Clarksville, TN – Seeking to add a power left-handed hitter, Austin Peay State University (APSU) head baseball coach Roland Fanning and his staff added New Mexico transfer Justin Olson to the Govs’ 2024 roster Friday.
Olson finished his second season in Albuquerque this season, playing in 37 games and starting 23 at first base. He batted .367 with 13 home runs and 31 RBI, those 13 homers ranking second on the Lobos’ roster. He finished the season with a .822 slugging percentage that would have led the Mountain West Conference with enough qualifying at-bats.
Displaying his potential at the plate, Olson hit five home runs in a three-game span on April 29-May 2. He opened the barrage with three homers and eight RBI against Fresno State and followed that with a home run as part of a 2-for-3 outing in the series finale. In a midweek matchup against in-state rival New Mexico State, he tacked on his fifth home run of the stretch and was 2-for-5 at the plate.
Olson began his two-year turn at New Mexico in 2022, batting .239 with 18 RBI while playing 37 games. He was an Academic All-MWC selection and named to the Mountain West Scholar-Athlete Team.
A Colorado Springs, Colorado native, Olson crossed paths with Fanning in 2019 while both were in Kentucky. Olson did not play in his two seasons at Lexington, which included the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. He transferred to the College of Southern Nevada, where he played the 2021 season, batting .341 with seven home runs and 36 RBI, before transferring to New Mexico.
Olson was the 2018 Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year at Pine Creek High School where he was a left-handed pitcher and first baseman. He batted .525 with 14 home runs in 59 at-bats and had 34 RBI and 20 walks. On the mound, he posted a 3-1 record with five saves with a 1.77 ERA, and 46 strikeouts in 23.2 innings pitched. Olson finished his prep career batting .438 with 30 home runs and 108 RBI.
Olson becomes the first signee of the APSU Govs’ postseason and the eighth Govs 2024 signing class member.
APSU Govs’ 2024 Signee Class
| Player | Pos | B/T | Ht | Wt | Hometown / High School / Previous School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easton Frazier | RHP | R/R | 6-4 | 185 | Fayetteville, Ark. / Fayetteville HS |
| Mateo Hernandez | IF | L/R | 5-6 | 165 | Fort Worth, Texas / North Crowley HS / Western Oklahoma State College |
| Andres Matias | IF | R/R | 6-1 | 210 | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic / Americas Bicultural School / Connors State College |
| Justin Olson | IF | L/L | 6-3 | 225 | Colorado Springs, Colo. / Pine Creek HS / New Mexico |
| Tre Speer | RHP | R/R | 6-1 | 178 | Stillwater, Okla. / Glencoe HS |
| Luke Rolland | RHP | R/R | 6-0 | 190 | Pangburn, Ark. / Pangburn HS / Connors State College |
| Cannon Rice | RHP | R/R | 6-0 | 185 | Clarksville, Tenn. / Clarksville HS |
| Brody Szako | IF | L/R | 5-11 | 205 | Magnolia, Texas / Magnolia West HS / Fort Scott CC |
