Daniel Costanza - Baseball Coach - SMC California Athletics

Daniel Costanza

Title:
Associate Head Coach & Recruiting Coordinator
Email:
djc7@stmarys-ca.edu
Phone:
631-4658

Daniel Costanza joined the Saint Mary's baseball coaching staff in 2024 after serving as the lead assistant for Eric Valenzuela at Long Beach State. Costanza was then promoted to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2025 season.

Costanza specializes as one of the lead recruiters for the Gaels as well as the team's third base coach and defensive specialist. He organizes spray charts and defensive positioning for the Saint Mary's infielders while also being the primary instructional coach for fielding techniques. Costanza has been a vital piece to the Gaels' success alongside head coach Eric Valenzuela as the duo have been together for seven seasons now dating back to 2016 during their first stint in Moraga. In 2026, Costanza helped Saint Mary's to a .978 fielding percentage to rank second in the WCC and 32nd in all of Division I. The Gaels won 36 games and went on to secure their second consecutive WCC Tournament title after a 7-6 victory over San Francisco. Saint Mary's made its third NCAA Regional appearance and accomplished more history with a pair of wins over No. 1 UCLA to reach the program's first ever NCAA Regional final.

Saint Mary's recorded 40 double plays on the season thanks to veteran infielders Jared Mettam and Cody Kashimoto as well as the addition of second-year first baseman Makoa Sniffen and true freshman Ian Josephson. Josephson finished the season with a .951 fielding percentage, taking over the starting position at third base and was also named to the NCAA Los Angeles All-Region team while Sniffen had a .992 fielding percentage and recorded just one error during conference play.

In 2025, Saint Mary's finished in third place in the WCC with a conference record of 15-9. The Gaels went 4-1 to capture the WCC Tournament crown in Las Vegas and then punched their ticket to Corvallis for the NCAA Regional, their second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Costanza played a vital role with the Gaels defense and infielders as Saint Mary's posted a 0.972 fielding percentage and ranked second in the conference with 47 double plays thanks to one of the best middle infield duos in the league in Jared Mettam and Cody Kashimoto.

At Long Beach State, Costanza worked with the infielders, assisting with the offense, and served as the primary recruiting coordinator. Under his leadership, the Dirtbags ranked 36th in the nation with a .977 fielding percentage in 2021 and then finished 37th in the nation in 2022 at a .975 mark. The .977 in 2021 was the best for the program since 2017.

Costanza became a full-time assistant coach with the Gaels in 2016, previously serving as the team's Director of Baseball Operations.

Costanza came to Saint Mary's for the 2013-14 season after spending two years as an assistant coach at Cal State East Bay. While with the Pioneers, Costanza worked both with hitters and infielders, was the team's first base coach and helped run the team's strength and conditioning program. In 2013, the Pioneers went a school-best 32-18 and had three infielders earn all-conference honors.

Prior to his stint at Cal State East Bay, Costanza served for two seasons as a hitting and infield coach at York College in Nebraska where he worked with junior varsity hitters and infielders. Costanza has also served as an assistant coach at Clayton Valley High School and helped run camps at Clayton Valley as well.

Before becoming a coach, Costanza played for two years at York College under 2009-2010 MCAC Coach of the Year, Nick Harlan. He was the starting second baseman on back-to-back MCAC Championship Teams in 2009-10 and 2010-11, and also won a MCAC Tournament Championship in the 2009-2010 season. York College earned a trip to the National Regional Tournament in Lubbock, Texas in the 2009-10 season, and the team was ranked as high as 23rd in the nation. York went on to win a second conference championship the following year and was ranked as high as 17th in the nation, but missed the National Regional Tournament by one spot.

Costanza played a total of 102 games and finished with a career batting average of .312 with 19 doubles, 4 home runs, 50 RBI, and 48 runs scored. On the defensive side of the ball, Danny fielded .950 his junior year with 7 errors and 18 double plays, and then .973 his senior year with only 5 errors and 26 double plays.

Costanza was a local product, playing his high school ball at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif. He won back-to-back BVAL Championships at De La Salle his junior and senior years, as well as a North Coast Section Championship his junior year.

Costanza was born in Walnut Creek and was raised in Pittsburg by his parents Dennis and Jane Costanza. He has three siblings: a brother, Nick, who played Soccer at Cal Poly Pomona, a brother, Christopher, who played baseball at York College, and a sister, Alicia, who played soccer at Carondelet High School. Danny was a double major at York College and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in General Studies and a B.S. in Biology. Costanza later attained his M.B.A. at Cal State East Bay in 2014.