Coaches

Head coach Kara Kehe

Kehe has transformed Wartburg softball into a dominant program in the Iowa Conference and the Midwest Region. She owns a 166-39 record ( .810 winning percentage) since taking over head coaching duties in 2003.

The 2008 Knights posted a 15-1 record in regular-season Iowa Conference play to claim the program's third conference title. With Kehe's instruction, Wartburg's pitching and defense limited league opponents to just 22 runs in conference play to post the lowest team ERA (1.19). The Knights took a 23-1 record during in-region regular season play into the program's third consecutive national tournament appearance. By the end of 2008, the program had pushed its conference tournament win-string to 10 games, Kehe was named Iowa Conference Coach of the Year, and a Knights pitcher became a first team all-American for the first time. The team's .972 year-end fielding percentage was listed as 10th best in the country. In addition, the Wartburg softball program was awarded NFCA Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors and a No. 15 ranking to close the year. With just one senior in 2007, Kehe's squad peaked during post-season play. The team swept through the Iowa Conference tournament with four wins, and a victory over No. 1 St. Thomas highlighted a four-win regional tournament run. Five members of the Knights landed on the regional all-tournament team, and the 2007 campaign marked the first time Wartburg had two softball all-Americans in one season. The group's combination of athletic and academic excellence was rewarded with a pair of NFCA Top 10 awards. Wartburg ended 2007 at No. 10 in the poll, and the program's 3.475 GPA was ranked No. 4 in the nation. The team GPA led all Iowa Conference schools for the fourth year in a row. The Knights compiled a school record 40 wins on the way to an outright Iowa Conference championship in 2006, and Kehe's offensive philosophy developed a squad that scored 6.8 runs per game. Wartburg's team batting average jumped to a school record .360 in 2006, and the program set a new mark for home runs in a season (45), as well. In addition to runs scored (318) and batting average, the Knights led the Iowa Conference in on-base percentage (.412), slugging percentage (.532), RBIs (281), hits (468), and total bases (691). The Knights dominated at the conference tournament with three straight victories and won four regional games before falling to two-time national champion St. Thomas in the regional championship game. The program received multiple awards during the record-shattering season. A Wartburg softball player was voted IIAC MVP for the first time in school history, Kehe was named Iowa Conference Coach of the Year, and the Knights closed at No. 8 in the final 2006 NFCA poll. The 2005 squad opened the year with a 13-game win streak. As Iowa Conference runners-up, the Knights notched a total of 31 victories during the season. The 2004 version of the Knights reeled off 17 consecutive wins. In ending the year with 32 victories under Kehe's leadership, Wartburg softball had successfully followed a strong 2003 campaign, and this marked the first time in school history the Knights had posted back-to-back 30-win seasons.

Kehe graduated Summa Cum Laude from Wartburg in 1997 with majors in accounting and business administration. A pitcher on the Knights softball team, she was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for her achievements as a student-athlete. She earned a master's degree emphasizing athletics administration from The University of Iowa. Kehe was an assistant softball coach at perennial power Clear Creek Amana during 1998-1999 and head coach at Tri-State University of Indiana from 1999-2003. Tri-State had won only 7 games the season before her arrival, and her revitalized program set over 30 school records and peaked with a 28-win campaign her final season. Kehe completed the NCAA Women Coaches Academy in 2005.

Heather Zajicek, assistant coach

Heather (Winter) Zajicek joined the Wartburg coaching staff in 2004 as an assistant coach after a successful playing career for the Knights. She was a three-year letter winner at catcher while earning multiple all-conference and all-region honors. Zajicek guided Turkey Valley High School to Iowa state softball tournament appearances in both 2005 and 2006 as head coach, and she was named district coach of the year in 2006 and 2007. She was honored as part of the NFCA Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year for the Knights at the conclusion of the 2008 season.

Zajicek works on campus as assistant director for aquatics at the Wartburg-Waverly Sports and Wellness Center . She is pursuing a master's degree at The University of Northern Iowa.