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Complete Forecast for  May 17 2008

By CHRIS PARRY
Staff Writer

Deadlocked at zeroes last week against Dallas Bryan Adams in Game 1 of its Class 5A bi-district playoff series, Robert E. Lee needed a spark.

So head coach Mike Pirtle called on the team's "spark plug."

Senior Jeremy Olson drew a one-out walk and came around to score on an error for the only run in the game.

Lee followed that with a 12-0 victory in Game 2, moving the Red Raiders (19-8) into the area round of the Class 5A Region II playoffs against Rowlett (29-1-2). The best-of-three series begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Mike Carter Field. Games 2, and if necessary, 3, are scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Saturday in Rowlett.

"He's put a lot of excitement back into our lineup; getting some key hits, taking the extra base and making diving catches," Pirtle said of Olson. "He's been a big spark plug for us here lately, especially going into the playoffs."

Five months ago, Olson was in a hospital bed with catheter tubes hanging out of his arm.

It was November and Olson was frustrated beyond belief.

He'd already just come through a mysterious flu that he needed a week to get over.

Now he was having trouble with his back.

Not just any normal aches, but rather a searing pain that was kept him from being able to stand up.

"When I walked, I could feel it right in the middle of the back, so I just thought it was just (nothing) and let it go, but is started getting progressively worse," Olson recalls. "Getting out of a chair and stuff; every time I would fall over."

Pirtle also knew something was wrong, based on Olson not being able to put forth his usual all-out effort in practice.

"He couldn't run and he'd always been such a hard worker, I knew there was an issue because he'd always given everything he had," Pirtle said. "We kept sending him down to the trainer and he would get it checked out and checked out.

"Finally, when he did go to the doctor, they started doing some tests and stuff on him and before we knew it, he was in the hospital. We went down to see him and (the doctors) didn't know what the problem was."

An MRI finally showed that Olson had a mysterious infection in his disc, which had caused it to collapse. Fearing the infection would spread, doctors decided to run a PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter line) into Olson's arm that went directly to his heart.

"They just put the biggest antibacterial medicines in me and I was out for like six weeks," Olson said. "Three times a day, I had to get these tubes and put them in. It was just a pain because I couldn't do anything, but just sit at home."

After the PICC line was removed, Olson was given more bad news.

"What really made me mad was they said I wasn't going to get better for like six to 12 months," Olson said. "They then gave me just a six-week period where I couldn't participate in anything."

The varsity season began, but Olson still wasn't allowed to participate in drills or anything physical yet.

"I was asking if I could hit off a tee or could I run. I was asking anything and everything," Olson said. "I am not the kind of guy who was just going to sit."

On February 22, nearly three months after the illness put him in a hospital, six weeks of having constant tubes in his arms and even more time before being cleared to play, Olson made his varsity debut as a pinch hitter against John Tyler.

He singled to left field.

Despite that, Pirtle was leery of pushing Olson too much.

"They still didn't know what kind of virus it was," Pirtle said. "We were real tentative about playing him very much, which was frustrating for him because he wanted to get in there."

Lee was mired in an offensive slump that saw the team drop three of four district games, all of them at home.

Pirtle decided to make a change in the starting lineup, finally giving Olson his chance.

Lee hasn't lost since.

Olson's first start was at Mesquite Horn in a game Lee had to win at the time to secure its playoff future. Olson got on base late in the game and scored the eventual winning run. He followed that by hitting a triple in Lee's next win over Mesquite. A day later in a one-game playoff with the Skeeters, Olson went 2-for-4 and reached base in all four at-bats with a single, double and two runs scored.

The good fortune continued last week against Bryan Adams.

Olson and the Red Raiders now turn their attention to Rowlett.

"I am so glad I am back; to be on the field I love it," Olson said. "I forgot how much I missed the game; sitting in the dugout watching everyone else ... I am counting the blessings of each day I get to play."

Olson admits his doctors still aren't sure what illness caused his problems; ones he's continued to deal with, but believes he is getting better.

"Every morning when I'd wake up, I'd have back pain and stuff," Olson said. "Now, probably last week and this week, I've actually woken up and felt good."

Pirtle credits Olson for how the senior put the work in to get back on the field and is now enjoying the spoils.

"It's been a tough year for him, but it's been a good one to because he's been our sparkplug here lately," Pirtle said.

"It all comes back to the type of kid he is. He could of easily given up and not continued to play, but being his senior year, he stuck it out and kept working and working; and now it's all coming about and he's a viable part of the team."

Raider Rap: Olson also wanted to give special thanks to Dr. Cathy Fieseler and Hal Everett for helping him get better and back on the field. The Red Raiders are facing Rowlett in the playoffs a second consecutive time after REL beat the Eagles 2-1 last year in the 5A Region II quarterfinals best-of-three series.