Rafael Guzman enters his first season as the recruiting coordinator and player development coach with the UC San Diego softball program in 2027, bringing more than 12 years of coaching, recruiting and player development experience across the NCAA, professional, international, club and high school levels.
Guzman currently serves as the Player Development and Recruiting Coordinator at UC San Diego, where he works with NCAA Division I prospects across high school, club, transfer and international pathways. His responsibilities include prospect evaluation, recruiting operations, roster management and individualized player development.
In addition to his work with the Tritons, Guzman serves as president and head coach of Breakers Labs Softball in San Diego, where he oversees organizational operations, staffing, budgeting, recruiting and player development for a 150-athlete program. As a recruiting coordinator, he has helped more than 20 athletes earn college scholarships within a 12-month period.
At the professional level, Guzman guided Sultanes Femenil to a Liga Mexicana de Softbol championship, leading a roster of professional and international athletes while establishing a championship-level culture focused on preparation, accountability and performance.
Guzman has also served as head coach of the El Salvador Women's National Softball Team, guiding the program to a gold medal at the Central American Games. He also led El Salvador to seventh-place finishes at both the WBSC Pan American Qualifier in Montería, Colombia, and the Central American & Caribbean Games.
His coaching experience also includes Westview Senior High School, where he serves as associate head coach for women's softball and built the school's women's flag football program from the ground up. In its inaugural season, the flag football program posted a 17-3 record, won a league championship and the CIF Division II championship, and Guzman was named Coach of the Year in 2024.
A USA Softball Level 3-certified coach and BLAST Motion Certified Hitting Instructor, Guzman has worked with college and professional athletes throughout his coaching career, specializing in hitting, fielding, prospect evaluation and individualized player development.
Guzman's coaching philosophy centers on developing athletes, building championship-level cultures and creating opportunities for players to reach their highest potential both on and off the field.
