Olivia Clausen is all about bus rides, snackle boxes and eating hot dogs.
The Nevada junior is enjoying her return to high school softball after spending a year away to focus on travel ball for the Iowa Blitz Gold.
“Coming in and playing with the girls again, just continuing to build the relationships every single day, is good for all of us,” Clausen said. “It makes me happy.”
Clausen is the starting catcher for a Nevada softball program that is trying to turn the corner under new coach Rhonda Maier.
Nevada had only won 10 games once in the past four seasons. The Cubs won just four games a year ago, and they have not had a winning season since going 11-9 in 2020.
Clausen played in 30 games as a freshman two years ago. She started in 24 of those games, hitting .263 with five home runs and 15 RBIs, and she was a valuable utility player and back-up catcher behind Meagan McGaffin for a team that finished 10-22.
Last year, the Cubs struggled through a 4-19 season without her.
Now that Clausen is back in the lineup, Nevada is making progress. The Cubs improved to 9-12 on the season on June 23 with a 6-4 victory over South Tama County.
“She’s very vocal and helps the younger (girls) break out of their shell,” said Nevada third baseman Jadyn Melohn. “She helps them see what they can work on, and she’s really good at getting people to open up. She’s a very vocal leader, which is nice.”
Clausen’s vocal leadership has earned her team captain honors alongside Melohn. She enjoys playing for Maier and assistant coach Addi Vorm.
“I think we need a fresh start,” Clausen said. “It’s good for us. They’ve done a great job, and we’ve really adapted to them.”
Clausen went into the South Tama County game hitting .260 with four doubles and 15 RBIs. She has also thrown out seven base runners, and she has only made three errors in the field.
But her most valuable asset is her vocal leadership.
Nevada is extremely young in the circle, with two eighth-graders and a freshman logging all the innings. Having Clausen behind the plate has been invaluable to the inexperienced Cub hurlers.
“OC is the best leader I could’ve ever imagined behind the plate,” Maier said. “She’s phenomenal. She’s taken our eighth-grade pitchers and helped develop them into what they’re becoming. If it weren’t for her, we’d be a little lost out there.”
Clausen is great at stopping balls and helping Maier call pitches. But her infectious positive attitude is what benefits the young pitchers the most.
“Always talking is the biggest thing,” Clausen said. “Letting them know they’re doing OK and letting them know they’re doing their job. If they can’t do it, our infield will do it for them.”
Clausen is looking forward to the final month of the season.
On the field, she hopes to keep up her strong defensive play and leadership at catcher. She also wants to build off the momentum she gained as a hitter against South Tama County when she hit two singles and drove in a run from the No. 9 spot in the order.
“I’ve definitely been struggling, but I’ve kind of found it the past couple games, which has been good,” Clausen said. “It’s benefited the team.”
But most of all, she just loves spending time with her teammates.
“We’ve spent every last minute we could together, whether it was team bonding or whether it was hitting together on a random Saturday,” Clausen said. “The team bonding and getting to know each other more helps us be able to communicate and trust each other in and outside the field.”
Clausen is looking forward to more bus rides, singing songs with her teammates and seeing what everyone has in their snackle boxes. She is also ready to help the team earn some more victories.
Nevada has already made positive strides as a program this year, and with Clausen just a junior, the Cubs could take an even bigger leap forward in 2027.
“I think her future is very bright,” Melohn said. “Even when she was here her freshman year, she’s always been vocal. She keeps everybody laughing and smiling. I think she’s really good for a lot of people.”
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Meet Olivia Clausen, the vocal leader for Nevada softball
Reporting by Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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By Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune | USA TODAY Network
