Walton's dream waits as he assaults record books

Click here to read the feature story on BYU DH Kent Walton.

PROVO — His dream is to play professional baseball, but BYU's Kent Walton decided to put that dream on hold.

Last June, Walton was selected in the 42nd round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Oakland A's, but instead of turning pro, he returned to the Cougars for his senior season.

It looks like Walton made the right decision.

The Yucaipa, Calif., native is among the nation's leaders in batting average, hitting at a .433 clip, with eight home runs and 29 RBI. Walton has also helped lead the Cougars to a 20-13 record overall and a 7-5 mark in Mountain West Conference play.

After his 16-game hitting streak was snapped last Thursday in a loss to Air Force at Larry H. Miller Field, Walton came back strong the following night, going 2-for-4 and belting a solo home run to lead BYU to a 7-0 victory over the Falcons.

On Saturday the Cougars claimed the series with a 9-2 triumph over Air Force as Walton went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly.

Walton is making the most of his final season at BYU, though last summer, he was tempted to turn pro.

"(Oakland) is an awesome organization. I've always wanted to play pro ball, but it didn't work out," he said. "They didn't push enough, I guess you could say, for me to sign with them. I feel like it would be important for me to come back and finish my senior year. I felt like I could make improvements. So far, that's paid off."

With 267 career hits, Walton is climbing the charts of all-time leaders in school history, not far behind former Major Leaguers Wally Joyner (277) and Cory Snyder (291).

While Walton is hoping he'll enhance his draft stock this June, right now he is focusing on team goals, including winning a Mountain West Conference championship and advancing to the postseason.

"We really want to make it to the NCAA Tournament," Walton said. "I've never made it since I've been here. We came close once, but we didn't make it in the end."

After hitting .309 last season, Walton missed the start of the 2009 campaign because he was recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. Walton said the injury doesn't affect his hitting, but it has impacted his throwing, which is why Walton has been BYU's designated hitter.

"I'm not 100 percent," Walton said. "My swing is fine. I don't have any problem with my swing. Throwing is what we're trying to get back."

To say his swing is fine is an understatement. So what's been the difference this season?

"I just have a little bit more experience. I know myself a little better," Walton said. "I know my swing and what I can and can't do. That's probably helped me to be able to put more balls in play and get more hits than I have in the past."

During a non-conference series against Western Carolina last week, Walton got on base 10 times in 12 trips to the plate. "He had an unbelievable series," said Cougar coach Vance Law.

"The ball was a beach ball," Walton recalled. "But that's in the past. I'm focusing on what I can do now. I can't live off the past. I need to keep making improvements. (Going hitless on Thursday) is a perfect example of why baseball is such a hard game. You can be red-hot, then the next day you can be ice-cold."

It's that kind of perspective and experience that's helped the Cougars this season, as Walton is one of eight BYU seniors. A year ago, the Cougars didn't have a single senior on the roster.

"The biggest key is, we have a ton of leaders out there," Walton said. "We have guys who demand respect who people look up to. Everyone feeds off that. It's been fun. I'm on a team with a bunch of guys that I've been with since my freshman year. It's awesome to play four years with the same guys. . . I'll be friends with them the rest of my life."

Come June, after the season is over, Walton is counting on being drafted again.

"I just hope a team likes the way I play and give me a chance to play pro ball," he said. "That's been my dream. It was hard to turn them down last year, so I hope I get another shot this year."