Alec Hansen is officially a professional baseball player.

The former Loveland High School standout signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, part of a whirlwind week that is far from over.

The deal makes him a Chicago farmhand for the next five years, coming with a $1,284,500 signing bonus, the exact amount allowed under MLB draft pool rules after they made Hansen the No. 49 pick overall June 9.

Hansen, who chose to go to the University of Oklahoma instead of signing out of high school when he was picked in the 25th round by Colorado, had the move pay off. He flew to Chicago on Tuesday and went to a game, had a physical on Wednesday, then was on a plane later that night to Phoenix.

Ranked as the No. 62 prospect by MLB.com and No. 34 by Keith Law of ESPN, Hansen said he’s ready to see what plan the White Sox have in place for him. He will throw a bull pen session Friday and Monday with a rookie league team in Arizona, then possibly a game next Thursday. From there, he will be sent to Great Falls Montana to play for Chicago’s rookie league team in the Pioneer League. The Voyagers begin their season Friday on the road.

“I’m just ready to get to work,” Hansen said. “They haven’t really discussed a plan for me yet. It feels pretty real right now. It’s different than at OU, because here it’s all about baseball.”

After the season, Hansen hopes to head back to OU to finish school. He has two semesters remaining to get his degree, and he’s already enrolled for classes. He said he’d have to miss the first week of school, but if his professors are OK with that, he’s set to return. If not, he noted a bonus in his contract that Chicago will pay for him to finish school when his career is finished.

Which he added, he hopes is far in the future.