Olson said a busy schedule and his desire to spend more time with his family as determining factors.
“The decision was all mine,” Olson said. “I won’t be leaving baseball but will become a Little League coach. My oldest son, Marco, is 4-1/2 years old and playing tee ball now and I only got to see four of his 12 games this season. I love baseball but want to be a dad even more.”
Olson feels the time is right to make a change. This year Mira Costa has enjoyed one of its best seasons with a 23-6 record and a championship in the prestigious Boras Classic. The Mustangs were the only Division 3 team to compete in the tournament, stunning national powerhouse JSerra 2-1 to claim the Southern Division title, then defeating Northern champion Davis 7-4 for the state title last Saturday at UC Berkeley.
Mira Costa finished second in the Bay League this season and will continue its quest for a CIF championship when playoffs begin next week. The Mustangs conclude the regular season at Redondo Thursday at 3 p.m.
“The program is in great shape and we have a great coaching staff,” Olson said. “I hope they hire a new head coach from within.”
Running the Mira Costa baseball program is a year-round occupation and Olson expects to return to the classroom in August. Olson said a decision made during a hearing scheduled for July 19 should enable the history teacher to return to the classroom after an absence of more than two years.
Olson also has filed a lawsuit against the Manhattan Beach Unified School District alleging officials damaged his reputation and hurt him financial. However, Olson said he doesn’t expect to see the courtroom until 2017.
In 2013, Olson served a brief suspension from his coaching duties after a group of parents hired a law firm seeking his dismissal because of allegedly improper coaching methods.
Olson, who led Mira Costa to the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 championship game in 2013, has been head coach of the Mustangs for seven seasons.
After serving as assistant coach for the Mustangs for many years, Olson was head coach at rival Redondo for one season before returning to Mira Costa.
