Bridgeport High School senior Tyler Wilkinson was looking forward to the challenge of what should have been the 2020 prep baseball season. The pressure of trying to play a pivotal part in what the Indians were hoping would be a seventh-straight state baseball championship, however, wasn’t much of a concern.

 

Not only did Wilkinson have faith in himself and his teammates, but he knew pressure last year. And he handled it quite well

 

Wilkinson got plenty of starts in plenty of big games in the Tribe’s 31-7 season that ended with a state title win against Frankfort. And in that title game Wilkinson came up big.

 

With Frankfort scoring a pair of runs in the fifth inning, veteran Coach Robert Shields put the baseball in Wilkinson’s hand and the junior delivered. He got the Indians out of the inning and on their way to a state record sixth-straight championship.

 

Now, Wilkinson is on his way as well. The senior has signed a letter of intent to play for West Virginia Tech and veteran Coach Lawrence Nesselrodt.

 

Along with Tech, Wilkinson had interest from Salem, Alderson Broaddus, Penn State Altoona and visited West Virginia State. In the end, it was the chance to play for Nesselrodt and something else very critical that swayed his mind to head to Montgomery.

 

“They have a great academic program … and the focus on education really interested me,” said Wilkinson, who looks to study computer science. “That, along with a baseball team that’s up and coming is something I want to be a part of.”

 

Last year, Shields said Wilkinson was a key part of the Indians’ historic sixth-straight title. No other team has ever won more than three in a row in any classification.

 

“Tyler was on the mound in a lot of big games. He had several big starts, including Morgantown,” said Shields. “His campaign as a junior was by all measures a successful one. He had a lot of no-decisions for us, but he was someone you could count on.”

 

The right-hander finished the year 2-1 with a trio of saves. He was primarily used off the mound, and Shields said he would have been a huge part of what was expected to be a dominant rotation in what many were expecting to be yet another Class AA title run.

 

“Tyler worked really hard and had gotten himself bigger and stronger. He looked really good in the (American) Legion games I watched,” said Shields. “He just needs to develop a little more speed on his fastball and he’ll be fine. He’s a softspoken young man that has a love for the game of baseball and also has a huge upside.”

 

When asked what he needed to improve on if pitching at the next level, Wilkinson echoed his coach’s comments.

 

“I need to work on velocity as a pitcher. College hitters are definitely better than high school,” he said.

 

Wilkinson said there’s a chance he’ll be a two-way player next year. He may be pitching and hitting, but added that he’ll “do whatever Coach Nesselrodt wants me to do to help the team.” It’s part of the “positive attitude” Shields said he brought to the ball field.

 

“I was so looking forward to seeing him as one of our big arms from the right side of the mound,” said Shields. “I’m happy for him, but I’m sad Tyler and the others aren’t getting a chance to play this year.”

 

Wilkinson, who is staying upbeat about his chance to play for another veteran coach that features a youthful staff, is bummed about the COVID-19 situation as well.

 

“It’s really disappointing because I believe this year’s Bridgeport team would have been really special,” said Wilkinson. “We had a lot of talented kids that really wanted to win it this year.”

 

Nesselrodt posted about Wilkinson on social media after receiving his letter of intent.

 

"We're excited to have Tyler join us at (West Virginia University Tech). He is a guy who comes from a great program, knows how to win and is going to continue to improve as he gets stronger," said Nesselrodt. "Our pitching coach, Luke Scherzer is confident his best baseball is still ahead of him."

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Tyler Wilkinson with his mom Kerri, father Wayne and sister Alexis. Bottom three photos, all from last year's state title game win, are by Ben Queen Photography.