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It has been a special season for the Troup baseball team as they head into their second consecutive Elite 8 appearance. One of the players at the heart of the Tigers’ season is Carson Walker. 

The junior infielder has been locked into a starting role since his freshman season and has only gotten better since. 

“Third base is my home, but I love pitching too,” Walker said. “Really, I don’t care where I play. I just want to do whatever it takes to win.”

Walker transferred into Troup before his freshman year. Being with the baseball team as a freshman helped him find a home in Troup County. 

Despite the Troup baseball team having a tremendous season so far, Walker has faced his fair share of adversity in 2025. Walker suffered an elbow injury while pitching against Mary Persons in the home stretch of the regular season. This has limited Walker to a designated hitter role, but he is starting to feel up to it at third base again.

“The doctor said that I would still be able to hit, and after a few weeks went by, I was able to start testing it out by throwing again,” Walker said. “The doctors gave me the clearance, and I was able to get back out there at third.”

Walker’s versatility has been key for the Tigers in the past. As a freshman, he played in the outfield and has split time between the mound and third base the last two seasons. Unfortunately, Walker’s time on the mound has come to an end this season with his elbow injury keeping him off the mound until at least the fall travel ball season.

In fact, Walker is about to have to take an extended break from the diamond. The junior is scheduled to have elbow surgery after the conclusion of the Troup High season and has his eyes set on a return in the fall after sitting out the summer travel ball season.

“I’ve never dealt with anything like this before,” Walker said. “I’m not sure what I’ll end up doing with myself, because I’m so used to playing travel ball over the summer.”

Without Walker to fill the void as the team’s No. 3 pitcher, the Tigers have had to look elsewhere for pitching help. Walker, as one of the veterans and leaders on the team, has been keen to help out the other pitchers on the roster who have had to step up in his absence. 

“We are going to be just fine,” Walker said. “Without me being out there, it messed with the team a little at first, but Chase Mosley has stepped up, and we are in good hands.”

Walker has seen the highs and the lows during his three-year stint with Troup. The Tigers struggled during Walker’s freshman year, missing the playoffs altogether before coming just one game away from a Final 4 trip in the playoffs last season. Through it all, that disappointment from his first season with the Tigers still fuels him to this day.

“We didn’t do well against LaGrange and did terribly in the region. I don’t want to go through anything like that ever again,” Walker said.

With his junior year wrapping up, Walker is starting to ponder the future. The junior has plans to continue his baseball career in college, but has his eyes firmly planted on what he can accomplish with the Tigers first.

“Right now, I’m just taking it day by day, one game at a time,” Walker said. “Not being able to play this summer will have recruiting backed up, but you just have to believe in yourself.”