One Troy Today 5/20: Jimmy Is Himmy

Janicki Named Unanimous Pick For Sun Belt Player Of The year

May 20, 2026

Good Morning, Troy Fam. We do a lot of winning around here….

What all do we have stirring in today’s Brew? Check it out below!

⚾️ Jimmy Is Himmy
🏆 Tourney Time
⛳️ Punching Their Tickets
⚔️ And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Jimmy Is Himmy. Even before stepping onto the field in Montgomery, the Troy Baseball program already has a pile of hardware coming home with them.

On Tuesday, three Trojans earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt First Team, led by Jimmy Janicki, who was unanimously named the Sun Belt Player of the Year. Joining Janicki on the First Team was outfielder Aaron Piasecki and utilityman Drew Nelson.

Janicki is the fourth Trojan to earn Sun Belt Player of the Year honors, joining Adam Bryant (2011), Joey Denison (2018) and Shane Lewis (2023). Since Troy joined the Sun Belt ahead of the 2006 season, its four Sun Belt Player of the Year winners are the most in the conference.

🔼 Tourney Time. Play time is over. Now, it’s time to make some noise and go trophy hunting.

The fourth-seeded Troy Baseball team open up its time at the Sun Belt Championship today at 7:30 p.m against fifth-seeded and longtime rival South Alabama.

The Trojans finished the regular season in a three-way tie for third place with App State and South with a 17-13 Sun Belt record. Troy hosted the Jaguars at Riddle-Pace Field two weeks ago, winning the final two games of the series after dropping the Friday opener.

Headed into the Sun Belt Tournament, Troy will trot out senior right-hander Tommy Egan against South Alabama, who's 86 strikeouts in the regular season were the fourth-most in the Sun Belt. Egan struck out seven Jaguars across 4.2 innings on May 9, limiting South to two runs on four hits.

🔼 Punching Their Tickets. Summer is only a few weeks old, but the Troy men’s golf squad is already been busy on the links.

This past week, a trio of Trojans qualified for their respective state amateur championships – Lawton Emblom (Alabama), Lee Poppell (Florida) and Grant Yerger (Texas).

🔼 Hardware Haul. More hardware is heading the Trojans’ way.

On Tuesday, the Sun Belt announced its its 2026 outdoor track and field postseason honors, with 11 Trojans earning all-conference recognition following their performances at the conference championship meet over the weekend. 

Troy finished the championships with five first-team selections, headlined by Rachel Whyte, who broke the school record in the 400m en route to a conference title. Whyte ran 52.56, the fastest time in the Sun Belt this season. 

Whyte also joined Jasmine Jimenez, Aaliyah Murphy, and Haley Wilson to win the final event of the meet, taking gold in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:36.51. 

Today’s Trojan Top Performance, brought to you by Conecuh Sausage, is of course, Jimmy Janicki, was there any doubt? A sophomore from Downers Grove, Ill., Janicki finished the regular season as the Sun Belt leader in home runs (17), RBIs (70) and total bases (152) while ranking second in OPS (1.109), hits (78) and doubles (21). Janicki led the Trojans with a .352 batting average, while his 21 doubles (10th) and 70 RBIs (14th) both rank inside the top 15 nationally.

Trojans Top Performance is brought to you by Conecuh Sausage. Conecuh Sausage is made in Alabama, it’s great on the grill and a fan favorite for tailgating. Conecuh Sausage, the Official Sausage of Troy Athletics.

🤔 TROY TRIVIA

Jimmy Janicki is the fourth Trojan to be named the Sun Belt Player of the Year and seventh player in program history to earn conference player of the year accolades.

Who was the first ever Trojan to earn a conference player of the year honor?

Hint: It was the Mid-Continent Conference

Got a guess?

Scroll to the bottom to find the answer!

*All times Central

Wednesday, May 20th
⚾️ Baseball vs. South Alabama @ 7:30 pm (Montgomery, Ala.)

Thursday, May 21st
⚾️ Baseball at Sun Belt Tournament @ TBD (Montgomery, Ala.)

Friday, May 22nd
⚾️ Baseball at Sun Belt Tournament @ TBD (Montgomery, Ala.)

Looking Ahead is powered by Horn Beverage. Horn Beverage is a proud supporter of Troy Athletics and reminds all fans to drink responsibly.

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🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Reggie Hightower (1996)

⚔️ Have a great one, y’all!