Barbe’s Walker Named 2021 LSWA Mr. Baseball

by Warren Arceneaux // Written for the LSWA

Jack Walker knows how to make an exit.

The Barbe pitcher saved his best performance for last, throwing 10 no-hit innings to help the Bucs beat rival Sam Houston 1-0 in a Class 5A semifinal game. Barbe won the game in 11 innings en route to its 11th state championship.

The performance capped a stellar season in which Walker went 13-0 with a 0.48 ERA. He struck out 121 batters in 84 innings pitched and allowed only 24 hits and 22 walks.

Walker is now the winner of the 2021 Louisiana Farm Bureau Insurance/LSWA Mr. Baseball award given to the state’s most outstanding high school player.

In four playoff starts, he threw 31 Innings, allowing 3 runs and 6 hits while striking out 41. In his career, Walker went 25-1.

Barbe head coach Glenn Cecchini said Walker’s easy-going personality helped him on the mound.

“He never got rattled when things were not going well,” Cecchini said. “He threw hard, had two breaking balls and had command of all his pitches.”

When he arrived at Barbe, Walker was just hoping to help the program continue its winning ways.

“After watching Barbe win many championships I knew what was expected of me when I made the team, so really all I wanted to do was to keep up the standard that is expected of Barbe and try to be a major contributor by the time I graduated,” Walker said.

After going 3-0 as a freshman, Walker earned a spot in the rotation as a sophomore. He said scrimmaging against teammates before that season gave him a confidence boost.

“Coach had me throwing to the top hitters on the team and I was getting them out,” Walker explained. “Me and the guys I threw to would talk about things I saw or they saw and they would tell me how hard I was to hit. I think that gave me the confidence boost I needed and made me realize I was going to help the team a lot that year.”

Walker went 9-0 and was the starting pitcher in the 2019 championship game, an 8-2 win over Sam Houston. 

Later that summer, he injured his pitching arm. The resulting surgery and rehabilitation lasted a year, but Walker was ready to go by the time his senior season started in 2021.

“I think the thing I enjoyed the most about my career at Barbe was being able to come in as a freshman and growing every day,” he said. “Then having the results that I did as a senior and getting to look back at how much I have grown as a player.”

La. Farm Bureau Insurance/LSWAMr.Baseball
1996: Joe Lawrence, Barbe

1997: Chucky Son, Parkview Baptist

1998: Aaron Lowe, Parkway

1999: Nick Bourgeois, Barbe

2000: Austin Nagle, Barbe

2001: Austin Nagle, Barbe/Jonathan Zeringue, E.D. White

2002: Greg Smith, Alexandria

2003: Matt Greenwich, Parkview Baptist

2004: Ben Soignier, West Monroe

2005: Beau Jones, Destrehan

2006: Forrest Moore, Parkview Baptist

2007: Carmen Angelini, Barbe

2008: Zack Von Rosenberg, Zachary

2009: Zack Von Rosenberg, Zachary

2010: Bryan Picou, Northlake Christian

2011: Aaron Nola, Catholic-BR

2012: Gavin Cecchini, Barbe

2013: Jared Poché, Lutcher

2014: Chase Vallot, St. Thomas More

2015: Kale Breaux, Sulphur

2016: Nick Webre, Teurlings Catholic

2017: Jacob Pearson, West Monroe

2018: Cade Beloso, John Curtis

2019: Cameron Meeks, Sam Houston

2020: Season cancelled

2021: Jack Walker, Barbe