Janicki looks ahead to upcoming season

Janicki makes it to the base during the game against West Virginia at the College World Series, University Relations photo

Jimmy Janicki became the 63rd baseball player to be voted to an All-America team in Troy history, following the team’s historic postseason run to Omaha. The catcher was nominated to the All-American Second Team by Perfect Game and D1 Baseball and the Third Team by the National College Baseball Writers’ Association.

“I’m honored to be named an All-American,” Janicki said. “I’m happy to be doing it under Troy too.”

Janicki is the first Trojan to be awarded All-American and Sun Belt Player of the Year since Shane Lewis in 2023. Lewis holds the record at Troy for most home runs in a season with 27, but Janicki now owns the Troy single-season record for runs batted in with 87 and total bases with 188. Aside from these stats, the clean-up man also led the conference in hits, doubles and home runs. Janicki is also the first Trojan to hit 20 doubles and home runs in one season, tacking on another major milestone.

All this success led to Janicki being named to the USA Collegiate National Team Training Camp, a privilege given to only 56 players a year.

“I love representing my country,” Janicki said. “The amount of stuff that I learned from different coaches made it a really good experience.”

After all the national attention and accolades, the rising junior could likely have transferred to almost anywhere he wished and seen real opportunity. However, when asked why he chose to stay at Troy, the Illinois native made his intentions clear.

“I love it here… this is home,” Janicki said.

Janicki also expressed his love for Troy's small-town atmosphere, where he feels the love and respect of the whole city.

One of the nation’s top bats is not forgetting the defensive side of the ball either. Janicki told the Tropolitan he is working on his foundation while catching.

“Having a good setup is going to help a lot with getting pitches and stealing even more pitches than last year,” Janicki said.

He also stated he has a personal goal to throw out more runners attempting to steal in 2027 after catching 10 players stealing in 2026.

After proving that playing host for a regional and making Omaha can be done at Troy, the junior is looking to do it all again in 2027 with the help of fellow returners, Jabe Boroff, Houston Markham and Noah Thigpen. While Janicki led the way, he spoke to the character and caliber of his teammates.

“(2027) is definitely going to be fun,” Janicki said. “All those guys are studs.”

As Janicki becomes MLB draft-eligible following this upcoming season, he is expected to garner lots of attention from many clubs. He is currently mocked in the first round by sources such as Perfect Game and The Prospect Porch, which would make him the first Troy baseball player to be drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft. Janicki said while it would be a dream come true, he is focused on going out and playing his game right now.

While the bar is definitely set high for Janicki and his teammates for the 2027 baseball season, the Trojans will have the type of confidence that only comes from postseason experience and success on their side.