Buckeye Nine Q&A with Former OSU Catcher Joe Wilkins

Joe Wilkins was a catcher of the Buckeyes from 1999-2002 and now is a catching instructor and coach at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The Buckeyes will play several of their games there during the spring break trip which begins Saturday against Cornell. That first game will be in Sarasota at Ed Smith Stadium, the spring training home of the Cincinnati Reds, but the others will be played in Bradenton either at IMG Academy Park or at Manatee Community College just across the street.

Wilkins was named the MVP of the 2002 Big Ten tournament after the Buckeyes swept through the event with wins vs. Indiana, Northwestern and Minnesota. In the three games, he was 6-for-11 (.545) with three RBI, four runs scored and added a sacrifice fly. Wilkins had a double and a triple in addition to his walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning in an 11-10 victory against the Hoosiers. The Buckeyes went on to play for the championship of the NCAA South Bend Regional but came up short against the Fighting Irish.

After that season, Wilkins signed as a free agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks and played a few years of professional baseball before hanging up his cleats. It was long before he decided to return to the game as a coach. He has coached at Tiffin University and in the Great Lakes Collegiate Baseball Summer League and now at IMG. Be sure to say hello to Joe when you see him next week. We enjoyed catching up with him by email this week.

B9: I understand you are an instructor at the IMG Academy? When did you start working there?
JW: “I am the catching instructor as well as the junior varsity head coach for the Pendelton School, located on the IMG campus. I started in last August, right after the Great Lakes College League ended.”

B9: What did you do in the Great Lakes League?
JW: “I was the Head Coach for the Stark County Terriers this past summer. I was an assistant the year before for the Delaware Cows in the same league.”

B9: What led you to IMG? Was it traveling there with Ohio State?
JW: “Travelling here with Ohio State had a huge part in the connection. I was able to coach here in the summer of 2004 after playing a couple years of professional baseball. I knew I wanted to stay in the game and I called the guys I met when we were down here with the Buckeyes and they set me up. After two years at Tiffin University, I needed a job, and once again they needed a guy.”

B9: Talk about your playing career after leaving Ohio State.
JW: “I signed as a free agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2002, about 10 days after the draft. I was sent out to Yakima, Wash. to be the third catcher and was able to work my way into the starting line-up by mid-season. I was invited back to spring training and started out that year in South Bend, Ind. I was sent to Lancaster, Calif. halfway through that season, did pretty well, and was invited back to spring training again in 2004. I was traded to the Colorado Rockies towards the end of the spring and that was the beginning of the end of my playing days. The transition affected me a lot and before I knew it I was heading home, looking for coaching jobs.”

B9: Talk about your experience as a graduate assistant coach at Tiffin. How did the team do?
JW: “My experience at Tiffin was very educational. I started there in the fall of 2005 and I was put into the recruiting coordinator, camp director, and sports marketing roles right away. The team was a .500 club while I was there but we were able to recruit very aggressively and hopefully we will see that pay off in the next couple years. I was also able to get my MBA there, which was nice.”

B9: When did you decide to get into coaching?
JW: “That question probably gets a similar answer...probably within a week of being away from the game as a player. I knew I wanted to be in the game the rest of my life and I appreciate what the game has been able to do for me and my family.”

B9: Did you ever think about coaching when you were at Ohio State?
JW: “Coach (Bob) Todd is the reason our team’s practices ran so smoothly. I remember all the team drills we used to do in the fall and in the Woody Hayes Complex. As a catcher, we were able to get hundreds of repetitions, learning concepts and not just going through the motions. The coaching staff was able to get us game-ready for every situation. I am very grateful for that, especially now that I have my own teams and kids to coach.”

B9: What is your fondest memory from your playing days at Ohio State?
JW: “I have so many great memories from playing at Ohio State. It is hard to think of one, but I have a couple. The 1999 regional and super regional (against Cal State Fullerton) at Bill Davis Stadium, the Mississippi State trip in 2002 and the Big Ten tournament in 2002. I would say that out of those, the Big Ten tournament in 2002 was when I had the most fun on the field.”

B9: What else have you been doing since you left Ohio State?
JW: “Coaching and getting my MBA have taken up most of my time but I did find the time to get engaged. My fiancee Mishelle Hilliard and I are getting married in December in the Domincan Republic. We haven't set a specific date yet though.”

B9: Buckeye fans came to know your parents during your career at Ohio State. How are they doing now?
JW: “They are great. My dad is actually down here now to see the Buckeyes play in Florida. Mom is back home, busy in the real estate business, trying to pay for dad's trip. But they are doing great and they are still involved in baseball as much as they can be.”