By IAN WILSON

It makes sense that a guy named “Tugboat” would have a lot of ‘ships.

Championships, that is.

Matt Wilkinson – a lefty pitcher from Ladner, British Columbia who trained at Dawgs Academy in Okotoks – has now won championship titles in the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL), the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and as a professional in the Midwest League.

All he does is win, win, win, no matter what. The result is a lot of ‘ships in Tugboat’s harbour.

The Midwest League title came with the Lake County Captains, a High-A squad that included Travis Bazzana, the first overall pick of the Cleveland Guardians in the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft. Wilkinson graduated to the Captains after making eight starts at Single-A for the Lynchburg Hillcats of the Carolina League.

“It’s always fun to win a championship,” Wilkinson told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast.

“It was cool, kind of felt like we were back in college again to a certain extent. We all wanted to win, we were all playing with a purpose, so I just did whatever I could to help the team win.”

As a member of the Captains, Wilkinson made 16 starts and went 5-5 with a 2.37 earned run average (ERA) and 103 strikeouts over 78.1 innings. His final start of the year came in the second game of the Midwest League final against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Wilkinson did not disappoint. He went 6.2 innings, struck out five batters and allowed two runs during his first minor league playoff win to force a winner-take-all third game.

“I just wanted to win and that’s what it came down to at the end of the day. Everyone on that team wanted to win and that’s why we ended up winning,” said Wilkinson, who has been piling up the accolades almost as quickly as he’s racking up strikeouts.

A 9-4 triumph for the Captains in game three of the final series sealed the title. Cue the nautical-themed celebration, which included Wilkinson and his teammates riding around the field in a boat that is used as a promotional prop for the team.

“I was just enjoying the moment and having fun doing it,” he said.

“It was cool to get to ride in the boat actually. It was fun.”

FROM WHITE ROCK TO WILLIAMSPORT TO THE WCBL

The winning ways for Wilkinson are nothing new.

In 2015, he gained attention when he struck out 16 batters in five innings for a White Rock team that represented Canada at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The impressive effort came in a losing cause against Mexico.

Today, I learned that the Tugboat, Matt Wilkinson, had a 16-strikeout game in the Little League World Series. What a legend.
📹 @LittleLeague pic.twitter.com/HcCSFDl0Qd
— Chris Clegg (@RotoClegg) May 5, 2024

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.

Matt Wilkinson warms up prior to a start at the Okotoks Dawgs home opener against the Brooks Bombers on May 26th, 2023 at Seaman Stadium … *photo by Ian Wilson*

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.

That’s now SIX scoreless frames for Matt Wilkinson 🛥️

stat line ⬇️

6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K pic.twitter.com/GwPeghJaV1
— Lake County Captains (@LCCaptains) September 5, 2024

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.