TRAVERSE CITY - It has been a special year so far for Josh Klug.

“Before this year there was nothing,” the Traverse City Central sophomore said in reference to his baseball recruitment. “In late January after I posted a bullpen on Twitter, Michigan reached out to Bill Peterson at Diamonds and we set up a call.”

That was only the beginning.

“I had a showcase with Diamonds and topped at 91,” Klug said about the PBR Scout Day event in February. “I got some video from that and sent it out to Louisville. I contacted them two days after and went to see the campus. After that, I had two more calls. I committed to Louisville a few days later.”

The seventh-ranked 2023 right-handed pitcher in Michigan impressed the coaches at the Atlantic Coast Conference school.

“I talked with coach (Eric) Snider, coach (Roger) Williams and coach (Dan) McDonnell,” Klug related about the recruiting coordinator, pitching coach and head coach, respectively. “They like my attitude toward the game. They also like my pitching style, they thought I was explosive.”

Development has come quickly for the 6-0 195-pounder.

“I topped at 85 at my last PBR I went to,” Klug noted about the Top Prospect Games West in July. “I went to work in the offseason with a 14-week Driveline program and my numbers shot up. I topped at 89, then hit 90 with a bullpen and then at the showcase 91. I was really pumped. My coach got a picture of it and showed me. It was amazing.”

It was also a big step toward reaching that lifelong goal.

“Since day one I’ve wanted to play college baseball,” Klug reflected. “Ever since I was a little T-Ball player it’s something I’ve worked hard at to be successful.”

The work paid off, even after a difficult 2020.

“I would have loved to have had a high school season,” Klug explained about a freshman year lost to the pandemic. “I feel I would have had a little more exposure. We still had a travel season, but there was nothing with recruiting.”

Playing with Diamonds since 12U has been beneficial according to the 22nd-rated 2023 in Michigan, who pointed to his brother Paul as a key influence that has helped along the way as well as Wyatt Danilowicz, a junior at Traverse City West Senior High School) and a Louisville commit who Klug has been working out with.

“It’s humbling knowing there are a ton of good baseball players out there and me personally making it,” Klug admitted about what a commitment with Louisville means to him. “Knowing the elite competition down there … it’s going to be awesome.”

The 16-year-old got a first-hand look at the university on his eight-and-a-half hour trip from home back in late February.

“I really liked the culture of the campus,” Klug said. “It’s a winning culture. I also liked the structure of the campus. It’s rectangular. The academics and dorms are next to each other and the football and baseball fields are next to each other.”

There is more that Klug sees as a plus with Louisville.

“The competition of the conference is elite and will help me get better as time goes on,” Klug pointed out.

The third-rated uncommitted sophomore in the state prior to making Louisville his future home, Klug is confident he can be a major asset to a baseball program that has made it to the NCAA Tournament 12 of the past 13 college seasons, with eight regional championships in that span.

“I’m super-high energetic,” Klug said. “I’ll bring a lot of intensity to the team. I’ll try to be the best teammate possible and try to be a motivator.”

Mechanical engineering is the planned major for Klug, a 3.8 student looking to continue improving his game.

“I definitely need to work on my third pitch,” Klug noted. “I also want to work on my mobility, my speed and my strength.”

As for the feeling of making a college commitment to Louisville, Klug was nearly speechless.

“It was exciting,” Klug said. “There are no words for it.”