SIUE

Caitlin Wnek joined the SIUE softball coaching staff in September 2023. She spent the previous five seasons at UW-La Crosse.

Wnek was named the 2023 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year at the NCAA Division III level after taking over as UW-La Crosse's head coach midway through the season when the Eagles' head coach was recovering from heart surgery. Wnek led the Eagles to the 2023 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament title with a 4-0 record, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships.

In her five seasons at UWL, she also served as a facilities and events coordinator for the athletics department. 

Part of the 2022 WIAC Coaching Staff of the Year, Wnek also helped lead UWL to its first-ever Super Regional appearance in 2019.

She previously served as the graduate assistant coach at Augustana (South Dakota), serving as the primary infield coach and the day-to-day operations for the Vikings. Augustana finished with 40 wins during the 2017 campaign while advancing to the NCAA Division II regional championship game.

A 2016 graduate of Northern Iowa in movement and exercise science with an emphasis in sport psychology, Wnek played four seasons as a shortstop for the Panthers. She left after setting the school record for doubles (56). She was selected as a first team All-Missouri Valley Conference honoree her senior season after earning second team honors as a sophomore and a junior.

A native of Amana, Iowa, Wnek also earned a master's degree from Augustana in 2018.