Nick Winecke

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF SAINT MARY'S UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CARDINAL ATHLETICS

Title

Associate Athletic Director
Head Baseball Coach
Email

nwinecke@smumn.edu
Phone

507-457-7231

Year at SMU: 18th (in 2026) / Year-by-Year Record

Record at SMU: 310-309-1

Career Record: 310-309-1

Nick Winecke is the head baseball coach at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, a position he has held since the beginning of the 2008-09 academic year. Along with his coaching duties, Winecke also serves as an associate athletic director and admission liaison.

Winecke's 2021 squad set a single-season program record with 30 wins, won their first-ever MIAC Playoff title, and made its first NCAA Regional appearance since 1993, going 1-2 in regional play.

Winecke — who collected his 200th collegiate coaching win with an 11-4 victory over 14th-ranked St. John Fisher on March 3, 2020 — has guided the Cardinals to eight MIAC Tournament appearances in the last 11 seasons — 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2024 — earning the MIAC's Jim Dimick Coach of the Year honor after leading Saint Mary's to a third-place regular-season finish and the No. 3 tournament seed in 2014.

The Cardinals’ 2012 squad earned Saint Mary’s first MIAC post-season appearance since 2002. The Cardinals closed out the 2012 season with a 22-20 record—marking the first time Saint Mary's has reached the 20-win plateau since 1996, when they finished 23-15.

Saint Mary's notched its second 20-plus win season under Winecke in 2015, finishing 24-12—thier most wins since going 24-11 in 1995. And the wins kept coming in 2016, when the Cardinals finished 27-15-12, their highest win total since the 1992 season when Saint Mary's went 27-8. Winecke's 2016 team also reached the MIAC Tournament title game, falling to Saint John's 11-4.

Winecke's 2019 club became the fourth under his direction to record 20 or more wins, finishing the year 20-18, and the 2021 team closed out its record-setting year at 30-16.

Winecke was a four-year letterwinner and team captain during his playing days at Saint Mary's. He closed out his days as a Cardinal with a career year in 2007, culminated with his selection to the All-MIAC First Team. During his senior campaign, Winecke led the team in average (.374), runs (27), doubles (11), total bases (50), slugging % (.549), walks (19) and on-base % (.478). Not only were they all team highs — they were also career highs. He also reached base safely in 29 of SMU's 31 games.

Winecke completed his undergraduate degree from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in Social Science Secondary Education in 2007, and earned his master's degree in Human Development from SMU in 2013.