Meade and Janicki both receive AlaBCA awards

Meade runs out to the crowd after the Trojans defeated Little Rock in Super Regional. Brady Fitch photo

Coming off a historical season, head coach Skylar Meade and starting catcher Jimmy Janicki received Alabama Baseball Coaches Association (AlaBCA) awards.

AlaBCA awarded Meade with the 2026 Large College Coach of the Year and Janicki the Player of the Year award following last season's record-breaking run in the postseason.

Meade will be entering his fourth year as the head ball coach at Troy following his record-setting extension. After starting as a pitcher for Louisville, Meade found his way to the Wiregrass through a successful South Carolina stint. Since coming to Troy, Meade has taken the Boys of Troy to Omaha to play in the College World Series, ending ranked within the top 25 and has sent Trojans to the Show.

Since 2022, Meade has kept Troy with seasons of 30-plus wins and within the national rankings. While in the Sun Belt, Meade has kept up with the deep baseball play by continuing to make postseason baseball games. He also brings in transfer players that play meaningful baseball.

Meade's trophy case, once filled with the Troy Super Regional and Gainesville Regional trophies, now has a statewide award.

Janicki has spent his entire collegiate career at Troy since his debut in 2025. During his sophomore stint last season, Janicki broke out and was awarded the Sun Belt Player of the Year in a very deep baseball season with five Sun Belt schools representing the conference in the regionals. Since becoming a Trojan, he’s helped Troy make some of its biggest upsets in program history, such as last season's historic win over Georgia.

Following his breakout season at Troy, Janicki committed to staying in the Wiregrass to compete with Meade in the upcoming season. Later on in the year, Meade and Janicki will be recognized along with fellow honorees during the AlaBCA Awards Banquet at the Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama, on Dec. 10.

After filling out the Troy trophy case, Meade and Janicki are ready to take the field in those familiar cardinal and white uniforms. Soon, the Troy baseball season will start, and with it comes history and another run to the College World Series.