Everything counts.

Dan Cimini, new head coach for DLS Varsity Baseball, said this is the motto he will instill in each of his players in his role of leading the baseball program at De La Salle. 

“I love the Catholic League and what it’s all about,” Cimini said. “It has a great history.”

He is already familiar with the Catholic League, having coached at University Liggett from 1999-2023, where he was its head baseball coach for 20 years. While there, he also coached football from 2000-2020.

He’s won six state championships (five at Liggett), and just last year, Cimini led Northville High School to their first-ever state championship in baseball, beating Brother Rice 2-1. 

Dan Rohn, DLS athletic director, said, “Dan is an excellent addition to the baseball coaching staff,” he said. “His experience and his history of leading his teams to championships only speaks to his character and his success. 

“We are looking forward to what he brings to the baseball program here at De La Salle,” he added. 

With an incredible 548-145 record, Cimini plans on increasing his wins and building on that success. First, he said he will meet with the players from the team to discuss “philosophy and culture and what I want to bring to the program, to the school. I want to bring success and continue with that success.”

After leaving as head varsity baseball coach at Northville, Cimini is more than happy to return to the Catholic League: “You have to learn to compete in the Catholic League with the 3-2 ball,” he stressed. “It forces you to be a baseball player. Pitchers have to throw strikes and batters have to swing the bat.”

Cimini, a 1987 graduate of Grosse Pointe South High School, is familiar with De La Salle, having grown up with plenty of friends who attended the Lasallian school. “I’ve known many coaches over the years and competed against them,” he said. “De La Salle has a great tradition and I want to be a part of it.”  

He grew up loving the game and went on to play baseball at Macomb Community College, followed by two years at the University of Detroit Mercy.

Besides his decades of baseball experience, Cimini also has a 24-year background in education, including five years in admissions  – experience that will be put to good use as he will also serve as an admissions counselor at DLS. “I’m excited to be working with the admissions department and working with families, and being a part of this great school tradition,” he said.

In 2016, Cimini was inducted into the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and named state coach of the year seven times including as the 2024 Division 1 Overall Coach of the Year, as well as District and Regional Coach of the Year. 

In addition, since 2011, he’s also had 10 Final Four appearances, along with 17 district championships and 11 regional championships.

“I love the history at De La Salle,” Cimini said. “We will be moving forward and adding my own stamp to make it continue and be the best we can be.”