Olson Named Coach of the year

The 2010 season was a dream year for Cary-Grove’s softball team and coach Tammy Olson.

The Trojans won the Fox Valley Conference title for the first time in four years, won a regional title for the first time since 2007 and won the program’s first sectional in the 17 years of Olson’s coaching tenure. Olson was recently named the Illinois Coaches Association sectional coach of the year, her second such honor in the past four seasons. Olson said she couldn’t have done it without a lot of help including her assistant coach and husband Mark.

“I owe it to my coaching staff and my girls,” Olson said. “They did an amazing job last season and at the beginning of the year, we weren’t quite sure what we had with Lindsay (Efflandt) coming in as a freshman being our starting pitcher and Sarah (Leudo) coming in being our starting catcher as a freshman."

"Our whole battery was new, most of the rest of the team were seasoned veterans being juniors and seniors and they did an amazing job of bringing those two in and the two freshmen, you couldn’t tell they were freshmen on the field. They did an outstanding job and because of them, I got this honor.”

With the team coming off a 32-5 season, excitement begins to build for the 2011 campaign as Olson heads into her 18th year as coach of the Trojans and 25th overall as a Cary coach with Efflandt and Leudo in their second year together along with the team‘s returning players.

Olson added that everyone is ready for the new season to get underway.

“We’re extremely excited,” Olson said. “They are very excited, the weather hasn’t been cooperating but I think it will soon.”

Cary is scheduled to start their 2011 season on Mar. 16 at Antioch with team’s home opener coming on Apr. 4 against Johnsburg.