Tugboat has landed on the shores of Lake Erie.
Okotoks Dawgs Academy product Matt 'Tugboat' Wilkinson was selected in the 10th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Cleveland Guardians on July 10 on the heels of a stellar season on the mound in the Western Canadian Baseball League, at Central Arizona College in the National Junior College Athletic Association and most recently this summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Chatham Anglers.
The hard-throwing left-handed pitcher, from White Rock, B.C., starred with the Dawgs Academy before graduating to the collegiate Dawgs. He was Okotoks' Pitcher of the Year in 2022 as a dominant force out of the bullpen, securing the Dawgs' WCBL title last August in the team's decisive Game 3 victory over the Moose Jaw Miller Express.
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At Central Arizona, Wilkinson earned the NJCAA Division 1 Pitcher of the Year award for the 2023 campaign. With the Vaqueros, the southpaw posted 10 wins, 136 strikeouts and a miniscule 1.07 ERA over 84 innings.
Tugboat started the 2023 season with the Dawgs, where he was the opening day starter, before joining the Anglers in June.
Through two days of the draft, seven Canadians have been selected. Myles Naylor, the younger brother of Guardians stars Josh and Bo Naylor, was the first Canadian picked, 39th overall by the Oakland A's.
For more information on the draft, visit mlb.com.