Carly Olson is the fifth Cardinal softball player to be nominated for the Minnesota High School All-Star softball played in Mankato June 11.
“It was an honor to be nominated and recognized for my achievements on the field,” Olson said.
“These are accomplishments I couldn’t have done without the support of my teammates and coaches.”
The All-Star game featured 88 of the state’s best senior players along with 18 high school coaches.
The All-Stars are selected from over 15,000 girls who played softball in Minnesota.
The selections are based on the player’s career stats and voted on by coaches of the Minnesota Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Olson comes from a softball/baseball family and grew up around the sport and watching her siblings play.
Her parents are JJ and Stacy Olson of Luverne.
Both of Carly’s sisters, Ashley Olson Tieszen (2014) and Rylee Olson (2019) were also members of the All-Star team their respective senior years. Her brother, Jakob, played baseball.
“My dad always made me work hard and was there to push me and has taught me so much about the game,” Olson said.
“My family supported me and it pushed me to keep trying to get better and made the game fun to play.”
Olson has started on the varsity team since her eighth-grade year.
Her favorite memory from high school softball was making it to the section championship twice.
Her advice to younger players is “to work hard and never settle. Put in the time in the off season. Have fun and compete and be willing to fail sometimes.”
Olson is committed to Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter to play softball because “… the school is beautiful and Coach Coley Ries Welter has a love and passion for the game so I know playing for her will be competitive and rewarding,” she said.