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Luke Olson (30) pitches against Miami on April 14, 2023, at Bob Wren Stadium. | Photo by Ashley Beach

Baseball: Get to know Luke Olson

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? 

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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. 

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Pitcher Luke Olson (30), warming up on the top of the second inning against Eastern Michigan at Bob Wren Stadium, at Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio, on April 1st, 2023.

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. 

@ashleybeachy_

ab026319@ohio.edu

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