Two for two! Christian Walker joins former South Carolina teammate Jordan Montgomery in World Series
Party like it’s 2012, at least if you’re a South Carolina fan.
One day after Jordan Montgomery punched his ticket to the World Series, his former college teammate, Christian Walker, will be joining him there.
Walker helped the Arizona Diamondbacks defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 in Game 7 of the NLCS on Tuesday night.
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It hasn’t been a great postseason run for Walker, who played for the Gamecocks from 2010-12. In 12 games, he’s hit .179 with one homer and six RBI.
He’s been even worse in the championship series, slashing .091 with two hits in 22 at-bats. But nevertheless, he’s on his way to his first Fall Classic.
And that’s not to say Walker hasn’t been impactful. In fact, he’s been huge in getting the Diamondbacks to this point. He’s been through the good and bad with Arizona, even when it lost 110 games back in 2021.
But over the last two years, Walker has been a powerful bat in the cleanup spot in the the club’s lineup. He hit .258 with 33 homers and 103 RBI during the regular season this year.
Regardless of his postseason play, Walker brings the experience to a young team without much of it. Whether it counts for something or not, Walker played on the biggest stages with South Carolina.
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Walker played a key role when the Gamecocks won the College World Series in 2010 and 2011. He even helped them get back to Omaha in 2012, where they lost to Arizona in the CWS Final.
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In three years at South Carolina, Walker hit .336 with 30 homers and 137 RBI. The Baltimore Orioles drafted him in 2012, where he spent his career until 2015. Then, he went on waivers multiple times before the Diamondbacks picked him up in 2017, where he’s been ever since.
And now, Walker will have a chance to play against Montgomery, his old college teammate. The two played together at South Carolina back in 2012.
The last time multiple Gamecocks were in the World Series was 2018. Steve Pearce and Jackie Bradley Jr. were teammates on the Boston Red Sox when they beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games that year. Bradley took home the ALCS MVP and Pearce won World Series MVP.
The Texas Rangers haven’t announced their starting rotation yet, but Montgomery is bound to face Walker at some point in the series. And there are sure to be some bragging rights on the line for the two friends.
Walker has faced Montgomery six times in his MLB career, going 1-for-6 with a double and an RBI. He’s struck out two times against him.
Game 1 of the World Series will begin on Friday at 7 p.m. on Fox. The Rangers will have home-field advantage for the series. Games 3-5 will be at Chase Field in Arizona.
