Wake Forest Athletics
Wilkins Joins Wake Forest Baseball Staff
2/4/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 4, 2009
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Joe Wilkins has joined the Wake Forest baseball staff as the team's new volunteer assistant coach, head coach Rick Rembielak announced on Wednesday. Wilkins replaces Kyle Padgett, who is now an assistant coach at William & Mary.
"I'm very pleased to have Joe join our coaching staff," Rembielak said. "I've known him for several years, coaching against him and also know the type of player he was. I think he'll do a very good job, especially with the catchers. He comes from a championship caliber program and has won quite a bit during his career."
Wilkins comes to Wake Forest after spending the last year and a half at IMG Academies serving as a baseball instructor and working under former Cleveland Indians bench coach Ken Bolek. At IMG, Wilkins served as the full-time catching instructor, the head coach of the junior varsity baseball team and as a high school summer coach.
Wilkins spent two years at Tiffin University as an assistant baseball coach. Wilkins was the head coach of the junior varsity team and also coordinated the team's recruiting and weight lifting efforts. He was also responsible for practice organization, grade monitoring and other tasks.
In the summer of 2007, Wilkins was the head coach for the Stark County Terriers of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. As head coach of the Terriers, he worked with players from such collegiate programs as Wake Forest, Kent State and Cincinnati.
Wilkins was an assistant coach for the Delaware Cows of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League during the summer of 2006. While with the Cows, Wilkins was the third base coach and worked with the hitters, catchers, outfielders and infielders. Wilkins began his coaching career at Dublin Scioto High School during the 2005 season. Wilkins primarily worked with the catchers.
Wilkins played professionally for three years, spending time in the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks farm systems.
A four-year letterwinner at Ohio State, Wilkins was named second team All-Big Ten during the 2002 season and also earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the 2002 Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes won two Big Ten regular season championships and advanced to three NCAA Tournaments, including a Super Regional appearance in 1999, during Wilkins' collegiate career.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Wilkins graduated from Ohio State in 2005 with a degree in human ecology and a specialization in consumer affairs. He earned his masters of business administration in 2007 from Tiffin University.
