Through the years: Jamie ?Cat? Walker?s baseball history

Highlights of Jamie Walker?s baseball career, from his days with Warren County Senior High through his 10 years in the Major Leagues:

High School ? Walker and the WCSH Pioneers, under the tutelage of head coach Ronnie Brown, captured the 1989 District 7-AAA tournament title with an extra-inning win over Lebanon, topping the Blue Devils twice to win the crown.

Walker, a senior, claimed the victory in the first of the two championship games, his 10th win on the year against one loss. He fanned 10 batters in the victory. He went on to relieve Jerry Martin in the second game of the day, earning his 11th win of the season.

The squad?s 27-8 win set a record for the most wins ever by a Pioneer baseball team, and Walker was named the district?s co-MVP.

? After accumulating a 23-4 record over three years with the Pioneers, Walker signed to play college ball with Austin Peay State University, choosing to play with the Governors despite being heavily recruited from Ohio Valley Conference rivals Middle Tennessee State.

College ? Walker made an immediate impact with the Governors? pitching staff in the spring of 1990, racking up a 5-1 record his freshman year and taking over as the team?s ace pitcher the following season.

With a young Governor squad backing him, Walker managed a 3-9 record his sophomore season, but bounced back in his junior year to earn first-team All-OVC and ?Pitcher of the Year? honors. He started 15 games his junior season, finishing 9-5 with a 2.74 earned-run average, the 10th-best single-season ERA in Governor history. He struck out 89 batters during that 1992 season, third-highest in Governor history, and pitched two shutouts and eight complete games, working 108.1 innings.

Pro ? Drafted by the Houston Astros in the 10th round following his junior year at APSU, Walker spent five years with that organization before signing as a minor league free agent with the Atlanta Braves prior to the 1997 campaign.

He made his mark in spring training with the Braves, and was sent to the Kansas City Royals, along with Jermaine Dye, for Michael Tucker and Keith Lockhart, making his Major-league debut with the Royals in the 1997 season. He worked 50 games, both as a starter and coming out of the bullpen.

? The following year, an injury ended Walker?s season early, but after undergoing shoulder surgery he worked his way back through the minor-league system, pitching with the Royals? AAA affiliate.

? In 2001, Walker was signed as a free agent by the Tigers, and impressed their coaching staff during spring training. He was optioned to AAA at the beginning of 2002, but by April was recalled to the big-league team, and used mainly as a relief specialist against left-handed batters.

? With the Tigers since 2002, Walker is 12-12 out of the bullpen, making 330 appearances over the five-year span. His contract with the Tigers was picked up in November of 2005, as he and the team agreed to a $1.25 million deal with incentives.