Going into the 2017 baseball season for the Oswego State Lakers, there were as many questions as there were answers for a team coming off an incredible season.

After graduating a few cornerstones of the program, there were some holes where young members of the team could come in and become part of the Lakers core for years moving forward.

Enter Lukas Olsson.

The freshman catcher has become a staple in the Lakers lineup, hitting .320 through 12 games played, and starting in multiple conference games so far.

Olsson had a long road to Oswego State, coming from Bayport-Blue Point High School, where he was a three year varsity athlete.

The recruiting process for Olsson originally had nothing to do with the Lakers, and it was only a development late in the process that led him to the shores of Lake Ontario.

“I was going to another school and they ended up not continuing their program with the same staff that had recruited me,” Olsson said. “I had some connections and I saw that Oswego was in a good spot last year and I knew that they would be a very good contender in the Div. III conference.”

From day one at Oswego State, Olsson had high expectations from both his teammates and coaching staff.

“I think he’s handled it tremendously,” said head coach Scott Landers. “He came in as an unknown like every other freshman and he works harder than most. His learning curve has been quick and short as a freshman. I think he really listens and interprets things well as a young kid.”

An unknown is the best way to describe Olsson coming in, because even though he had the ability, he was unproven at the Div. III level.

“I knew that he could hit and he caught and played some outfield in high school,” Landers said. “He was a big kid that could hit and we needed some help at the catcher position so we brought him in.”

Beyond the high regards Olsson has from the coaching staff, his teammates have nothing but great things to say about the freshman as well.

“I think what stood out to me and probably everyone else is his work ethic,” Senior Tim Cronin said. We got here in the fall and you walk by the weight room and he’s always in there, he’s a quiet kid so he doesn’t talk about it but he’s always in there doing his work and hitting in the cages and getting all his throwing in so I think that’s what kind of separated him.”

As a senior, Cronin has seen players come and go from the program, and he thinks there is something special about Olsson that sets him apart.

“I think he’s got the second highest average on the team right now so you could pencil him anywhere from fourth on and he’d be a good fit,” Cronin said.

In addition to all the great things Cronin had to say about Olsson on the field, he also had a ton of praise for what the freshman brings in the clubhouse. The catcher’s mentality gives him an advantage compared to most newcomers, according to Cronin.

“His best quality? Probably his attitude,” Cronin said. He gets out, he doesn’t slam anything, he doesn’t get upset, he kind of keeps a level head and that helps him going into his next at bat.”

With all the support he has behind him, Olsson plans on continuing his career at Oswego State with the same expectations he had for himself coming into this season.

“I expected myself to play a big role behind the dish,” Olsson said. “I knew that I have good potential and I could have a good impact on the team so I wanted to lead as a freshman and I think so far I’ve done an OK job with that.”

Olsson has done nothing but earn the praise he has been given since his arrival in Oswego. Going forward he has set himself up for nothing short of success.

“I give all the credit to him and his work ethic and his attention to detail,” Landers said.

For the rest of Olsson’s career, he has set a blueprint for all of his teammates to follow.