GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Griffin Olson has climbed the ladder in his young baseball coaching career at a record pace.
On Tuesday afternoon, the former 28-year-old North Hall and Piedmont University baseball standout was named head baseball coach at Chestatee High School, his first head coaching position. He said it's a dream come true as he heads into his fourth year of teaching and coaching.
"I really do feel like it's my calling to be a teacher and a coach," he said. "I feel like it all has come full circle. This game and the positive coaches in my life have really shaped me into who I am. So, knowing that I have the opportunity to go in there and make a positive influence on some kids and be that same type of coach, person and teacher that I admired in high school, it almost feels like you're giving back what was given to you."
Olson has spent the last three seasons learning under Cherokee Bluff head coach Jeremy Kemp.
"Whenever I first told him the news, he gave me some great advice," Olson said. "He's one of my biggest supporters and wanted me to be happy."
Kemp said he was super proud of Olson and hopes he will do "good things" at Chestatee.
"He's a great guy with a great future ahead of him," Kemp said. "I'm super proud of him. I'm excited about the opportunity. Hopefully, he's going to do good things over there."
It was a whirlwind hire for Olson. After Kevin O'Connell stepped down as head coach at Chestatee last week, the school had to put its search in high gear.
With former North Hall football coach David Bishop at the helm of the athletic department in Sardis, he reached out to one of his former students. As Olson says, he had no clue the job was open until Bishop called.
"Coach Bishop actually called me either Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon," Olson said. "He gauged my interest in it, and we set up an interview. I interviewed, and they offered me the job. It went pretty quickly.
"I was super happy at Cherokee Bluff. Working for Jeremy Kemp, you learn a lot, and you get to hang out with a great coaching staff and a lot of great baseball players every day. But having the respect that I do for coach Bishop, I wanted to hear him out. So, after talking to him, it seemed to be a really good fit for me to venture into the head coaching world."
Bishop watched Olson grow in high school and said, "he's always been a go-getter."
"I saw him compete as an athlete at the high school level in multiple sports," he said. "He was part of a lot of programs that launched future successes. He went on to have a great career at Piedmont. He's always been a go-getter, so when we had the opportunity to hire him, we were excited. He's a young guy and is super passionate about baseball and the kids."
Olson played collegiately at Piedmont College, where he was a four-year letterman and USA South Atlantic All-Conference Team from 2014-2017. He also played on the 2013 North Hall baseball team that finished second in Class 3A.
"Playing and coaching against Chestatee, they've always had kids that are tough and play hard," Olson said. "It seems like there is a pretty decent culture in place where playing hard is expected. That's really where the main fit comes in because I see some kids that really want to work to be good baseball players. I'm a young, hungry coach that is going to put the work in to help them achieve whatever goals they have set for themselves."
