Locker to play baseball this summer

Washington quarterback Jake Locker, who was an all-state baseball player in high school, will play for the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League’s Bellingham Bells this summer.

I just got off the phone with Locker, and he said this is just a chance for him to have a little fun playing baseball when he has free time this summer, and the decision has nothing to do with his future football career at Washington.

Locker said the team is letting him work around any football commitments, and that he will play on the team only until fall camp opens in late July/early August.

“It ended up working out,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for me. My first commitment is still to the football team and it always will be, and any responsibilities I have here I’m going to take care of, and then when I have some free time and I can go play, I’m going to be able to.”

I asked Locker if this was any indication that he might someday play two sports at Washington, something he had talked about as a possibility while he was still in high school, and he replied: “I don’t know, probably not. Like I said, it was a good opportunity in the summer when I have a little more free time, so it worked out well.”

Locker, a pitcher and outfielder in high school, will only play outfield for the Bells.

“That’s one thing I told them,” he said. “I don’t want to do anything to my arm. I told them I wanted to focus on playing in the outfield and they were ok with that.”

Here’s the release from the Bells.

Keep in mind that when they say he signed a contract, that doesn’t mean Locker will be paid. The contract is just an agreement to play for the team, abide by league and team rules, etc.

FERNDALE’S JAKE LOCKER SIGNS CONTRACT

TO PLAY FOR BELLINGHAM BELLS

University of Washington Quarterback to join WCCBL Team

Bellingham, WA – University of Washington quarterback and Ferndale High School star Jake Locker has signed

a contract to play baseball with the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League’s Bellingham Bells during the 2008

season, Bells General Manager Dave Lewis announced today.

The Bellingham Bells are a member of the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League, a wood bat summer baseball

league, and play their home games at Joe Martin Field in Bellingham, Washington.

“We are extremely excited to have Jake on the team,” Lewis stated. “Not only is he is a great athlete who will

bring his skills to our talented roster, but he is another great local addition to the team. Head Coach Brandon

Newell has done a great job of bringing in local players.”

Locker joins his cousin Brady Locker and several other Whatcom and Skagit County natives on the Bells 2008

roster, which will be released in the coming weeks.

Newell added, “Jake fits well with our philosophy of winning with local players. We have taken advantage of the

hotbed this area has become for baseball talent by bringing in players from the area.”

As a baseball player at Ferndale High School, Locker was named the Washington State 3A Most Valuable Player

following his senior year, and was named to the All-State Team as a pitcher and outfielder. Locker joins Brady

Locker (Ferndale), Matt Argyropoulos (Mark Morris), and Jordan Chambers (Sehome), as Washington All-State

players on the Bells roster.

Locker was awarded the Pac Ten Conference Freshman of the year following his outstanding 2007 football

season. He established the modern record for rushing yards by a quarterback by amassing 986 yards in his

redshirt freshman year.

“I am excited to play baseball this Summer,” Locker said. “There are a lot of exciting things happening with the

Bells and I am going to have fun being a part of it all.”