College Achievers: Downers North graduate Janicki leads Troy to first CWS berth

In April we spoke with Troy University sophomore catcher Jimmy Janicki, a Downers Grove North graduate, after he and his sister, Wagner College senior softball shortstop Payton Janicki, hit home runs within about a half-hour of each other in games 1,500 miles apart.

Two months later, Jimmy Janicki helped lead Troy to its first College World Series appearance. Entering Friday’s series opener, Troy’s cleanup hitter ranked third in Division I with 85 RBI, fifth with 24 doubles, 10th in total bases, and 11th in hits.

The Sun Belt Conference player of the year went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run in Troy’s 7-5 loss to West Virginia on Friday. That gave him the program single-season RBI record and made Janicki the sole Trojan with a 20-double, 20-home run season.

Troy beat Mississippi in an elimination game on Sunday.

Hitting .341 with a .648 slugging percentage and a 1.061 OPS going into the World Series, Janicki was a Perfect Game second-team All-American, third team by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers. This summer he’s headed to USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team Camp, ranked by Baseball America as the No. 27 prospect for the 2027 Major League Baseball Draft.

Meanwhile …

Payton Janicki (Downers North) wound up hitting .313 with 11 doubles, 20 runs scored, 28 driven in, 59 total bases, and a .410 slugging percentage — all among the top three at Wagner. She helped the Seahawks win the Northeast Conference title and reach the NCAA Tournament both for the first time.

She’s got grit

Missouri State senior Amanda Cleary (Barrington) finished strong in and out of her sport.

A beach volleyball player and nursing student, Cleary earned a Conference USA’s spring Spirit of Service award for community service, academics, and athletics.

Here’s the rundown on Cleary: She has volunteered for the Springfield (Mo.) Dream Center, Salvation Army, Convoy of Hope, Missouri State’s peer leader program, and its food pantry.

Owning a 3.88 grade-point average, Cleary earned the CUSA Commissioner’s Academic Medal three times, and she’s made the Commissioner’s Honor Roll twice. She’s been on Missouri State’s athletic honor roll seven times, and on CUSA’s Beach Volleyball All-Academic Team the last two years.

On the sand this year the 5-foot-9 Cleary went 24-6 with partner MacKenzie Steele, earning second-team CUSA honors and American Volleyball Coaches Association notice as “Top Flight” honorees.

It was the Cleary-Steele team’s third year playing together. Compiling a 63-23 record, the duo has the most wins in Missouri State history.

Great job

The school year wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging Lewis University senior Denise Hernandez (Naperville North), who placed third in long jump at the Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in May.

Over the last two years Hernandez was a four-time All-American in long jump, indoors and out, with two runner-up finishes and the 2025 outdoor title. She won four Great Lakes Valley Conference titles in long jump and three more in triple jump.

First teamer

Illinois Wesleyan golfer Pablo Castro (Palatine) earned first-team Division III All-America honors by Ping. The rising junior was the College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin tournament medalist, and his seventh-place finish at the Division III nationals helped the Titans place second as a team. Also one of the CCIW’s Elite 26 honorees for academics, Castro’s 71.6 stroke average this season is second all-time at Wesleyan.

Ah, football

Former University of Iowa defensive lineman Jeremiah Pittman (St. Viator), who graduated this spring with a master’s degree in finance, won Iowa’s Robert F. Ray Faculty Representative Award for excellence in academics, athletics, and leadership. While playing 39 games for the Hawkeyes, Pittman was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, a two-time Iowa Coaches Appreciation Award winner on defense, and a 2025 National Football Foundation Hampshire Society inductee.

Now is a good time for a break from College Achievers until football season resumes at full strength. If you know of an athlete in any sport doing good things in college, on or off the field, feel free to submit them to doberhelman@dailyherald.com.