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Gatorade 2021 - 2022: Player of the Year

Baseball - North Carolina

athletes playing Baseball
The POY Logo
BASEBALL

Walker Jenkins

Outfielder
SOUTH BRUNSWICK HS
SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA
JUNIOR
Height: 6-FOOT-3
Press Release

Peak Performance

.519

Batting Average

10

Home Runs

37

RBI

45

Runs Scored
“Walker is an absolute stud. We 100-percent would not throw him a pitch [to hit] with any runners on base. He’s an absolute stud defensively as well in center field, covers from gap to gap and made a catch against us that only he makes. He’s just a special player.”
Aaron Rimer
Head Coach - head coach of New Hanover High
excellence star

Athletic Excellence

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior outfielder had led the Cougars to a 24-3 record and a berth in the Class 3A state championship series at the time of his selection. Jenkins batted .519 with 10 home runs and 37 runs batted in through 27 games. Ranked as the nation’s No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2023 by PerfectGame.com, he scored 45 runs and swiped 16 bases entering the state finals, posting a .630 on-base percentage and a 1.086 slugging percentage. A member of the USA Baseball Under-18 National Team, he had not committed an error all season through the state semifinals.

a graduation cap

Academic Achievement

Jenkins has maintained a weighted 4.52 GPA in the classroom. He has made a verbal commitment to play baseball on scholarship at the University of North Carolina beginning in the fall of 2023.

first place ribbon

Exemplary Character

Jenkins has volunteered locally as part of community beautification projects and as a youth baseball coach. He has also donated his time to multiple community service initiatives through his church youth group.