Title: Head coach, Oregon State University
Sport: Fastpitch Softball
OSU Record: 490-378-3

Kirk Walker entered his 15th year as head coach of the Oregon State softball program, a program that has made a monumental turnaround under his direction. Walker reigns as Oregon State’s all-time winningest softball coach with a 490-378-3 career record. He earned his 400th career coaching victory on March 25, 2006 when Oregon State rallied for a 2-1 8-inning win against BYU in the Beavers’ home opener. His teams have finished with 25-plus wins in the last 11 seasons and have won 40-plus games eight times.

Turning Oregon State into a perennial national contender, Walker led the Beavers to their first ever appearance in the NCAA Women’s College World Series during the 2006 campaign. One of the best teams in Oregon State history, Walker’s 2006 squad reeled off a school record 28-game winning streak (the longest for any team in the nation on the season), catapulted to a program-best #5 national ranking, and won both the NCAA Regional and Super Regional to earn a WCWS berth. Oregon State faced a pair of Pacific-10 Conference opponents (eventual national champion Arizona and Arizona State) in the World Series before finishing the year with a 43-16 record.

Walker earned his second Pacific-10 Conference Coach of the Year award after leading the 2005 Beavers to their first-ever Pac-10 title and the automatic berth to the NCAA Regional Tournament. The Pac-10 championship was the first regular season title for any women’s sports program in Oregon State history. OSU compiled a 43-16 record and was ranked as high as #6 nationally in a year that saw the Beavers win the season series against five conference opponents (Arizona, Arizona State, Califoria, Oregon, Washington).

Walker guided Oregon State to its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1999, when the team finished with a school-record 47 wins and had its first winning season since 1984. For his team’s success, Walker was named the 1999 Pacific-10 Co-Coach of the Year and the Beaver coaching staff also was named the Speedline Pacific Region Co-Coaching Staff of the Year. Walker was honored as Oregon State’s Coach of the Year in 1999 as well.

Gaining recognition for his involvement and success in coaching, Walker was named one of 12 coaches to form the USA Softball National Team Coaches Pool through the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Walker served as assistant coach for the USA Elite Team during the summers of 2002, 2003 and 2004 while serving as an assistant coach for the USA Red National team at various tournaments during the summer of 2001.

Walker came to Oregon State after spending 11 seasons at national powerhouse UCLA as a manager and assistant coach. During his time in Westwood, the Bruins won six NCAA titles and made 10 appearances in the College World Series. The Bruins recorded an impressive 111-17 (.867) record and won five Pac-10 titles during his stint. As the head pitching instructor, Walker produced several All-Americans, including Lisa Fernandez and Dee Dee Weiman.