There aren’t many shortstops around the MAC that can do what Alex Jones does for the NIU baseball team.

With nearly a fourth of the 2011 season left to be played, Jones is No. 7 on the list for his role on a Huskie team (20-21 overall, 10-8 MAC) that has gone from 0-and-10 to contending for a MAC West title.

Jones has started all 41 of the Huskies’ games this year, and has committed only five errors at shortstop. At the plate he’s hitting .349 with 14 doubles, four triples, two home runs, and 35 RBIs.

The junior has done it all while bouncing from the leadoff spot to the three hole on multiple occasions.

“It hasn’t been easy, because it’s a lot easier to hit when you know where you’re hitting each day,” Jones said. “You have a different approach if you know you are hitting in the first or second hole, compared to the middle of the order.”

NIU head coach Ed Mathey has coveted Jones’ versatility in 2011, and believes the team’s recent run of success can be attributed in some sense to the play of his shortstop.

“I think he likes to be not only the best shortstop on the team, but also in the league,” Mathey said. “His bat really heated up in the last month or so, and I think there is a direct correlation between his bat and the team’s performance.”

Playing a position where he is looked at as the captain of the infield, the errors have been few and far between. For Mathey, watching Jones develop in the field has been almost as fun as watching him put on a clinic at the plate.