Grinnell College Athletics

Ian “Ox” Carlson ’95 was a stellar dual-sport athlete at Grinnell, earning All–Midwest Conference accolades in both baseball and soccer.
 
In baseball, he still holds the Grinnell single-season record for batting average, hitting .486 in 1994 - a mark that ranked eighth nationally. He also ranks second in single-season on-base percentage at .594 and eighth in slugging percentage at .752. Carlson remains on the Pioneers’ career charts in eight categories, including on-base percentage (fifth at .455), batting average (sixth at .384), slugging percentage (sixth at .584), runs scored (sixth with 109), doubles (ninth with 30), stolen bases (ninth with 40), RBIs (10th with 86), and total bases (10th with 222). In addition to being an All-Region selection, he was named a first-team All-MWC outfielder in both 1994 and 1995. 
 
On the soccer field, where he was also a four-year letter winner, Carlson was part of an impressive run that saw Grinnell win four consecutive MWC South Division titles, along with two conference regular-season and tournament championships. The Pioneers posted a remarkable 47–15–4 overall record during that span, including a 35–5 mark in MWC play. Carlson earned All-MWC honors as a defender in 1994.
 
Over his combined athletic career at Grinnell, he received MVP, Defensive MVP and Rookie of the Year honors.  He also served as a team captain in both sports and earned the Pioneer Pride award and Honor G award as a Senior.
 
Carlson earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Grinnell and a master’s degree in Statistics from Iowa State University. He later served as an assistant baseball coach at Grinnell and is currently a Director of IT at Elevance Health.
 
He currently lives in Georgia with his wife of 26 years Michelle, and their 3 children Nathan, Nora and Samuel.