Valley City State University

The 2022-23 school year marks Casey Olney's 18th season at Valley City State University and his 16th season as Head Baseball Coach. Olney joined the Vikings staff in the fall of 2005 serving as hitting coach, recruiting coordinator, and strength & conditioning coach. In 2007, he was named the eighth head baseball coach in VCSU's history. In 2017, Olney was named an assisant athletic director in addition to his head coaching duties.

The Vikings finished the 2021-22 season with a 22-22 overall record and a 12-11 mark in conference play. The Vikings earned the No. 5 seed for the postseason and went 1-2 in the conference tournament. David Demeter set a new school record with 29 extra-base hits and was named 1st Team All-Conference. He posted Top 5 marks in VCSU history in several categories, including home runs (14), saves (7), RBIs (49) and slugging percentage (.835). Avery Bennefeld and Dustin Mertz were both named 2nd Team All-Conference. 

Valley City State posted a 23-26 overall record during the 2020-21 season, finishing third in the NSAA conference standings with a 14-9 conference record. The Vikings set a new single-season school record with 80 home runs, smashing the old team record of 54. Jorun Hamre set the individual home run record with 18 during the season. Hamre was named NSAA Player of the Year and Honorable Mention All-American. VCSU pitchers recorded a school-record 359 strikeouts in 2020-21. 

Olney's 15th season at VCSU came during 2019-20, when the Vikings posted a 6-10 record before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In 2018-19, the Vikings posted a 21-24 overall record and a 12-11 conference mark. VCSU placed third in the NSAA regular season standings and advanced to the NSAA Tournament Championship Game. The Vikings had five players earn All-Conference honors, including three 1st Team pitchers: Brady Engebretson, Jacob Rosales and Phillip Almanza. Senior catcher Aiden Brook and senior first baseman Grant Wehseler were both named 2nd Team. Rosales and Brook both went on to sign professional contracts with the High Desert Yardbirds in the Pecos League. 

The 2017-18 season saw the Vikings finish with a 15-30 overall record and place seventh in the NSAA standings. Junior first baseman Grant Wehseler was named All Conference. The Vikings had a program-record seven players earn the Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete award. 

Olney guided a senior-heavy team to a 27-26 record and a third-place finish in the NSAA standings during the 2016-17 season. The Vikings were one win away from the NSAA Tournament Championship Series, losing out in the Bracket B Championship against Mayville State University. Five Vikings were named All Conference: Jared Meiklejohn, Brady Anderson, Andrew Frank, Ben Bruenjes and Anthony Necochea. Both Meiklejohn and Necochea earned a conference Gold Glove award. VCSU also had six players earn the Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete award.

Olney's 2015-16 team posted a 24-32 overall record before losing out in the Bracket A Championship of the NSAA Tournament. Joe Demers, David Whitaker and Brady Anderson all earned All Conference honors during the season.

The Vikings posted a school-record 32 wins in 2015 and broke more than a dozen school records in the process, including nine team records and four individual records. VCSU finished the year 32-25 and went 10-10 in the North Star Athletic Association, finishing third in the conference. The Vikings led the nation with 40 triples.

Valley City State finished 19-29 in 2014, finishing third in the inaugural season of the North Star Athletic Association. Olney's 2014 squad ranked 33rd in the nation in hits per game (9.7), led by sophomore utility player Brady Anderson, who was named NSAA Player of the Year and an honorable mention NAIA All-American.

Under Olney, 35 Vikings have earned all-conference recognition and 29 have been named NAIA Scholar Athletes.

Olney is a native of Flaxton, N.D. He attended Cibola H.S. in Yuma, Ariz., and graduated from Central College (Iowa) with a BA in business education. He finished his post secondary education with a 4.0 GPA while earning a masters degree in Sports Pedagogy from NDSU in 2009.

During his playing career Olney was voted a team captain at Central College and received the Central baseball team's Versteeg Award for outstanding leadership and sportsmanship. Following his senior season at Central he stayed on with the Dutch as the Head Junior Varsity and Catchers Coach, and was an Assistant Varsity Coach for Pella (IA) High School.

Olney gained his first head coaching experience in Bowbells (N.D.) with the American Legion program. He also coached youth baseball at the Babe Ruth League level. His Bismarck (N.D.) Babe Ruth squad won championships at the District, State, and Midwest Plains levels before capturing 3rd place at the Babe Ruth World Series in Van Buren, Ark.

Coach Olney has also been active in amateur baseball. From 1995-1997 he played with the Sherwood (N.D.) Yankee's helping them to a Saskota league championship in 1997. In 2007 he was a member of the class AA state champion Enderlin Indies. Olney also helped Valley City found and organize two new amateur baseball teams in 2009, the Saints and Merchants. He was a member of the 2010 Merchants A state championship team, and the 2013 Saints AA state championship team.

Coach Olney is currently President of the Valley City Baseball Association and is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association.

He resides in Valley City with his wife Kari, daughter Claire and son Will.

Background
    •    Hometown: Flaxton, N.D.
    •    Education: Cibola High School, Yuma, Ariz.
    •    College: Central College of Iowa , B.A.
    •    College: North Dakota State University, M.S. 2009
    •    Office Phone: 701-845-7171
    •    Email: casey.olney@vcsu.edu

Coaching Experience
    •    2007 - Present: VCSU - Head Coach
    •    2005-07: VCSU - Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordinator
    •    2005: Pella High School - Assistant Coach / Head JV Coach
    •    2005: Central College - Assistant Coach / Assistant Recruiting / Head JV Coach
    •    2004: Bismarck Babe Ruth - Co-Head Coach / 3rd Place in '04 Babe Ruth World Series
    •    Bowbells American Legion: Head Coach in 1995 and 1996 seasons