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Ed Olson from Eagan captures the Dale Welter Award at 2014 Play Ball! Minnesota High School Baseball All-Star Series

By Todd Smrekar, 07/30/14, 1:45AM CDT

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This award is named after longtime Chaska Hawks coach Dale Welter. Welter is a legend in Chaska, in the game of baseball, and in Minnesota High School baseball. His efforts in and around the host site(Chaska Athletic Field) have contributed to its beaut


Eagan’s Olson is MVP of all-star series by Mike Shaughnessy

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Source:  SunThisweek

June 26, 2014 at 5:51 pm
 
 
Winning Metro East team had several local players
Ed Olson of Eagan scores the winning run in Metro East's 4-3 victory over Metro West in the state high school all-star baseball series. Photo by Mike Shaughnessy

Ed Olson of Eagan scores the winning run in Metro East’s 4-3 victory over Metro West in the state high school all-star baseball series. Photo by Mike Shaughnessy

When the state high school all-star baseball series ended Saturday evening, players from the winning Metro East team congratulated each other and wished each other well in college.

The majority of those who played in the four-team series will play baseball at a Division I, Division II or Division III school, or at a junior college.

There were a couple of notable exceptions. Mounds View’s Sam Hentges, who pitched his team to the state Class 3A championship last week, signed with the Cleveland Indians and will start his professional career. Hentges had been selected for the Play Ball Minnesota High School All-Star Baseball Series but did not play because he was in Cleveland last weekend.

Then there’s Ed Olson of Eagan, who was named the MVP of the all-star series. He took a little good-natured grief from the public address announcer for his college choice – the University of Wisconsin.

Olson will play baseball at Wisconsin but probably will never appear in a Big Ten Conference game. Wisconsin has not competed in Big Ten baseball since 1991, when the university dropped the program to save money and fall into line with Title IX guidelines.

The baseball void was filled by a club team, and Wisconsin now has one of the nation’s best.

“It’s a really good program,” said Olson, who plans to study engineering at Wisconsin. “They just finished third in the club baseball World Series. I’m going to college for academics, but club baseball is really competitive, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Olson went 4-for-8 over three games in the all-star series and scored four runs. He was 3-for-3 in Metro East’s 4-3 victory over Metro West on Saturday that clinched the series championship. He hit a double in the bottom of the seventh inning and scored the game-winning run.

While Olson was happy to earn the MVP award, “the best part, I think, was being on a team with all these guys and getting to know them.”

Several of Olson’s Metro East teammates were rivals during the high school season at other South Suburban Conference schools.

Olson batted .426 this spring for Eagan High School. He had 12 extra-base hits (nine doubles, three triples) and 17 RBI while playing outfield and catcher. He was a two-year regular on varsity.

“My sophomore year I didn’t play much (on varsity). But I was on the section roster, which was fun,” he said. “We had a really deep, talented group of players in 2012 and 2013.”

Olson also is playing for the Eagan Patriots American Legion team this summer. The Patriots were 9-7 overall after winning three of five games at the Burnsville Snake Pit tournament last weekend. Eagan will hold the state Legion tournament beginning July 31, and the Patriots receive an automatic berth as the host team.

Then it’s on to college for Olson. He hasn’t discussed with the Wisconsin club team coaches where he will play, although he believes middle infield and outfield are the most likely spots.

But not catcher?

“I’m not really the prototypical catcher, big and stocky,” said Olson, who’s 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds. “But I’d be game for it.”

History of the Dale Welter Award(Past Most Outstanding Players)

Year Player School
1988 Jay Haffley Hutchinson
1989 Darren Schwankl Burnsville
1990 Travis Galleberg Forest Lake
1991 Ryan Kjos Hopkins
1992 Brian Mensink Rochester Mayo
1993 Scott Poepard Forest Lake
1994 Matt McDonough Osseo
1995 Tom O'Brien Chaska
1996 Jade O'Brien Brainerd
1997 Jeff Nygren Coon Rapids
1998 Troy Sather Flyndon-Felton
1999 Mark Morris Robbinsdale Cooper
2000 Chris Duda St. Louis Park
2001 Nick Weiland Brainerd
2002 Pat Theilke Coon Rapids
2003 Dan Lyons Rochester Century
2004 Bryan Jost Tartan
2005 Steve Turnbull White Bear Lake
2006 Josh Smith Owatonna
2007 Carter Sackett Burnsville
2008 Cory Glieden Chaska
2009 Jonathon Traetwo Martin County West
2010 Sam Windle Osseo
2011 Matt Geislinger Eden Valley-Watkins
2012 Dalton Sawyer Waconia
2013 Christian Rosenow Rochester Mayo
2014 Ed Olson Eagan