Spartan Signs for Summer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Chuck Paiva
April 8, 2019 President & General Manager
401-845-6832// gm@newportgulls.com
Spartan Signs for Summer
Michigan State’s Zaid Walker Set to Become Gull
Newport, RI- The Newport Gulls are pleased to introduce Zaid Walker as a member of the 2019 Roster. Walker currently attends Michigan State University and is in his first collegiate season playing the outfield for Spartans Head Coach Jake Boss Jr.
Walker might be just freshman but you could never tell by his size and demeanor on the field. The product of Homewood, Ill, and Homewood- Flossmoor High stands 6-feet-2 and weighs 220 pounds, moving gracefully across the outfield as an excellent defender. Walker’s career at Homewood- Flossmoor was extremely successful, lettering three-years on the varsity baseball team. Walker was named to the All-State team, a First-Team All-Area and All-Conference performer as a junior after recording a .415 batting average, with 30 RBI and 12 doubles, while swiping 14 stolen bases. He followed this stellar performance up by hitting .432 with 12 home runs, 11 doubles and 49 RBI on his way to a .968 slugging percentage as a senior. This outstanding season led to a No. 2 overall ranking in the state of Illinois and 180th nationally by Perfect Game.
Walker is referred to as “five-tool” player for his ability to run, field, throw and hit for both power and average. This unique combination projects Walker for the next level and if it was not for his desire to pursue a degree in Supply Chain Management at Michigan State, he might already have been competing professionally. The Cincinnati Reds selected Walker in the 36thRound of the 2018 MLB Draft but Zaid chose to enroll in college.
Professional scouting company, Prep Baseball Report has recorded Walker throwing an average of 93mph from the outfield and running a 6.46 60-yard dash. The Major League average for 60-yard dashes is roughly 6.8 seconds.
Prior to starting classes at Michigan State this fall, Walker played summer baseball for the Northwest Indiana Oilmen of the Midwest Collegiate League. Adam Enright was the Oilmen’s Head Coach and stated about: “Physically, he's very mature, he looks the part. He has very, very elite tools as far as speed and power and possesses the main five tools everyone's looking for and he's shown all five here (Northwest Indiana). He's a really smart player with a high baseball IQ."He does everything at such a high level.”
Walker also played for the Cangelosi Sparks Baseball Program out of Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports Facility in Lockport, Illinois. This program has produced countless draft picks and college standouts including Boston Red Sox 2014 Second Round Pick Sam Travis. Walker’s Sparks captured the 17U Pastime National Championship.
Walker’s summer coach Adam Enright’s statement; "Michigan State is going to get a guy who's going to be able to help them win right away. I would not be surprised in the slightest if he gets a significant amount of playing time as a freshman.” has proved true. Zaid has started 22 of the 23 games he’s played in this season, sitting second among Spartans in doubles (5) and tied for third with eight runs scored.
The Gulls are excited to see Walker’s combination of size, strength, and speed on display this summer at Cardines Field and around the other 12 ballparks in the NECBL. Opening Day is set for June 5 against the Mystic Schooners. This will be the Gulls’ 19thseason in the City by the Sea, competing for a seventh Fay Vincent Sr. Cup.
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The Newport Gulls, members of the 13-team New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded as the Rhode Island Gulls in 1998 in Cranston, R.I., before moving to Newport in 2001. In addition to recruiting, fielding, and developing a team of the nation’s top collegiate baseball athletes and attracting 50,000 fans annually to Cardines Field, the predominantly volunteer organization strives to benefit the community of Newport County via summer camps, reading programs, fundraisers, scholarships, and charitable donations – totaling over $1 million since 2001. The Gulls are six-time champions of the NECBL – the winningest franchise in league history – and were ranked as the overall No. 1 summer collegiate baseball team in the country by Perfect Game USA in 2012.
For more information about the Newport Gulls, visit facebook.com/newportgulls, follow the Gulls on Twitter @NewportGulls or visit www.newportgulls.com.
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