USC Baseball Alum and Corona HS Assistant Coach, Marty Wilkerson, Dies

LOS ANGELES – Marty Wilkerson, a 3-year starting third baseman at USC who led the Trojans in hitting in 1980 and then played in the Kansas City Royals minor leagues, died on April 20 of a heart attack at his home in Riverside, Calif. He was 60.
 
A memorial service for Wilkerson will be held on May 15 at the Corona High School baseball field.
 
Wilkerson played at USC from 1979-81, earning All-Pac -8 first team honors in 1980. He hit .376 with 33 RBI, 68 hits and five stolen bases in 1980, leading the Trojans in all four categories. In 1981, Wilkerson hit .333 with 45 RBI and six home runs.
 
He was selected in the fifth round of the 1981 MLB Draft by Kansas City, going on to play six years of professional baseball in which he reached the AAA level his final three years.
 
Following his playing days, Wilkerson went into the construction business and was a supervisor for Skanska Construction at the time of his passing.
 
A Southern California native, Wilkerson was an All-State shortstop at Corona High School, where he was a standout three-sport athlete. He went on to later coach at his alma mater and was an assistant coach for Corona at the time of his death.
 
Wilkerson was born on June 25, 1960 in Corona, Calif. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Kathy, their daughters, Ashley and Katie, two grandchildren, his brother, Rick, and his father, Lyle.