Growing up in Detroit, MI, Carl Walker was 5-feet tall and weighed 115 pounds as a high school senior in 1954. One would have never imagined Walker would have developed into one of fast pitch softball’s all-time power hitters and RBI producers. But people have been wrong before and they were wrong about Walker, who grew to 5-feet 10 1/2 inches and weigh in excess of 200 pounds. By 20 Walker was getting the notice of baseball scouts, and in particular the Chicago Cubs, who figured Walker could hit a baseball with the same regularity and power that he hit a softball. But nothing materialized and Walker ended up playing in the“Major Leagues” of fast pitch softball for Club 500, Local 57, Providence, RI , Nothdurft Tool and Die,Detroit, MI and the Raybestos Cardinals. Walker played in 14 nationals and earned All-America honors 10 times. He batted .309 (63-for-204) in the nationals, hitting eight homers and driving in 46 runs. He also played in 10 Men’s Major Fast Pitch All-Star Series and batted .250 with two homers in the 1976 ISF World Championship. Walker was a member of three national championship teams (1969, 1970 and 1972) and two runners-up. He twice led Raybestos in batting : 1967 (.325) and 1969 (.369). He had a lifetime .351 average with the Cardinals and a slugging percentage of .818. He holds Cardinal records for most homers in a season, 23 in 1968; most homers in a career, 120, most RBIs in a season, 83 in 1970 and most RBIs in a career (473). Walker passed away on June 26, 2017.
