VILLANOVA, Pa. – Another Villanova Baseball alum is making his way to the professional ranks with starting pitcher Bobby Olsen signing a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals as a non-drafted free agent.
 
This latest signing extends the Villanova to St. Louis pipeline with Olsen becoming the third Wildcat to ink a deal with the Cardinals since 2021. Gordon Graceffo started the recent string when he was drafted by the Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft. Chris Rotondo followed suit in the 2022 MLB Draft when he was selected by the Cardinals in the 19^th round.
 
The right-handed hurler made 11 starts in his 12 appearances during his lone season on the Main Line to wrap up his collegiate career. He posted a 1-5 record with a 6.19 ERA over 56.2 innings pitched. He led the 'Cats with 59 strikeouts throughout his graduate campaign, tallying a career-high nine strikeouts in 8.0 innings against NJIT on March 14. The Powdersville, S.C. native posted five games with seven or more strikeouts during the year, the most by a Villanova pitcher since Graceffo.
 
Olsen came to Villanova after stops at Nebraska and Brown. In 2024, he appeared in 13 games for the Cornhuskers with a 10.80 ERA and nine strikeouts over 8.1 innings of action. Prior to that, he started his career at Brown where he made 17 starts in 28 appearances over three seasons. He posted a 5.56 ERA over 111.2 innings.