Justin Lutjen steps down at Iowa City West

IOWA CITY — For Justin Lutjen, something had to give.

For the betterment of his family, it was softball.

Lutjen confirmed Tuesday that he has stepped down as head softball coach at Iowa City West.

'It's tough when you have two young kids,' Lutjen said. 'I'm pulled in two different directions. When I'm one place, I feel I should be at the other.

'I'm passionate about softball, but when it comes down to family, it was a pretty easy decision. I'm going to step back for a while and be a dad.'

Lutjen just completed his fourth season at West, compiling a record of 119-43, after four seasons as the head coach at Mid-Prairie, in which he led the Golden Hawks to four state appearances.

This year's West team was 25-16.

'I want to thank Coach Lutjen for his service to our student-athletes at West,' West athletics director Craig Huegel said in a release. 'He has informed me that this was a decision with his family in mind, which we certainly support. We will go to work immediately to hire a quality successor to lead our softball program.'

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