Kalamazoo College Softball Coaching Staff

Brian De Witt
Head Coach

Kalamazoo College announced the hiring of Brian De Witt as head softball coach on Friday, May 29.

“We are excited about the experiences that Brian brings to campus,” said Kristen Smith, Director of Athletics. “He turned around one softball program and started another competitive program from scratch. I am confident that his experiences will help him lead the Kalamazoo College softball program to a higher level.”

“I am honored to be chosen to lead the Kalamazoo College softball program,” said De Witt. “Kalamazoo is a great academic school that turns out quality students. I am excited about the opportunity to build a quality softball program that mirrors the success of the students in the classroom.”

After coaching in the high school ranks for five years in his home state of Wisconsin, De Witt took over a struggling program at Highland Community College in Kansas in 2001-02. He took a program that won just four games during his first season to 14 wins in his second season and 25 wins by his third season (2004). In addition to the turnaround on the field, De Witt’s teams earned NJCAA Academic All-American honors each season.

Later in 2004, De Witt was offered the opportunity to become the first coach of a new softball program at Louisiana State University at Eunice. In addition to being able to assist in building the new softball complex, De Witt recruited the first team to LSU-Eunice and led them to a 21-19 record and national ranking during the inaugural 2006 season. Each of De Witt’s three Bengal teams advanced to the conference post-season tournament.

De Witt earned his bachelor’s in education degree at the University of Wisconsin–LaCrosse in 1995. He earned his master’s degree at UW-LaCrosse in 2000.

“My experiences at UW-LaCrosse, a Division III school, showed me the importance of balancing athletics with academics,” De Witt said. “Kalamazoo College feels like the right fit for me and my coaching style. It is the perfect size where students get to know their professors. It’s like having an extended family.”

In addition to his coaching experience, De Witt has taught health and physical education courses at the middle school level as well as at Highland Community College and LSU-Eunice. He has experience in parks and recreation administration and has organized numerous softball leagues and tournaments. As a fastpitch player himself, De Witt was a member of two Tri-State ISC Travel League championship teams, competed in three national fastpitch tournaments and three International Softball Congress World Tournaments.

Mia Barker-King
Assistant Coach

Mia Barker-King began working with the Kalamazoo College softball team in 2009.

Mia graduated from Kalamazoo College in 2007 with a degree in biology. She was a four-year starter for the Hornets as a pitcher and infielder, and hit .263 during her junior year and .344 as a senior. She won seven games on the mound.

In addition to her four years on the softball team, Mia ran cross country during her first two years. 

Mia currently works at Worden's Softball Academy and sells commercial real estate with The Barton Group.