Grand Island coach Santorio reaches 300th career win in baseball

By Madeline Dorobiala

A varsity baseball coach at Grand Island High School celebrated his 300th career win on April 1 against Amherst. Dean Santorio marked the occasion as the Grand Island Vikings defeated Amherst, 12-0.

Santorio is the second coach in the history of both Grand Island High School’s varsity football and baseball teams. The first was Gene Masters, who coached Santorio. After graduating from Grand Island in 1986, Santorio came back to teach physical education and began coaching football, baseball and basketball in 1992. Santorio was the junior varsity coach for both football and baseball before taking over as head coach in both programs.

“It would be a great challenge, so I felt as though I was up for it, but also there was a nervousness about having to do that and follow someone that's had so much success in both sports, and be only the second guy at the school – and it's all my alma mater on top of it all,” Santorio said.

Grand Island coach Dean Santorio. (Courtesy of Grand Island Central School District)

••••••••

His mindset on mentoring kids expands beyond the field. Santorio said he cares not only about who they are as athletes, but who they are as people.

“I think what I’ve tried to do over, especially, the last 10 to 15 years, is just try to be real honest with kids on where they’re at, what the expectations are, just the important things to hopefully make them into better people down the road,” Santorio said. “Be good citizens, work hard at everything you do, be disciplined, understand that there’s other things than winning baseball, a football game.”

Santorio credits his past coaches, like Masters, for leaving an impact that led him to pursue coaching.

Players describe Santorio as a driving force, someone who believes in them and helps further their development as athletes.

“I’ve only been with him for two years but, no matter what level you play on, he always believes in you,” senior Caden Sharkey said. “He’s always looking at the JV (junior varsity) squad to see if any player is ready to get pulled to see if they’re ready to play on the varsity level.”

Santorio said he hopes to leave a positive impact on the kids he mentors, and it’s clear to the athletes that he has.

“Before games or at the end of games, where we’re all huddled up in the middle and he kind of gets us going, excited – we all just get riled up a little bit, even if we’re down in the game,” senior Tom Alberalla said.

Santorio’s athletes feel supported and understood.

“He cares about every single one of us,” senior John Chiarenza said. “And then he’s built the culture of this team pretty much.”

Santorio has 300 baseball and 140 football wins in his career. In the fall of 2025, he brought the varsity football team to the Section VI A5 semifinals against Williamsville South.