Gil Walker, a former Samford pitcher and member of the Bulldogs’ 2012 team, which is arguably the best squad in school history, is in the midst of his second season as the team’s volunteer assistant coach. Walker officially joined the coaching staff on Aug. 11, 2015.
Last season, in his first campaign on staff at Samford, the Bulldogs registered a 35-26 overall record and advanced deep into the Southern Conference Tournament held in Greenville, S.C.
Samford’s Heath Quinn (third round, San Francisco Giants), Alex Lee (22nd round, Atlanta Braves) and Hunter Swilling (29th round, Detroit Tigers) were all selected in the 2016 Major League Draft. Additionally, All-SoCon pitcher Parker Curry signed a free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Walker, who was a senior on Samford’s 2012 team that won the SoCon Tournament and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, has been constantly lauded by Head Coach Casey Dunn for both his playing experience and coaching prowess.
Born and raised in Birmingham while his father, Tommy, was the head baseball coach at Samford for nine seasons from 1989 to 1997, Walker went on to play for his father at Spanish Fort High School where he was named to All-South and All-County teams. He was additionally named both team captain and Most Valuable Player, while batting .375 and posting a 1.40 earned run average as a senior.
Following his graduation from SFHS, Walker signed with Wallace State–Hanceville and played for one of the top junior college programs in the nation.
Walker spent his junior and senior seasons at Samford University under Dunn and enjoyed two of the most successful years in school history.
As a junior, he appeared in 12 games, all out of the bullpen and posted a 3.86 ERA in 18.2 innings of work. Walker finished the season with 12 strikeouts and pitched 2.1 hitless innings of relief at UAB, while later tossing 3.1 shutout innings against Davidson. He also pitched 3.1 innings, allowing no runs against UNCG.
Walker’s senior season at Samford proved to be the best year in school history. The Bulldogs set a school record in wins, earning the school’s first SoCon Tournament title and NCAA Tournament bid, while having seven players taken in the Major League Baseball Draft.
The Bulldogs finished the 2012 campaign with a school-record 41 wins, posting an overall record of 41-23. The team went through the SoCon Tournament undefeated and then reached the finals of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional by earning two wins over SEC Tournament champion Mississippi State.
Following his graduation from Samford University in December of 2012, Walker accepted an assistant coaching position at Vestavia High School and worked there through the 2013 season.
He then took an assistant coaching position at Lawson State in the summer of 2013 where he worked for two seasons under the direction of Head Coach Doug Kovash. Walker served as the recruiting coordinator and hitting coach, while also specializing defensively with the infielders and catchers.
In 2015, Lawson State turned in its best season in school history and qualified for the conference tournament for the first time in its existence. Walker also helped a trio of Lawson State student-athletes earn all-conference honors.
