Ex-UHart Baseball Standout Showing Moves On 'Dancing With The Stars'

HARTFORD/WEST HARTFORD/BLOOMFIELD, CT — A former University of Hartford baseball standout has traded the diamond for the dance floor.

Jackson Olson, a 2020 UHart graduate and current Savannah Bananas player, made his debut on Season 35 of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," according to the university.

Olson opened his season with a cha-cha set to the Spice Girls' "Wannabe," receiving a score of 15 out of 30 from the judges.

The University of Hartford celebrated its former infielder's national television appearance in a social media post Tuesday.

"From UHart infielder to national TV — we're cheering you on every step (and every cha-cha) of the way," the university, which is located in Hartford, West Hartford, and Bloomfield, wrote.

Olson, a New Milford native, played four seasons for the Hartford Hawks from 2017 through 2020 while majoring in marketing.

His strongest full season came as a junior in 2019, when he batted .306 and collected 68 hits, the third-highest single-season total in program history, according to his UHart biography. He also scored 25 runs and drove in 21.

Olson earned America East All-Academic Team honors as a sophomore and junior. During the 2018 America East Tournament, he was named to the All-Tournament Team after batting .636 with seven hits.

His senior season was cut short in 2020 after 12 games. He recorded 10 hits and scored six runs during those appearances.

Before attending Hartford, Olson was a three-sport athlete at New Milford High School.

He batted .464 with 23 RBIs as a senior and was a two-time first-team all-conference selection and a Class LL first-team all-state selection.

Olson has since become a second baseman for the Savannah Bananas and built a following as a social media content creator.

His "Dancing With the Stars" biography describes his online content as covering baseball as well as family, relationships, food, and life away from the field.

In addition, he happens to be dating the daughter of a famous game show host ... Maggie Sajak, whose father, Pat Sajak, was the iconic host of "Wheel of Fortune" for decades.

"Dancing With the Stars" airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

To see images from the Sept. 22 Dancing with the Stars episode, click on this link.