Washington commit Carson Ohland ready to live up to hype
MAPLE VALLEY, Wash. (BVM) — Carson Ohland is arguably the best high school baseball prospect in the Evergreen State. Prep Baseball Report (PBR) has him ranked as the No. 12 catching prospect in the United States, and he’s committed to Washington, but he didn’t become the type of player he is now on his own.
From a young age, Ohland has had a knack for athletics. But his love for baseball sprouted thanks to his father, Curt, and brother, Austin.
“My dad played all kinds of sports growing up,” Carson said. “But my brother is a baseball player at Central Washington.”
His older brother paved the way for him and did his best to influence the way he plays the game, and both will finally get to play on the same team this summer.
“Growing up around my brother and seeing him catch made me want to catch,” Carson said. “I have never played on the same team as him. He’s always been four years ahead of me, but this summer, we are playing for the Apple Sox in Wenatchee in the West Coast League (WCL) together.”
Along with his family providing the necessary motivation to become a standout baseball player, his career has provided challenges and chances to fail. However, he’s taking those in stride and continuing to make the best out of every opportunity given to him.
“My high school career has been challenging with getting all this attention so early,” Carson said. “It’s been important for me to realize it’s going to happen, there are people who look up to me and there’s going to be a lot of pressure, but I’m going to get through it.”
One outlet giving him national recognition was College Baseball Newspaper, which named him an All-American based on his performance last season.
Congrats to incoming Dawg @CarsonOhland on being named a @CBNewspaper HS All-American 🇺🇸 https://t.co/pWL8hu2S9J pic.twitter.com/pOTqILMD3v
— Washington Baseball (@UW_Baseball) January 24, 2023
“That recognition is one of the biggest to this day,” Carson said. “When I saw it come up, I was surprised and grateful for it. Seeing all those names just made me excited to be on the list because there were some big names on the list.”
Last season Carson helped lead the Tahoma Bears to a 16-7 overall record and accumulated two home runs, a batting average of .426 and 14 RBIs, according to MaxPreps. He also recorded a pop-time of 1.94 seconds and had 147 putouts.
But before Carson became one of the best catching prospects in the nation, he lived in Missouri, where he learned a lot about who he wanted to be.
“I lived in Washington for eight years and moved out to Missouri for three years and got a taste for the Midwest,” Carson said. “My dad works for Boeing, and that’s why we moved to Missouri, but Washington always felt like home for me.”
In Washington, Carson’s talents on the diamond started to turn heads and he learned how to deal with high expectations at a young age.
“The rankings don’t affect me,” Carson said. “I think any kid at a young age would see that as pressure just because your name is out there. Over the years, I’ve learned to drown it out and learn it doesn’t matter; it’s just a number, and you still have to perform.”
His performances on the diamond led him to offers from college baseball programs, but he decided to stay home and commit to Washington.
“Going back to the Midwest didn’t feel appealing or right for me,” Carson said. “Washington always felt right; I wanted to stay home, and it’s a group of mostly Northwest kids; I love that.”
Carson is also a switch-hitting catcher, which could attract the eyes of MLB scouts and other professional teams, and he’s thought about what it would be like to be drafted.
“It’s been in the talks a little bit, and I’ve been talking to my agency,” Carson said. “They’ve been a huge help in the whole process and setting up meetings with different scouts, and there are scouts that want to come to high school season and meet with me and my family.”
Can’t wait!🐺 https://t.co/fy3tgbNKgA
— Carson Ohland (@CarsonOhland) November 10, 2022
Carson is still a young talent, and as exciting as being drafted sounds, he’s going to continue his athletic journey one step at a time.
“The biggest thing for me is to enjoy my senior year,” Carson said. “I’ve talked to Steven Souza and caught Casey Sadler, and talking to those big leaguers, the No. 1 thing they told me was to, ‘Enjoy it, because you only get it once.’”
Carson is on the right path regarding the future of his athletic career. While it may lead him to Washington or levels beyond, he is going to remember the essential lessons baseball has taught him.
“It’s more than a game, there are relationships, and it gives life lessons,” Carson said. “Those three things are the most meaningful things to me and what makes baseball so great…Learning how to deal with hardships because baseball isn’t easy, so getting through hard times and annoying moments, baseball gives you a lot of great things in life.”
