Jarret Olson enters his second season on the Grand Valley State baseball staff as the pitching coach. Prior to his arrival at GVSU Olson was the pitching coach at Lansing Community College.
Olson guided a staff that emerged as one of the top pitching staffs in the midwest with three earning All-GLIAC honors. The Laker pitching staff tallied an ERA of 4.83 overall and held opponent batters to a .264 batting average.
Olson spent two years (2022 and 2023) as the pitching coach at Lansing Community College where the Stars won a combined 94 games and advanced to the NJCAA World Series twice. LCC finished third at the 2023 World Series and tallied a record of 50-12. The pitching staff ranked eighth nationally in both earned run average (4.20) and shutouts (8), while setting a program record for strikeouts with 455. In addition, he tutored the 2023 Junior College National Pitcher of the Year. The 2022 squad placed fifth at the World Series and finished with an overall mark of 44-11. The pitching staff ranked 10th nationally with an ERA of 4.16 and ninth in shutouts with seven. Two pitchers earned All-America honors in 2022.
Olson pitched collegiately at Michigan State University from 2018-2021, tossing a combined 60.1 innings in 2019 and 2020. He struck out 55 batters and opponents hit just .194 off Olson in his 18 career appearances. He was 1-1 in 2020 with a 2.02 ERA in 26.2 innings pitched. Olson tallied 28 strikeouts and yielded just six earned runs and 13 hits during his junior campaign. Prior to the 2021 season Olson was tabbed as a preseason All-Big 10 performer, but an arm injury limited him to just one appearance on senior day.
Prior to Michigan State Olson played at Parkland Junior College in 2017 and 2018. In 2018 he went 8-0 with one save in 62.0 innings. He tallied 81 strikeouts and allowed just 13 earned runs, posting an ERA of 1.46. In 2017 he helped the Cobras advance to the NJCAA World Series where they finished fourth and recorded a mark of 52-9-1. Olson posted a 3-0 record with three saves, tallying a 3.18 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 15 appearances and 34.0 innings pitched. Olson played both baseball and basketball in his first year at Parkland, helping the basketball team to its third-straight Mid-West Athletic Conference Championship and finishing fifth in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
