SEC Network Hires LSU All-American Todd Walker as Baseball Analyst
BATON ROUGE, La. -- SEC Network, ESPN’s 24-hour television channel devoted to the Southeastern Conference, has added baseball standouts Todd Walker, a 1993 and 1994 LSU All-American, and Carlos Pena as analysts for the network’s extensive studio and game coverage of college baseball.
Walker is the second former LSU player to become an SEC Network college baseball analyst, joining pitcher Ben McDonald.
Walker brings a wealth of SEC experience, having played collegiate baseball at LSU from 1992-94. His career with the Tigers earned him a spot in the College Baseball Hall of Fame, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame, and he was named to the College World Series Legends Team in 2010.
Walker, a native of Bossier City, La., was a two-time first-team All-American, the 1993 SEC Player of the Year and the 1993 College World Series MVP, as he helped lead the Tigers to the national championship. He still ranks first in LSU history in career batting average (.396) and triples (15).
After LSU, he was Minnesota Twins first round draft pick (8th overall) in 1994. His Major League Baseball career continued for 12 years with different organizations, including the Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics.
His MLB career highlights include batting .289 in 1,288 games with 1,316 hits, 107 home runs and 545 RBI. Walker eclipsed the .300 mark three times with the Twins, Rockies and Cubs.
Pena was the Texas Rangers first round draft pick in 1998 (10th overall). He also made an impact at several other MLB organizations, including the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, and the Kansas City Royals. In 2007 with Tampa Bay, Pena finished the season with a .282 batting average, 46 home runs and 121 RBI. His home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and walk totals set a Rays franchise record.
Pena was the first Ray to win a Rawlings Gold Glove Award in 2008. He was chosen for the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and his 163 home runs with Tampa Bay remain the second-most in franchise history.
Pena began working as a studio analyst for MLB Network two years ago. His role at SEC Network marks his first stint as a college commentator.
Pena and Walker are scheduled to appear together in-studio on Saturday, April 2, during the Missouri at No. 15 Arkansas game, and in that evening’s SEC Now postgame show.
BATON ROUGE, La. -- SEC Network, ESPN’s 24-hour television channel devoted to the Southeastern Conference, has added baseball standouts Todd Walker, a 1993 and 1994 LSU All-American, and Carlos Pena as analysts for the network’s extensive studio and game coverage of college baseball.
Walker is the second former LSU player to become an SEC Network college baseball analyst, joining pitcher Ben McDonald.
Walker brings a wealth of SEC experience, having played collegiate baseball at LSU from 1992-94. His career with the Tigers earned him a spot in the College Baseball Hall of Fame, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame, and he was named to the College World Series Legends Team in 2010.
Walker, a native of Bossier City, La., was a two-time first-team All-American, the 1993 SEC Player of the Year and the 1993 College World Series MVP, as he helped lead the Tigers to the national championship. He still ranks first in LSU history in career batting average (.396) and triples (15).
After LSU, he was Minnesota Twins first round draft pick (8th overall) in 1994. His Major League Baseball career continued for 12 years with different organizations, including the Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics.
His MLB career highlights include batting .289 in 1,288 games with 1,316 hits, 107 home runs and 545 RBI. Walker eclipsed the .300 mark three times with the Twins, Rockies and Cubs.
Pena was the Texas Rangers first round draft pick in 1998 (10th overall). He also made an impact at several other MLB organizations, including the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, and the Kansas City Royals. In 2007 with Tampa Bay, Pena finished the season with a .282 batting average, 46 home runs and 121 RBI. His home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and walk totals set a Rays franchise record.
Pena was the first Ray to win a Rawlings Gold Glove Award in 2008. He was chosen for the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and his 163 home runs with Tampa Bay remain the second-most in franchise history.
Pena began working as a studio analyst for MLB Network two years ago. His role at SEC Network marks his first stint as a college commentator.
Pena and Walker are scheduled to appear together in-studio on Saturday, April 2, during the Missouri at No. 15 Arkansas game, and in that evening’s SEC Now postgame show.
