The staff at Dawgs Academy in Okotoks took notice after outfielder Alejandro Cazorla – who is pals with Wilkinson – urged the coaches to check out the southpaw.

Coaches Joe Sergent, Lou Pote and Jeff Duda liked what they saw and Wilkinson signed on with the well-respected program.

“He’s got a certain run and life on his fastball that you don’t see in regular pitchers. There’s just another gear that comes out of his hand,” noted Sergent of Wilkinson’s delivery.

“It’s just the way the ball comes out of his hand – we call it the ‘invisi-ball.’”

By the time he was 16 years old, Wilkinson was suiting up in the WCBL and competing against college players as a high school student.

In 2019, the 6-foot-1 hill topper appeared in four games for the Okotoks Dawgs – two of them starts – and logged five-plus scoreless innings of postseason baseball to help the team win a Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy as WCBL champs.

The summer of 2022 was even more fruitful for Wilkinson, who claimed a JUCO National Baseball title with Central Arizona College in June and followed that up with another WCBL championship with the Dawgs in August. His performance with Okotoks that year was electric – over 31.2 regular season and playoff innings, Wilkinson was 3-1 with 55 Ks, six walks and six saves. He was on the mound to record the final out of the season and clinch the title for the Dawgs over the Moose Jaw Miller Express.

Individual honours also followed. In 16 appearances for the Central Arizona Vaqueros, Wilkinson registered 136 strikeouts, 10 wins, two complete games, and a 1.07 ERA over 84 innings in 2023.

The sophomore was named to the First Team All-Region, First Team All-Conference, First Team All-America, as well as the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) Pitcher of the Year and the NJCAA Baseball D1 Pitcher of the Year.

“Tug had an unbelievable year for us, but he has been doing that his whole life. He is a special pitcher who has high-level command, ride on his fastball, and an elite competitiveness that is unmatched. He is very deserving of this award,” said Central Arizona head coach Anthony Gilich.

Added Vaqueros pitching coach JoJo Howie: “Tug was dominant every outing of the season, even when he didn’t have his best stuff. He was so fun to be around every day at practice with a sense of humor, and a determination to get better. He loved his teammates, wanted to win for them, and is as selfless of a superstar as you will ever find.”

GOING PRO

In gearing up for the MLB Draft, Wilkinson returned to the familiar field at Seaman Stadium and started the opening game of the 2023 WCBL season for the Dawgs.

He appeared in two games, picking up a win and a save for Okotoks, before joining the Chatham Anglers in the Cape Cod League for another pair of games.

From there, the Cleveland Guardians had seen enough – they picked him in the 10th round of the draft.

Wilkinson has been lights out in his first full season as a pro. His cumulative numbers for 2024 – between the Single-A and High-A levels – show an 8-6 record, a 1.90 ERA and 174 Ks in 118.2 innings.

“I learned a lot, more than I thought I would, so I’m happy about that and I feel like I developed as a pitcher for sure,” he said after the season.

“My goal was to end in High-A … that was kind of the only real goal I had.”

Added Wilkinson: “When I got to High-A, I thought, ‘How can I get to Double-A as fast as possible?’ So, it was kind of cool to see how goals can shift during the year.”

Wilkinson was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Month in April and he was also selected to the All-MiLB Prospect Second Team after his season wrapped up.

The 21-year-old has also put his name on some incredible lists in 2024. After recording six hitless innings and 15 strikeouts during a 3-0 win over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on April 25th, Wilkinson became just the fifth minor-league pitcher since 2005 to register at least 15 Ks while not allowing a hit. Other pitchers who have achieved that feat include Warren Spahn, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw (a pitcher Wilkinson admires) and Nolan Ryan.

“Being in the same names as those guys makes me want to keep working even harder to get to where I want to be,” said Wilkinson of the accomplishment.

Wilkinson led all of Cleveland’s starting pitching prospects in strikeouts in 2024 and was one of only 23 pitchers to record more than 120 Ks and an ERA under 3.00 in the minors this year.

“He’s finally getting to show the world and show all of minor league baseball what we’ve been seeing up here in Okotoks and in Canada,” said Sergent, who pitched as high as the Double-A level as a pro in the Florida Marlins system.

LOOKING AHEAD

Wilkinson’s off-season saw a return to Okotoks, where he continues to train at Dawgs Academy, and he’ll head to Arizona to prepare for the 2025 campaign.

He’s encouraged to see the Guardians qualify for the MLB postseason this year and for Cleveland to get a boost from Western Canadian pitchers Cade Smith and Erik Sabrowski, who was a two-way star for the Edmonton Prospects in the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL), the predecessor to the WCBL.

“I’ll hopefully join them one day,” said Wilkinson, who draws inspiration from both pitchers.

For now, his goals are simple.

“Just build strength, throw harder … typical off-season things,” he said.

“Just strive to get better every day.”

The idea of Wilkinson getting better should concern the batters he’ll face in the seasons ahead.

It could also lead to more championships for Tugboat and his teammates.