The American Baseball Coaches Association is pleased to announce the hiring of Antonio Walker to the ABCA National Office staff. Walker previously served as an intern with the ABCA through the association's Minority Internship Program.
"Antonio is a rising professional in our industry," said ABCA Executive Director Craig Keilitz. "It's important to be able to retain talented individuals so I am thrilled that the ABCA Board of Directors recognized Antonio's unique skillset and contributions to our association and wanted to bring him on in a full-time capacity. Antonio is often the first person on our staff that a coach interacts with either on the phone or in-person at an ABCA event and his genuine desire to assist our members is invaluable."
Walker originally joined the ABCA National Office staff in July 2022 through the ABCA's Minority Internship Program. Started in 2021, the Minority Internship Program was created as part of the ABCA's initiative to enhance representation and opportunities for ethnic minorities within the association and baseball industry and was developed in conjunction with the ABCA's Diversity in Baseball Committee. During his internship, Walker assisted with day-to-day internal operations as well as the 2022 Barnstormers Clinics and 2023 ABCA Convention in Nashville.
"I'm excited to have this opportunity to keep working for coaches through the ABCA," said Walker. "My experiences over the past eight months, and especially at this year's Convention, opened my eyes to how special it is to be a part of this organization. I'm grateful to be able to take on more responsibilities in my newly expanded role and I'm eager to see familiar faces and meet new members at this year's Barnstormers Clinics, our clinics with MLB's RBI [Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities] Program, and of course, the 2024 Convention in Dallas."
Prior to his internship, Walker was a four-year baseball student-athlete at Mississippi Valley State University where he graduated with a degree in accounting.