Caitlin Steel - Softball Coach - St. Cloud State University Athletics

Caitlin Steel

Title:
Graduate Assistant Coach
Email:
softball@stcloudstate.edu
Phone:
320-308-2303
Office:
HAH 323

Steel is in her first year as a graduate assistant coach at St. Cloud State.

Steel, who was born in North Carolina and attended Cannon High School for three years and Concord High School for a year, is a four-year starting collegiate player that began her career at University of North Carolina – Pembroke where she played for two years. She then transferred and played her last two seasons at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida. She aided the Argonauts to the 2017 NCAA Division II World Series and a 46-15 record. The team’s 46 wins and .754 winning percentage in 2017 are the highest for the program since the 2005 season. The program won 88 games in the two years that Steel was a member of the softball program. She was a vital part of the program that won the 2017 Gulf South Conference Championship and the South Regional.

As a senior, Steel hit .338 in 54 games and 53 starts. She totaled 29 runs, 49 hits, 10 doubles, two triples, a home run, 28 RBIs, 66 total bases, .357 slugging percentage, nine stole bases, a .981 fielding percentage and only eight strikeouts in 145 at bats. One of the best defensive catchers in the conference, Steel was voted by her teammates the “Best Defender” and her 25 runners thrown out over the last years are the most in the Gulf South Conference (GSC). In her final campaign, Steel also was named All-South Region from the NFCA and D2 CCA as well as being an All-GSC selection.

As a junior, Steel hit .304 in playing in 50 of the team’s 57 games. She only struck out once in 135 at-bats and finished 2016 as the second-toughest batter to strikeout in all of Division II. Steel added five doubles and a team-high 13 stole bases. She was able to show her defensive prowess and ranked second in the GSC by throwing out 18 would be base stealers.

As sophomore at UNCP in 2014 before transferring, Steel helped the Braves earn the Peach Belt Conference Softball Sportsmanship Award while playing and starting 46 games as a catcher. She posted a batting average of .252 with 30 runs, 36 hits, six doubles and three triples. She also knocked in 16 and stole eight bases in as many attempts.

As a freshman at UNCP in 2013, Steel played in 50 games with 36 starts. She posted a .235 batting average with 15 runs, 28 hits, five doubles, a triple, eight RBIs and nine stolen bases.

Steel was on the President’s List in 2016 and the Dean’s List in 2017. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communications in the spring of 2017 and intends to pursue a master’s degree in Higher Education and Leadership at St. Cloud State.

“Caitlin will be an impact addition to our coaching staff as the graduate assistant coach and will start with our program in August,” said Coach U’Ren. “She brings in a vast amount of student- athlete competition experience from playing in the 2017 Division II National Championship and was a standout individual player in receiving NFCA All-Region honors as the starting catcher for West Florida. I look for her to work with our pitching and catching staffs, while assisting in our player development on and off the field.”