MASON CITY — Former Humboldt baseball standout Chris Witzke has been named the new head coach at North Iowa Area.

Witzke, who was tabbed the ICCAC Coach of the Year this past spring while leading Iowa Lakes, replaces Tyler Brown.

The former Wildcat dealt with tragedy that struck his program, as Iowa Lakes lost Carter Johnson following an auto accident in February. Several members of the team were injured, as they canceled multiple games before returning to the diamond under Witzke.

“NIACC takes pride in the student experience, the competitiveness of not just the baseball team, but all of its athletic programs,” Witzke said. “On top of that, Mason City is a great city that has a lot to offer. From afar, it’s always been apparent to me that the community takes a lot of pride in their NIACC Trojans.”

Witzke had been the head coach at Iowa Lakes since 2023 after previously serving as an assistant.

“What stood out throughout our search process was Coach Witzke’s passion for developing young men, his vision for building a championship-caliber program and his commitment to helping student-athletes succeed both on the field and in the classroom,” NIACC athletic director Ryan Flickinger said. “He understands what it takes to recruit, develop talent, create a positive culture and prepare players for success at the next level.”

Following his career at Humboldt, Witzke played at Des Moines Area, earning all-region status. He concluded his playing days with Harding University, breaking a school record for consecutive games with a hit.

“I’m not sure I can even put into words the heartbreak and the devastation we faced,” Witzke said. “I’m thankful for our players’ toughness and resilience.

“Once we resumed our season, our main focus was to not be defined by being victims of a tragedy but rather be defined by how we responded and played from that point on.”