Baseball notes: Jimmy Janicki, Downers Grove North poised for deep playoff run

Downers Grove North senior catcher Jimmy Janicki is ready for one last state run.

Hailing from a school that has witnessed a resurgence in several sports – boys and girls – over the past few seasons, the Trojans’ baseball team is hoping to be next in line for a deep playoff journey.

In 2023, the Trojans posted a 32-5 record. This year, they have relied on a deep team to make a push for another 30-plus win season.

“The goal of the team is winning conference and winning state,” Janicki said. “We have to put in the work to achieve that goal. The seniors are very motivated to make a run and have another year of success. We’ve been working on leading the team and showing the young guys what it means to win.”

Janicki, a starting linebacker/punter on the Trojans’ Class 7A state runner-up team this season, is carrying a big stick in baseball. After racking up 63 tackles, intercepting three passes and averaging 41 yards a punt despite missing six games because of an injury, the Troy baseball recruit is doing damage on the baseball field for the Trojans (22-5, 13-0 West Suburban Silver).

Janicki was batting .417 with 35 hits, four homers and 32 RBIs through the first 25 games. Shortstop Jude Warwick, a Michigan State recruit, is having a stellar season, hitting .419 with 34 hits, three homers, 20 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.

“Jimmy has had several key at-bats for us this year in the last two conference sweeps over Oak Park-River Forest and Glenbard West,” Downers Grove North coach Kyle Briscoe said. “Jude has been our table setter all year long offensively and been solid at shortstop. Jimmy and Jude have done things on the offensive and defensive side that you can’t help but crack a smile.”

First baseman Brady Schallmoser also is hitting the ball hard, batting .418 for the Trojans. Pitcher Ben Llewellyn is 7-1 with a 2.19 ERA to lead the staff.

“Brady has been rock steady all year long and been giving us professional quality at-bats,” Briscoe said. “Ben has been our No. 1 all year long and made huge strides from his junior year to senior year.”

The Trojans are just ahead of Lyons (18-6, 12-2) in the conference standings.

Downers Grove South good as Gold

Downers Grove South (18-6-1, 13-0) is a runaway to win the West Suburban Gold title this season. The Mustangs rebounded from losing four games in California to win 11 in a row until dropping a 10-7 decision to Oak Park-River Forest on April 27. The Mustangs pulled out a three-game sweep over second-place Addison Trail this season.

”Our pitching and defense have improved,” Downers Grove South coach Darren Orel said. “The past few weeks we’ve also generated some consistent offense. Sam Erickson, Brandon Howell, Rich Gasmen and Tyler Maylath have been solid on the mound as our starting pitchers. J.B. Weis has been great out of the bullpen. Aaron Davis, Will Potter, Jalen House and Wyatt Wawro have led the offense.

Glenbard West showing signs

Wins have been few this season for Glenbard West, but the program still is showing signs of life in early May.

The Hilltoppers (6-20, 3-12 West Suburban Silver) recorded a 9-8 win over York on May 2 in Elmhurst to end a six-game losing streak that included three losses to Downers Grove North, a 4-2 decision to Hinsdale Central and back-to-back setbacks to York.

“We’re struggling in the win/loss column, but there’s some positives as we approach playoffs in a few weeks,” Glenbard West coach Andrew Schultz said. “We’ve had leads late twice versus Downers Grove North, Hinsdale Central and York. We pulled out the final game of the York series. Henry Johnson and CJ Desmond have been excellent on the mound as our two primary starters.”

In starts against the Red Devils, Trojans and Dukes, Desmond pitched 16 1/3 innings, struck out 19 batters and gave up six earned runs. Johnson pitched 13 1/3 innings, allowing five earned runs and striking out 22.

“Both of those guys give us a chance to win any game we play against any opponent,” Schultz said.

Senior outfielder Joey Campanella is a bright spot in the order, batting .457 with 11 extra-base hits.

“Joey continues to be a force at the top of the order,” Schultz said.

Extra bases

Nazareth improved to 27-0 by beating Carmel 5-0 on May 1. The Roadrunners won all 12 of their East Suburban Catholic Conference games. Nazareth is on track to make state history. The last team to finish a season undefeated was Edwardsville with a 40-0 mark in 1998, according to IHSA records. Nazareth won 35 in a row from May 7, 2022 to April 24, 2023.