Joe Yegge won't have to travel very far for his new job as the softball coach at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School.

All he has to do is leave his office at Kirkwood Community College, drive down Kirkwood Boulevard SW and turn the corner at 76th Avenue. He'll continue to coach Kirkwood in the spring, then lead the Prairie Hawks during the summer campaign.

"I am very excited about this opportunity," Yegge remarked in a news release. "The program has a lot of positive things already in place and some outstanding athletes.

"Living in the district also makes it a great fit for our family."

Yegge succeeds Kimi Hynek, who resigned after 10 years as head coach.

Yegge was the head coach at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) from 1998-2002. He served as an assistant coach at Indiana State University and has been Kirkwood's head coach since 2007.

"We are very excited to have Coach Yegge take over our softball program," said Prairie athletic director Rocky Bennett. "He has outstanding qualifications that I feel will have an immediate impact on the future of Prairie softball."

Yegge is a native of State Center, Iowa. He has a bachelor's degree from Buena Vista University and a master's degree from Indiana State.