 starts while racking up 182 hits and 97 runs batted in. In 2016, he earned All-West Coast Conference Honorable mention with his team-leading .333 average and .442 on base percentage.
 
Before transferring to Gonzaga, Jacobs began his collegiate career at Lower Columbia Community College, where he was named to the JUCO All-American Team after earning First Team All-League and All-NWAACC honors. During that 2014 season, Jacobs batted .386 while stealing 28 bases.
 
A two-time graduate of Gonzaga, Jacobs earned a degree in Sport Management in 2017 before returning in 2020 to earn a Masters in Organizational Leadership while serving as a graduate assistant coach.