Walker Got OSU Here A Player At A Time - Oregon State University Athletics

By Molly Blue - The Oregonian

OKLAHOMA CITY -- When Adrienne Alo was a high school outfielder in Carson, Calif., she was recruited by UCLA, University of Oklahoma, Brigham Young University and University of Michigan.

She decided to play softball at Michigan, a power in the Big Ten Conference and in the NCAA.

Then her father told her she had to make her last recruiting trip -- to Oregon State.

Alo found OSU appealing because it is closer than Michigan to her California home and is in the Pacific-10 Conference, with its tradition of some of the best softball competition in the world.

But Beavers coach Kirk Walker sold her on the most important thing: Alo, he told her, could be part of creating a tradition with the Beavers and help their transition from conference afterthought to powerhouse.

"He told me we would be building something," Alo said. "I wouldn't be stepping into someone else's shoes."

Now a senior, Alo and her teammates are making their debut today at the NCAA Women's College World Series. The Beavers (43-14) open the tournament against Pac-10 rival Arizona (49-10) at 10 a.m.

Walker got them here. In 12 seasons, Walker has lifted the Beavers from the bottom of the conference to eight consecutive appearances in the NCAA playoffs.

"If I were getting a recruiting letter from OSU, I'd be excited," said Sue Enquist, coach of UCLA, the World Series' top seed.

Walker worked with Enquist at UCLA for 11 seasons. She said Walker made a gutsy decision to jump in as a Pac-10 coach right away.

"He grew up in front of the softball world," Enquist said. "A lot of people have opportunities to learn in smaller programs and make mistakes on a low profile. His first head coaching job was at a Pac-10 school. I admire what he's done."

In the early days of recruiting for the Beavers, Walker's pitch was centered around playing in the conference.

"Our first goal was about recruiting," Walker, 41, said. Coming in, "We started to beat down doors and go after bigger recruits and better recruits. We talked about being in the Pac-10, not being on our team or in our program."

In 1995, Walker's first season as OSU's head coach, the Beavers were 13-43, 4-24 in the Pac-10. By 1999, they were 47-25, 14-14, and by 2005, they were 43-16, 13-8 and earned a share of their first conference title.

"We still talk about the Pac-10, but with our softball team, we have a tradition here that has put us on another level."

His approach is instructional, and he'll yell, players say. But that comes from being a competitor, they're quick to add. And he picks his spots, like any good pitcher.

"He knows yelling doesn't motivate me," Alo said. "He's learned how I am. Sometimes, after he tells me a lot of different things, he knows to let me work stuff out alone. He's easygoing. He allows me to go out there and be myself."

Walker also knows how to cultivate pitchers. He worked with, among others, Lisa Fernandez, the former UCLA and Olympic star.

"What makes him a good coach is that you can develop a trust with him," Fernandez said. "I trusted him so much that I never had a fear of failure around him. He always has your back."

Walker persuaded San Diego native Tarrah Beyster to pitch at OSU, and in 2000, she became the program's first player to earn first-team All-America honors.

Now, pitching falls mainly to junior Brianne McGowan, the Beavers' second first-team All American, who came to OSU from Reno. When she arrived in Corvallis, McGowan said, she knew one pitch.

"Having him as a pitching coach was something I was looking for," McGowan said of her recruitment, when she decided from among Arizona State, Oregon and Oregon State. "I knew one pitch. All I threw were fastballs. He's taught me everything. The way I pitch now is because of him."

Today, Walker's team will become the first from OSU to compete in the Women's College World Series. On Wednesday, he sat and talked in Don E. Porter Hall of Fame Stadium, after the team practiced and players were interviewed by ESPN.

"It's been very surreal," he said. "After the Super Regional, I was sitting at home and it hit me -- we're going to the Women's College World Series. It's still unbelievable."