Crestwood, Ill. – July 8, 2019 – For the first time throughout the 2019 MCL season, a Crestwood Panther will be taking home some weekly hardware. Eddie Wilkins (University of Illinois-Springfield / Braidwood, Ill.) has been selected as the MCL Pitcher of the Week, joining Joliet Generals infielder Will Krushena, who won MCL Player of the Week. 

From the League Office:

"Wilkins was dominant on the mound this week for the Panthers, pitching ten and two-thirds innings in two appearances. One of those appearances was a complete game shutout against one of the hottest offensive teams in the MCL, the DuPage County Hounds. In that outing, he recorded nine strikeouts while allowing only four hits and one walk to give the Panthers a 4-0 victory over the Hounds." 

It's been a long-time coming for Wilkins, as he's been nominated on four separate occasions, before finally winning the award this time around. Overall on the season, Wilkins is 3-2 with a sizzling 1.82 ERA, while striking out an impressive 44 batters in 34.2 innings of work. Not bad at all for someone who is 18 months removed from Tommy John surgery. 

The Panthers will back in action on Wednesday night at Hap Bruno Field, as they take on the Southland Vikings. Coverage begins at 5 p.m. with Jon Zaghloul and Will Trubshaw on the Vikings Broadcast Network, available via Facebook Live.