Ryder Olson pitching in at Pennridge, just like dad, grandfather did for USC baseball

SELLERSVILLE — Ryder Olson is having a pretty good sophomore season for the Pennridge baseball team.

Olson is 2-3 with one save and a 2.26 ERA this spring. In 21⅔ innings, he's struck out 25.

And if he needs any advice, Olson doesn't have to go far to find readily available experienced pitchers.

Dad Jordan was drafted twice, signing with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays after going in the 33rd round in 2003 out of Southern Cal. He spent two years in the minor leagues, reaching Single-A ball.

Like Jordan, grandfather Dan Olson also excelled at USC after starring at Crescenta Valley High School in Los Angeles County. Dan was part of the Trojans' pitching staff on the 1972 and '73 College World Series championship teams.

"I've thought about (being a third-generation pitcher) a little bit," said Ryder Olson. "As I got older, I realized my grandpa was a really good pitcher and so was my dad."

Jordan finds himself in the role of mentor with Ryder, similar to how dad Dan was with him more than 20 years ago.

"After my games, I'd go home and we would sit down and go over the game — what I did good, what I did bad, what could I have done different in that situation," said Jordan, the only left-hander of the three. "(We'd) just talk about it so I could learn from the experience I just had while it was still fresh.

"I've kind of done the same thing with my sons. I videotape as much as I can and note what he did perfect and what he needs to work on."

"I really like that Jordan's got the same appreciation for what he went through as a kid and now is trying to give that same thing to his boys," Dan said. "They love playing baseball. It's a lot of fun."

Dan follows Ryder's games on GameChanger and watches livestreams when they're available. He gets feedback from Jordan, who passes along Ryder's thoughts on how things went. As grandparents are wont to do, Dan tends to emphasize the positives.

"You don't re-enforce the negative because then you never get out of the negative," Dan said. "You point out the good things, (suggest he) work on the other things and go from there."

Dan and wife Bonnie drove up from Georgia and watched Ryder pitch for 8-6 Pennridge against Souderton on Thursday night at James Memorial Park in the midst of a 2½-week visit.

The second-oldest of six children (five of them boys), Ryder and the Olsons moved from California to Chalfont in July 2012, then to Bedminster Township in June 2018.

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Ryder played AAU ball before pitching some for Pennridge as a freshman in 2023, though it was a bit of a wakeup call after having done quite well in age group baseball.

"He found out a hanging curve ball wasn't going to be called a strike — it was going to be hit over the fence," Jordan said. "… He had to learn how to hone in on a spot and mix his pitches to keep hitters offbalance."

Working with Matt Alvarez at A2iFit in Hatfield during the offseason, Ryder realized he wasn't maximizing his lower half in his delivery, which added 3 to 5 mph to his fastball. Ryder, who also throws a curve and changeup, believes the fastball has become his best pitch.

"He was able to get my mechanics right and he helped me a lot," said Ryder, a 6-foot-2, 165-pounder who typically plays middle infield when he's not pitching.

The Rams' baseball program is fortunate to have Olson, according to Pennridge head coach Danny Long.

"Ryder is a tremendous kid and a talented baseball player," Long said. "It is very unique that he has generations of baseball knowledge in his family to get feedback from and bounce ideas off of."

Ryder plans on pitching in college, though it's too early to tell at what level and for whom.

If he has any questions about the process or anything along the way, his dad and grandfather have probably been through it and are right there.

"It's awesome," Ryder Olson said. "I ask my dad and grandpa a lot of things. … They just help me try to grow as a player so hopefully I can get to where they were."

Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes.com ; @TomMoorePhilly is a sports columnist for PhillyBurbs.com . Support our journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Ryder Olson pitching in at Pennridge, just like dad, grandfather did for USC baseball