Josh Walker, the winningest coach in Park Hill South baseball history, announced on May 22 that he will not continue in his role as head coach.
The Park Hill South baseball program will look much different next year with longtime coach Josh Walker not in the dugout or directing from the first-base coaches’ box.
The program’s all-time wins leader, a title Walker has held for more than the past decade, announced on May 22 his intentions to step aside from a baseball team he has spent countless hours with since the program’s inception in 1998.
“It has been a goal of mine to be the Head Baseball Coach at Park Hill South High School from the moment the district announced where PHS was going to be built,” Walker’s statement said. “In 1998 I was an assistant at PHS and in 2010 I spent my first season as the Head Baseball Coach. 17 years later and I have spent my last season in the dugout for PHS baseball.”
The Panthers have accumulated a record of 261-232 in Walker’s 17 years as head coach. More importantly, Walker is grateful for the people who made it possible and the relationships he built throughout his time with the Park Hill South baseball program.
“I want to say thank you to the players, families, administrators, teachers, assistant coaches, and of course my family that supported me along the way,” Walker said. “I will miss it, but I’m very excited to see where the team goes in the future. I love PHS baseball. I love the relationships that it has allowed me to build. Thank you to everyone that has made this journey possible.”
Walker was honored as a Blue KC Coach With Character last month, throwing out the first pitch at a Kansas City Royals game on April 21. He has also compiled nearly 300 wins as the head softball coach at Park Hill South, leading the lady Panthers to seven conference titles and a district title.
Park Hill South will look to a new leader going into next year, hoping to build on back-to-back winning seasons in Walker’s final two seasons.