Luke Olson is Ohio’s Friday guy. The junior from Granville, Illinois, has proven himself to be a reliable arm this season and leads Ohio in wins with three. He’s also the only pitcher on Ohio’s roster to meet the innings-per-game requirement for ERA.
Olson transferred to Ohio from Danville Area Community College for the 2023 season. He hasn’t been in Athens long, but he’s already made a name for himself in the Mid-American Conference. On April 7, Olson threw a complete-game shutout against Toledo. He struck out seven batters and allowed a mere two hits.
The Post sat down with Olson to chat about life in Athens and more:
TP: So, if you could take three things with you on a deserted island, what would they be?
Olson: That’s a good question. Golf clubs — got to have those, a surfboard and my baseball glove.
TP: OK, are you a big golfer and surfer?
Olson: I’ve never surfed, I just think it would be cool if that was on the island. I’d have something to do, but I do like to play golf when I can.
TP: Do you have any favorite golfers?
Luke Olson (30) follows through after a pitch against Miami at Bob Wren Stadium on April 14, 2023. | Photo by Ashley Beach for The Post
Olson: I watched Tiger (Woods) growing up. He’s like my favorite.
TP: Yeah, so you talked about your glove. Why did you start playing baseball?
Olson: My dad used to coach when I was younger. He coached junior high and high school. After school when I was younger, I would go to practices and I’d hang out there. I always wanted to be like the guys that he coached. It was always cool for me to be in the dugout during games and practices. I fell in love with being at the ballpark and I’ve never wanted to not be there.
TP: That’s cool. You’re from a small town, right? Did you have like sandlot teams? Are there any professional teams you like?
Olson: I’m a (Chicago) Cubs fan. Me and my friends used to play in a little lot that was empty all the time which was cool. We just played wiffle ball. Being from a small area, there’s not a ton to do, so you’ve got to just make do with what you have. We had an empty lot, a wiffle ball and a bat, so we’d play whenever we could.
TP: I get it. My hometown is itty bitty. I’m a big drive-around-for-fun person.
Olson: Mine had like 1,300 people so we’d literally drive to Walmart for fun. People don’t get it if they’re not from a small town. That is fun.
TP: Athens is kind of a small town, do you feel like you’ve grown used to the energy here?
Olson: I think so. I think being on campus is a lot different for me. There’s 250 kids in my high school, so I knew every single person. I’ll go to class and I won’t know somebody, I think it’s awesome. I can just blend in and be Luke, not everyone knows every single thing about me. It’s different.
TP: Do you have any favorite spots in Athens that you’ve discovered?
Olson: I spend so much time in The Convo and the field, I don’t really have a ton of free time, but I like it. I guess the locker room. I spend a lot of time there (laughs).
TP: What are three things people could find in your locker besides gloves and baseball kinds of things?
Olson: I have headphones in there. I have these Nike Burrow slippers that I wear all the time that I probably shouldn’t be wearing around, but I wear them all over. I always have my JUCO clothes in there, I pretty much wear that, but that’s it.
TP: You mentioned headphones, are you a big music listener?
Olson: Yeah. I listen to a lot of country because that’s what everybody listens to when I’m back home, but I also listen to newer stuff like Gunna and YoungBoy. I also listen to like Morgan Wallen and stuff like that.
TP: Are you a new country or an old country fan?
Olson: I would say newer, but I’ll listen to the 2000s and 2010s. I like Darius Rucker a lot, but I tend to go toward the Wallen or Luke Combs newer stuff. Hardy’s good too.
TP: I could just see you on your deserted island with your surfboard listening to some Darius Rucker
Olson: (Laughs) I should bring a beatbox, that’s what I should do. Or bring my AirPods, that’d be fine.
TP: Yeah! My last question for you is what is something you wish people knew about you? Do you have any hidden talents or anything?
Olson: Me and Dillon Masters spend a lot of time slinging the football around. We may be able to make a run if there are walk-on tryouts. Don’t count us out. We have a lot of fun with the football. I’d say that’s a hidden talent.
