Jarret Olson has made a name for himself in basketball, averaging 22.1 points per game his junior season and will take aim next year on the school’s all-time scoring record held by J.A. Happ.

Basketball may not be his best sport, however.

The left-handed pitcher went 10-2 with a 0.50 ERA, with 127 strikeouts in 83 innings. For the stat buffs, those numbers are lights out and dominating.

Throw in a .441 batting average with eight doubles, three triples, two home runs and 23 RBIs, all team highs, and Olson, like Happ before him, is making a strong case that his all-around talents carry over well to the baseball field.

Olson was named as the Player of the Year in the Three Rivers East Division and selected to the First Team Class 2A All-State team by the Illinois Coaches Association.

He becomes the 2015 BCR Player of the Year, marking the fifth straight year a St. Bede player has received Player of the Year honors, either shared or outright, following Nick Hueneberg, Brad Groleau (twice) and Michael Bellino.

Olson pitched back-to-back shutouts against rivals Hall and Princeton, with a total of 27 strikeouts, 17 against the Red Devils and 10 more against the Tigers.

St. Bede coach Bill Booker said Olson had a great makeup for pitching.

“His ability to keep his arm speed the same for all three pitches made him very successful,” Booker said.

The 2015 St. Bede baseball team had a tremendous season. Rattling off wins to eventually play in the state tournament, they placed fourth, something the players and coaches should be very proud of. However, for Olson, there is still more work to do.

Whenever you get that close to winning it all you can’t help but be fueled to get back and finish what you started. With Olson coming back for his senior season, this goal isn’t that far fetched.

He would take the mound and have his mind on winning.

“My mindset on the mound every game was to go out there and get the ‘W’ for my team no matter what that meant,” he said. “Every time out there I felt it was my individual job to my teammates to give everything I had for all seven innings.”

It seems like Olson has broad shoulders and a competitive spirit that he will not let his team down. He pitched all nine innings of the state semifinal game against eventual state champion Rockford Christian, a game in which the Bruins fell 2-1. He made 117 pitches in the game.

“He is one of the most competitive kids I have ever met. Great players help make the team better,” Booker said.

This mindset doesn’t just show on the ball diamond but on the hardwood as well. When asked what his favorite sport is, he said, “I always say whatever sport I am in is what my favorite sport is.”

For St. Bede baseball fans that is a great answer.

“I’m really excited to get back on the field and see what we can accomplish as a team again, and also individually I want to top my performance and efforts that I had this year,” Olson said.

One would say that with Jarret Olson holding himself at such a standard, the St. Bede Bruin baseball team is in very good hands.

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