Camden Janik’s summer itinerary is a dream for many baseball players.
The 2021 Wauconda graduate understands that.
After leading Illinois to the NCAA Tournament during his junior season, Janik played in the Cape Cod Baseball League and was selected in the 12th round of the 2024 MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the coming days, he will report to Bradenton, Florida, to begin his professional career.
“It’s definitely really cool, but I don’t like to think of being drafted as being a weight off my shoulders because I realize how much of a blessing it is,” Janik said. “It’s an extremely unique opportunity that very few people have.”
But Janik, who is set to travel to Pittsburgh on Thursday to finish contract paperwork, is in this position because he dedicated countless hours to the game for more than a decade, continually pinpointing ways in which he could improve.
“You could tell that he was definitely on track to do something special, partly because he always just wanted to get better,” said Clay Kovac, Janik’s coach at Wauconda. “Playing pro ball was definitely in the back of your mind, but it’s not easy to play against great players day in and day out. I can’t say enough about him.”
Janik’s college numbers say a lot too. The 5-10, 195-pound catcher played an integral role this season as Illinois (35-21, 18-6) won its first Big Ten regular-season championship since 2015 and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. He was named to the All-Big Ten first team and to the All-America third team.
Perhaps his biggest hit of the season was a grand slam in the seventh inning of the Illini’s 9-4 win at Purdue on May 17, a victory that clinched a share of the conference title.
“That was probably one of the most memorable individual moments I had,” Janik said. “My whole family was there, including my brother (Ty), who went to Purdue.”
Janik batted .356 with a .973 OPS, seven home runs, 15 doubles, two triples, 49 RBIs and 44 runs scored in 56 games for the Illini, and he struck out just 11 times in 225 at-bats. He was among the three toughest to strike out in the country.
Janik isn’t one-dimensional, however. He threw out nine of 16 would-be base stealers, partly a result of a technical adjustment he made between his sophomore and junior seasons.
“He was a guy that threw hard but whose front shoulder had a lot of movement,” Illinois coach Dan Hartleb said. “We worked on keeping his head still, which helped his release time and his carry and accuracy. It also takes pressure off his shoulder.
“He was always someone who wanted feedback, and we could always be very honest with him because he took constructive criticism to heart.”
Janik’s ability to influence a game both offensively and defensively is a main reason he popped onto professional scouts’ radars. The Pirates, particularly one of their area supervisors, Anthony Wycklendt, spent considerable time with Janik over the past year.
As their relationship developed, Janik was introduced to elements of the Pirates’ organization. But until his name was called during the draft on July 16, Janik wasn’t taking anything for granted.
“I was fortunate enough to get onto a couple teams’ draft boards,” he said. “I was hoping for Day 2 (July 15), and I talked to a couple of teams in the morning on Day 3. I just sat by my phone, and the Pirates actually went through with it.”
Janik further cemented his pro-ready status by spending three weeks this summer playing for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League, where many of the country’s top prospects go to hit with wood bats. He batted .267 in 30 at-bats.
“The talent out there is crazy good, so that helped my exposure and got more eyes on me,” Janik said. “It helped reassure that I had the ability to hit with wood. There’s always that concern in the eyes of the scouts.”
Once Janik finishes all of his paperwork, he’ll report to the Pirates’ spring training complex in Bradenton. He’ll lean on the work ethic that has gotten him this far and on his considerable physical gifts, but he will face challenges.
“Any catcher will need to continue to improve his receiving skills,” Hartleb said. “He’ll have a number of pitchers who are better than the guys he’s caught before. But he’ll be willing to put in the work.”
Janik is entering the next phase of his career with his eyes open and is pledging not to put too much pressure on himself.
‘I don’t know a ton about how the major leagues works, so I’m looking forward to embracing the unknown,” he said. “I’m going to stick with what brought me success at Illinois and dedicate myself fully to the game of baseball.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
