Joe joins the Pride of the Diamond staff as Director of Ohio Operations. Joe Wilkins returns to Tiffin University after a three-year absence, having served as assistant coach in 2006 and 2007. He will take control of the pitching staff and tutor Dragons catchers. Joe spent the 2010 season as an Assistant at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. Wilkins' responsibilities included training the catchers, helping to develop the offense and coaching first base.

At Pepperdine, Wilkins helped second-year catcher Nate Johnson grind through a 54-game season in 2010, in which he caught all but one of 473.1 innings pitched and threw out 17 opposing base stealers - the fourth highest season total in team history. At the plate, Johnson led all Waves with nine home runs and 36 RBI en route to being named to the All-WCC Honorable Mention squad. 

He spent the 2009 season as the Catching Coach at Wake Forest University, where he tutored Cape Cod All-Star catcher Mike Murray. Murray has recently signed with the San Francisco Giants.  

Prior to his hiring at Wake Forest, Wilkins spent more than a year working at the Florida-based IMG Academies where he worked under former Cleveland Indians bench coach Ken Bolek as the full-time catching instructor.

Wilkins helped in the development of 2009 New York Yankees second-round draft pick J.R. Murphy while at IMG. A catcher, Murphy hit .627 in the spring of 2009 with 11 home runs in 102 at-bats. He added 34 extra-base hits and struck out just four times.

Prior to IMG, Joe was an assistant here at Tiffin for two years, where he coordinated the recruiting efforts that helped in the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II and developed athletic marketing fundraising ideas to improve facilities. At Heminger Field, a new press box, back stop and pro-style seating have been added since Joe's departure in 2007. Plans for a locker room, lounge area and coaches offices attached to the home dugout are being finalized and are to be completed in 2011.

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 (Ohio) Scioto High School during the 2005 season, where he worked with the catchers and served as the off-season hitting instructor.

Wilkins played professionally for three years, spending time in the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks' farm systems. He led the Northwest League's Yakima Bears in hitting in 2002.

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 after hitting a walkoff home run vs. Indiana. 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 master's of business administration in 2007 from Tiffin University.

Wilkins was a two-sport student-athlete at Dublin Scioto High School, where he was an all-state selection in both baseball and football.