DeKALB | Two former NIU baseball players are continuing their baseball careers with a local team.

Former Huskie pitchers Brian Smith and Chuck Lukanen found their way to play for the Joliet Slammers of the Independent Frontier League.

Smith, who plays as both a pitcher and outfielder, said it is different playing for the Slammers than playing in college.

“The main difference I think is the preparation,” Smith said. “We play a lot more. We are in the middle of a 21-day, 21-game stand here.”

The Chicago Ridge native also said that staying healthy is very important at the independent level.

“It’s just getting your body ready everyday,” Smith said. “Typically, a college team has three games in a weekend and maybe one or two weekday games.”

The Harold L. Richards High School graduate likes playing with some familiar faces, including his former teammate Lukanen.

“Coming in and having someone you are comfortable with is always a good thing,” Smith said. “So you are not in a totally new environment.”

While on the mound, Smith has performed well in six games. He has no record but has not given up a run, while striking out six and walking two. Smith is also batting .500 with two hits and a run scored.

Lukanen has a record of 2-0 with an ERA of 2.92 and 12 strike-outs in nine appearances.

The Slammers’ seventh or eighth-inning guy says coming out of the bullpen presents its own set of challenges.

“Coming out of the bullpen, there’s going to be days where you pitch three days in a row and your body doesn’t feel that great and you kind of have a little bit of doubt in your mind. But when you get that call to warm-up, you get that adrenaline going,” Lukanen said. “You just try to work past it and forget about your aches and pains, and you just try to attack the zone and get outs.”

Players in the Frontier League can be signed by a major league organization during the year, and Lukanen hopes that will happen soon.

“I definitely hope to see myself in an affiliated organization by the end of the season,” Lukanen said. “That’s for sure.”

NIU’S head baseball coach, Ed Mathey, remembers Smith and Lukanen well. Mathey thought professional baseball was an eventual possibility for both while they were pitching at NIU.

“We thought early on in their careers that they showed the signs of guys that would have a chance to be successful in professional baseball,” Mathey said.