Meet our coaches!
Dani Knaak
14U Head Coach
Dani Knaak is head coach of Hounds Softball 14 year old team. Dani was a three- year letter winner for Bolingbrook High School. She was named All- Area Team following her JUnior year, and was selected as both Team captain and Team MVP as a senior. She was a three-time Raider Academic Excellence award winner and three-time All-Conference selection. She graduated from Lewis University where she played outfield for four years in 2017 with a special education and elementary degree. Dani was a natural righty but turned a lefty slapper at thirteen years old. She coached for Pride Elite out of Joliet for five years and has coached everywhere between eleven year olds and eighteen year olds. She has also coached one year at Bolingbrook High School.
Donna Stevens
14U Head Coach
Donna played for the Lemont Sizzlers travel organization throughout high school and played as a 4 year Varsity starting infielder at Hinsdale South. She then attended Carthage College to play softball in 2018. She was a 4 year starting second baseman and a member of the All-Regional Team her freshman year in a record breaking postseason run, as well being named to the CCIW All Conference team in 2020. Her senior year she was awarded the Carthage RESPECT award that embodies the intangible traits of a student athlete as a leader and positive role model. Donna has played softball for 17 years and has a fierce passion for the game and wants to instill a love for softball in the younger generations
Frankie Castagna
14U Head Coach
Frankie Castagna is the head coach of the Hounds 14U. Frankie attended De La Salle Institute where she was a four-year member of the softball and basketball programs while also excelling in the classroom as a member of the National Honor Society. During her playing career at De La Salle, Castagna was a four-year varsity performer in softball and a two-year varsity athlete in basketball. As a senior, she garnered All-Girls Catholic Athletic Conference accolades in both softball and basketball. Frankie also received the Brother I Austin Award for Academics and Athletics while also being named the 2012 Illinois High School (IHSA) Division I, Do What’s Right Sportsperson of the year award. She went on to attend and graduate from Lewis University in 2016 and was a member of the Lewis Women’s Softball team, tying the Flyers’ single-game record for RBI with seven during her senior season. Frankie has coached travel ball for 9 years while coaching at the high school level for 6 years. Frankie currently works at De La Salle Institute in the Athletics Department and enters her 4th year as the Head Softball Coach.
Kaitlyn Wilson
16U Head Coach
Kaitlyn played 3 years of varsity softball at Downers Grove South High School. A couple achievements she has are; All Area West Suburban Conference, 1st All Area Team Suburban Life, Honorable Mention All Area Daily Herald, and an Academic Achievement Award West Suburban Conference. Kaitlyn ended her travel softball career playing with The Midwest Bombers. She then got recruited as a pitcher and 1st baseman for Marian University of Wisconsin, where she continued her academic and softball careers. After her experience in Wisconsin she came back to Illinois to continue her education further at College of Dupage. Kaitlyn has experience coaching a wide variety of girls ranging from ages 7-16.
Grace Biondo
16U Assistant
Naomi Alonzo
16U Assistant
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