The son of Bucks Pitching Coach Travis Walden, Blake Walden was named to the Collins Street Bakery TSWA Class 4A All-State Second Team his senior year at Monterey High School. He was also the UIL District 4-4A MVP senior year and was named to the UIL All-District 4-4A First Team as a junior. He picked up two All-District 2-5A Second Team nods as a sophomore at both utility and pitcher. Walden was named to the THSCA All-State Academic Honorable Mention team in football as a senior. He began his collegiate career in 2015 with New Mexico Junior College, where he quickly asserted himself as a dependable innings eater out of the bullpen. In 18 appearances (3 starts) Walden went 4-2 with a 6.84 ERA across 52.2 innings, striking out 48 and walking just 16. As a sophomore Walden was named the WJAC Pitcher of the Year after going an incredible 11-1 with a 4.76 ERA and 70 punchouts across 15 starts and 79.1 frames. He then played his junior season at Texas State University in 2017, appearing in 21 games as an integral bullpen piece. In 30.2 frames for the Bobcats, he went 5-1 with a 4.11 ERA, 1 save, and a .264 batting average against. Walden then transferred to the University of New Mexico, where he redshirted in 2018.