With this season just getting underway, it looks like there is a strong chance Huskies pitcher Alex Klonowski could be selected in the upcoming draft.

Klonowski would join former first baseman Jeff Zimmerman, who was drafted in the 19th round by the Seattle Mariners, as Huskies in professional baseball.

Prior to the season starting, Baseball America released its Top 10 Draft Prospects in the MAC, where Klonowski came in at No. 9. Ahead of him are four other pitchers, ranking him as the fifth top pitching prospect out of the MAC conference this season.

“That’s a heck of a recognition,” said coach Ed Mathey. “We have 12 teams in our league, and there’s been some really good players come out of this league that are playing up in the big leagues right now from this league, so for some guys who have been around, have experience to recognize Alex, I think that’s a tremendous compliment to him, his abilities and the work that he’s put in.”

For Klonowski, playing in the MLB is something he has been chasing since he started playing, but he knows he hasn’t reached his goal yet.

“It’s a great thing to hear. It’s been a dream ever since I was little,” Klonowski said. “Literally to see it start coming true — there’s a lot of work between now and then that has to be done. You can’t stop; you have to keep getting better.”

Klonowski came to NIU as more of a relief pitcher in 2011 when he was a freshman. That year he made 23 appearances on the mound as well as one start. He threw 38.2 innings while going 1-0, earning two saves.

He continued to appear in relief in his sophomore year, but last season as a junior he became one of the Huskies’ strongest starting pitchers. Klonowski started 14 games and only posted a 4-7 record but pitched 88.2 innings, which was the second most on the team. He threw two complete games while striking out 57 batters on the season, the second-most on the team.

Mathey said it has been great to watch the development of Klonowski on the mound in his last four seasons.

“He came in and he was a fastball guy with a slip-pitch; the slip-pitch was a big, slow curveball,” Mathey said. “… Trying to get the release point similar for the fastball, breaking ball and then of course the development of the changeup has really been exceptional for him because it really offsets the left-handed hitters that people bring to the lineup on him.”

This season, Klonowski has appeared in two starts and has seen mixed results. He ran into trouble against Minnesota, lasting just 4.1 innings, giving up five earned runs on five hits and four walks. He rebounded in his next start against New Mexico, throwing seven innings, giving up just three earned runs on four hits and one walk.