Janik Wins Most Valuable Players as WSL Announces Major Award Winners for 2021

Today, the Wisconsin State Baseball League has officially unveiled the major award recipients from the 2021 season. Winners were determined by a vote of League general managers and personnel.

Cam Janik (University of Illinois) is the fifth Lombard Orioles player in a row to win the League’s Most Valuable Player award. He appeared in 22 of the Oriole’s 29 league games, hitting a robust .480 with three home runs, and 27 runs batted in.

John Vesevick (College of DuPage) finished the season 5-0 in six starts, with a 0.90 ERA to take home Most Valuable Pitcher. Vesevick only allowed 28 base runners all season with only three earned runs given up.

Continuing with the Orioles, Jack Blazevich (Northern Illinois University) was named Rookie of the Year for position players. Blazevich hit .455 over the summer, hitting eight doubles with a home run for 22 runs batted in in 21 games. He reached base in more than half of his plate appearances during the season.

Joey Pettit (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater) was the only non-Lombard player to win a major award, as he took home the Rookie Pitcher of the Year award for the Sheboygan A’s. The versatile utility player for the A’s was 2-0 in two starts, including a nine-inning complete game against West Allis on July 8. He had a 0.44 ERA during his 20.1 innings pitched.

Jeff Vukovich won his 17th Manager of the Year Award, and first since 2018 after once again guiding the Orioles to a first-place finish in the Wisconsin State League. The Orioles finished the season ahead of second-place West Allis by six full games, with a run differential of +186.

The award winners will be honored at the League’s Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet on Saturday, October 23 at Blue Harbor Resort and Conference Center in Sheboygan, WI.