WEXFORD — He owns a place in Bradenton, Fla., and the temperature in Western Pennsylvania was in the teens.

Pine-Richland graduate and Pittsburgh Pirate second baseman Neil Walker didn't mind a bit.

He was home again.

Walker, 25, was in town Thursday to speak to the 480-member student body of St. Alphonsus School during an assembly. He was invited to do so by third-grader Morgan Balkovec, whose mother works for Pirate Charities.

“This was an invitation I couldn't turn down,” Walker said. “It's an honor to be back here with my fellow Flames.”

Walker attended St. Alphonsus through sixth grade and played basketball and soccer there. His parents are still parishioners with the church and his mother, Carolyn Walker, has taught CCD classes there.

The assembly was held in the Ryan Center, a new basketball facility on school grounds.

“I never had the chance to play in a place like this at that age,” Walker said. “We played on a court underneath the church ... You couldn't even tell where the out of bounds line was.

“We always had good teams here, though. Our basketball team finished second or third in the Diocesan League, which had 30 teams or so.”

Walker said he still keeps in touch with many of his former schoolmates at St. Alphonsus. Matt Carroll of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats and former University of Virginia quarterback Kevin McCabe also attended the school.

“There's been some pretty good athletes here,” he said.

Father Peter Murphy, pastor at St. Alphonsus, presented Walker with a framed picture of his first major league home run, hit June 1 off Chicago Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly at PNC Park.

“There were 100 of us from this school at the game that day,” Father Murphy said. “Everyone here is so proud of Neil. It's special anytime a kid can realize a dream like he has.

“Neil was one of the most outgoing, friendly students we've had at this school. He always had a smile on his face. He befriended everybody.”

Walker had hugs Thursday for his former teachers still on staff at the school.

“Teachers should mean a lot to people because they help shape and mold you into the person you become,” Walker said. “I developed a lot of personal character here.”

After a brief speech to the gathering and an introduction of the Pirate Parrot, Walker fielded questions from the students.

“You love seeing someone give back,” Father Murphy said. “We have a student at Children's Hospital awaiting a heart transplant. Neil went down there to pay a personal visit the other day.

“That's the kind of person he is.”

Walker said his favorite player when he was a kid was Pirate center fielder Andy Van Slyke.

“Now I get to wear his No. 18 for the same team. How cool is that? Being able to fulfill a dream of becoming a major league baseball player in my hometown ... I'm truly blessed,” he said.

Walker spent six years in the minor leagues before finally joining the Pirates in September of 2009.

“Those years he was in the minors, we'd ask his parents how he was doing every Sunday,” Father Murphy said. “We always tracked his progress.”

Now Walker is hopeful the Pirates progress.

“The guys we've added will make us more competitive,” he said. “We're a better team now than we were at the beginning of the winter meetings.

“Guys like Zach Duke and others ... You get to know people on the team, they meet your family and friends, then suddenly they're not here anymore. That's all part of what we do and it's hard sometimes, but you have to go into a season with the best 25 players you can.”

Walker will report to spring training in February with his first opportunity to work on his defense at second base for an extended period of time.

“I'm going to get one-on-one coaching from maybe the best guy in history at that position (Bill Mazerroski),” he said. “Believe me, I'm looking forward to that.”

Here is a look at former St. Alphonsus student Neil Walker's rookie season with the Pittsburgh Pirates:• Recalled from Class AAA Indianapolis May 25• Hit .296 with 12 home runs and 66 RBI in 110 games• Hit .298 as a second baseman, second-highest average in National League at that position (Atlanta's Martin Prado, .310)• Tied for third among all National League players with 54 RBI after the All-Star break• Hit first major league home run June 1 off Chicago Cubs' Ted Lilly• Collected five hits July 20 vs. Milwaukee• Had team-high 18-game hitting streak, longest by a Pirate rookie since Rennie Stennett in 1971• Received 2010 Roberto Clemente Award from Pittsburgh chapter of Baseball Writers Association of America as team MVP