Troy University Athletics
Johnson's Journal: The Push to May Starts at Riddle-Pace Field
4/29/2026 1:30:00 PM | Baseball
TROY, Ala. - With the final home stretch of seven games on the horizon, Troy head baseball coach Skylar Meade knows what kind of impact the fans can make at Riddle-Pace Field.
"This is the last opportunity to get in there and get a taste of this team, and to be honest, push the team to wherever it's capable of getting over the final month of the year when you play what essentially becomes your most important baseball," Meade said.
The upcoming homestand is shaping up to be the most meaningful one of the season.
Troy (22-23 overall, 12-9 SBC) begins a three-game series with App State on Friday night beginning at 6, followed by games Saturday (3:33 p.m.) and Sunday (noon).Â
A non-conference game against No. 21 Alabama is set for next Tuesday at 6 p.m., followed by a crucial three-game series with rival South Alabama starting on Friday, May 9.
Troy is in fourth place in the Sun Belt standings, right below App State (26-17, 13-8 SBC), which enters the game Friday on a seven-game win streak in league play. South Alabama ranks just behind Troy at 11-10 in the conference.Â
The atmosphere at Riddle-Pace can be electric when fans fill the stands, which isn't something Meade takes for granted.
"Home field advantage is always a huge asset," Meade said. "I think when you look at the history of Riddle-Pace and Troy baseball … and long before myself and our group got here … Troy has always played well at home.
"Now, all that being said, obviously I'm a pusher; I'm a marketer. I want more and more people in those seats - more and more people taking in the atmosphere.
"Fortunately for us, the teams that are all in our little nook and pecking order, all are coming to RPF (Riddle-Pace Field), so we've gotta make sure we have some sort of edge. I think the fans are the ones that can help us get over that edge."
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In-state rivals come visiting
A year ago, 3,892 fans packed Riddle-Pace Field for the matchup between No. 14-ranked Troy and No. 18 Alabama, which was the largest home crowd in school history.
The Crimson Tide got the better of the Trojans a year ago with a 10-2 win. Alabama also defeated Troy 7-3 earlier this season in Tuscaloosa.
While playing Alabama next Tuesday is sandwiched between two huge conference series, Meade relishes another opportunity to play a Crimson Tide team which entered this week with a 29-16 overall mark and ranked 10th in the Southeastern Conference at 10-11.
"I'm glad we signed a deal a couple of years back - it was a great strategic move," Meade said of a home-and-home pact with Alabama. "Alabama is a top five RPI team in the country. It doesn't get much better than that, right?Â
"Each of the last two times we've played each other (in Troy) it was a ranked matchup, both in 2024 and 2025. That's never happened, and maybe it never happens again, but that's a pretty darn cool thing."
Though a strong contingent of Alabama fans will likely make their way to Troy for the game, Meade wants to make sure the Trojan faithful far outnumber the visitors.
"I don't want Alabama fans in there - I want Troy fans," Meade said. "They don't need to come in and take our seats in baseball."
Having South Alabama follow Alabama into town makes it a huge final week of home games for Troy against in-state foes.
"It's interesting how the schedule lays out," Meade said. "I know our schedule has been one of the top 10 toughest in the country.Â
"We're getting to play the best teams in the country, and if I'm a fan, I want to see the team that I root for get to challenge the best of the best. We certainly have that."
ÂTalent on display
While the game matchups are plenty enough reason for fans to make their way to Riddle-Pace, the individual talent on display is another drawing card.
While there are plenty of talented Trojans dotting the roster, sophomore Troy catcher Jimmy Janicki is worth the price of admission himself. He leads the Trojans in batting average (.352), RBIs (59) and home runs (13) while also doing a terrific job handling the pitching staff. He currently has an 11-game hitting streak.
"He's supposed to be a high end first round (MLB Draft) pick next year," Meade said. "Hopefully he gets a chance with Team USA. He's one of our three fastest players. He hits the ball 115 (mph exit velocity). It's hard to get a talent like that anywhere, let alone here in Troy, but just in college in general.Â
"Guys like that sign (MLB contracts) and he didn't. He kept faith in us and our program … all the things we've been doing and aspire to do. Aside from all of that, he's an incredible kid with an incredible family. Just a kid that has no ego in all this, and it would be very easy to.
"I mean, you're the crème de la crème … you're the king … and he doesn't act that way. He's just a normal baseball dude who loves playing and loves catching. In his own right, he's been an incredible leader for us."
ÂImportant pitching depth
The Trojans have a bevy of pitching talent for Meade to call on, which can be a luxury late in the season.
For example, during the series-ending 1-0 win at Marshall this past Sunday, Hayden Smith made his first start of the season and pitched six scoreless innings, allowing three hits, striking out three and not allowing a walk. Cooper Ellingworth pitched the final three innings, scattering two hits to earn the save.
"When we do things right, we're darn good," Meade said. "Unfortunately, there's been some times where we've had some slips, or guys lack some confidence or conviction on what they do. But when everybody is on the same wavelength, it's really good.Â
"We have depth to make a run in whatever situation we're in. We've just got to keep those guys clicking."Â
ÂPeaking at right time
Troy has won four straight SBC series - taking two-out-of-three at home against Arkansas State and Louisiana, along with winning two-out-of-three on the road against Texas State and most recently at Marshall over this past weekend.
Meade believes his team may be playing its best baseball at the right time of the year.Â
"I think we're darn close," Meade said. "Like any coach, there are some things that I sit here and go, 'OK, we still need to tinker this and tweak that.' But I think our focus, our confidence and our execution, for the most part, on both sides of the ball is probably in the best place it's been.
"I just think now you're going to have a lot of 50-50 games the rest of the way and we just have to be tough enough to take those."
After the seven-game homestand, Troy plays a mid-week game at UAB before the final Sun Belt series of the season at Louisiana-Monroe. The SBC Tournament begins May 19 in Montgomery.
