PREP BASEBALL: Time to take a step back ... Criswell, Lake City's head baseball coach the previous three seasons and 14 as an assistant, steps down

By JASON ELLIOTT

Sports writer

To be in the same place for 17 years, you really have to enjoy your surroundings.

And while Mike Criswell still enjoys every second of being Lake City High baseball coach, it was time for a change.

Criswell, 57, stepped down as coach on Tuesday. Criswell has spent the last three seasons as head coach and was an assistant the previous 14, including helping the Timberwolves to championships in 2007 and 2016.

“It was a great time for me to hand over the reins,” Criswell said. “In the last three years as coach, I’ve lived a lifetime of success. I’m just really proud of the program and what we’ve built. I’m just really happy for all of it. It’s a bummer to let go of some of that. It’s sad in a way, but I’m glad to have been a part of building something with some guys that wouldn’t be possible anywhere else.”

Lake City won the 6A Region 1 championship this past spring, earning the right to host a Play-in Series to the state tournament. The Timberwolves, seeded seventh, beat ninth-seeded Highland of Pocatello 11-3 in a loser-out game, then beat Coeur d’Alene 10-1 to force an if-necessary game, where the Vikings beat the Timberwolves, ending the season 15-10.

In his first season as coach in 2023, Criswell led the Timberwolves to a runner-up finish at state and a 21-7 record. Lake City went 20-7 in 2024, losing in the third-place game at state.

“The success is kind of humbling,” Criswell said. “Even with the 2016 kids and that group Cory Bridges had. That 2016 team really just opened the door. Those guys always come back and we’re proud of that success of that foundation and the vibe we created. It was a lot of work. Guys like Justin Garza, Cody Garza, it’s just building that knowledge. It’s really just super special.”

“We had a good three-year run with Mike as the coach,” Lake City athletic director Troy Anderson said. “I knew I wanted to let him process it through the end of the year and give him some space. He just decided to step away. We’ve had a good group of coaches in that program. 17 years is a good, solid run.”

Criswell is a biology teacher at Lake City High.

“I’ve got three years left (until retirement), and I’m not going anywhere else,” Criswell said. “I’ll still be in the school and welcome helping whoever takes over the program. It would be a travesty to just walk away.”

That being said, Criswell added that he’ll take a little more time to watch baseball at a different level.

“I’ve got three years left, and I want to hang out with (former Lake City coach) Paul (Manzardo), (Lake City assistant coach) Justin Garza and (Lake City assistant coach) Cody Garza,” Criswell said. “I want to go to spring training and watch some baseball. Doing this opens a little bit of time. I know I’ll coach with those guys again. But right now, it’s a good chance for someone new to come in, and that’s really exciting.”

“Any more, you see a lot of change in coaching after three to five years,” Anderson said. “You rarely see someone that's been involved for 17 years. It’s a grind and he just decided it’s time to do some different things. We’re very grateful for the role he’s played in the program the last 17 years. We’ll see where we go from here.”

Criswell had also coached in the Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen American Legion program in recent years, but did not this summer.

“It really opened up time to spend time with family and hang out with some of my old coaching buddies,” Criswell said.