Jimmy Janicki shines in Troy's home opener

Troy baseball got its first series win of the year this weekend against Campbell, and one player who dominated during the series was sophomore catcher Jimmy Janicki. 

During the first game of the series, Janicki hit a home run and logged four RBIs. He had three hits and three runs to assist the Trojans in securing the 13-3 win over the Fighting Camels. 

“Jimmy did a great job of adjusting mid at-bat and pitch-to-pitch in terms of pitches he maybe missed earlier in his at-bat,” said head coach Skylar Meade to Troy Athletics after game one. “The more he does that, the better it is for the Trojans as a whole.” 

In games two and three, Janicki scored two runs and crushed a double. In the series against the Fighting Camels, he had a .439 batting average. 

“I was seeing [the ball] really well tonight,” Janicki said after hitting his home run. “I was sitting fastball but saw the off-speed and just hit it really far.” 

His contributions to the team have been noticed since season's beginning. Along with the home run against Campbell, Janicki hit it over the wall against Mercer. The sophomore has already tied his personal season high of two home runs from last year.  

Janicki has also been putting in work behind the plate. His current .962 fielding percentage bests his .879 mark from last year. 

Playing out of position at third base, Janicki had 51 starts as a freshman and led the team in batting average in Sun Belt Conference games with a mark of .327. He logged 35 hits in those games. Overall, he had 34 runs, 56 hits, 32 RBIs and two home runs in his first year as a Trojan. 

Janicki was ranked as the No. 92 overall recruit by Prep Baseball Report, the highest-ranked baseball recruit to come to Troy since 2012. In high school, he was named to the Illinois All-State teams in his junior and senior years at Downers Grove North High.  

Janicki and the Trojans look to keep their momentum up as they head to Greenville, North Carolina, for the Keith LeClair Classic. Game one against Western Carolina is Friday, Feb. 27 at 11 a.m.