New England Baseball Journal

  • Login
  • Logout
  • Subscribe
  • Dashboard
Subscribe
Prep School

Player development the strength of Dexter Southfield coach Dan Donato

By John McGuirkAugust 6, 2021

Dexter Southfield coach Dan Donato (left) helped turn Joshua Baez into a second-round draft selection. (Dave Arnold/NEBJ)

There is no doubting the strength of Dexter Southfield coach Dan Donato as both a coach and a mentor. A former professional baseball player, Donato got his start in coaching at Salisbury School in the mid-80s. He coached baseball and hockey at Salisbury for 15 years.

On the diamond, he guided Salisbury to four Connatonic League titles, while developing future professional players such as Anthony Hewitt (Philadelphia Phillies organization), Mark Rosen (Arizona Diamondbacks organization), Tucker Nathan (Baltimore Orioles organization) and Pat Bresnahan (Pittsburgh Pirates organization).

Having grown up in Dedham (Mass.), Donato decided to leave Salisbury and return to his Massachusetts roots, accepting the head baseball and hockey coaching positions at Dexter Southfield in 1999. Since his arrival on the Brookline (Mass.) campus, Donato has built Dexter Southfield into a major force in both sports.

As hockey coach, he has guided the team to four Elite Eight appearances in the last five years. From a baseball standpoint, Dexter Southfield has won three New England crowns and has put together three undefeated seasons. Three of his former players have or are currently playing in the professional ranks. They include John Mazza (New York Yankees organization), Johnny Magliozzi (New York Mets organization) and Josh Baez, who was taken by the St. Louis Cardinals in the second round of this year's MLB Draft.

Tags: CNEPSBL, Dan Donato, Dexter Southfield

Subscribe to finish reading this story

SUBSCRIBE

Members login below

Register
Forgot Password?

Related Articles

Class of 2023 commitments: 19 incoming juniors primed for college

The debut of the commitments list for the high school/prep Class of 2023 includes 19 incoming juniors who have made verbal commitments to college coaches.…
Read More

Cape League playoffs: UConn transfer Huber to play key role for Bourne

One player who seems primed to play a major role in deciding the Cape League championship has been with his team for exactly one week.…
Read More

Summer watch list: 10 Class of ’23 prospects who have boosted stock

Competitive travel ball showcase events have been taking place all over New England -- and in other regions of the country -- over the last…
Read More

Our Free Weekly Newsletter

  • Subscribe
  • Seamans Media, Inc.
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2022 Seamans Media, Inc. • All Rights Reserved

Contact Us!

Please write a brief description and someone will get back to you shortly!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.