Locker plays baseball

BELLINGHAM – It wasn’t easy being a Bellingham Bells fan for a Friday night season opener beset by multiple errors. But every time the Bells took the field, all eyes turned to center field. Jake Locker, nearby Ferndale’s hometown hero, was home.

University of Washington football coach Tyrone Willingham gave star quarterback Locker the go-ahead to play in the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (which includes the Spokane RiverHawks), on condition that he not pitch. He wants to preserve Locker’s arm for football.

Then Locker had to move two final exams from next week to Friday to be eligible. Still, though he hadn’t played with a baseball team for two years, Locker had a good time.

“I really enjoyed it,” he said, signing autographs for dozens of star-struck fans.

Fans seemed bored for much of the game, which ended with the Bells falling to the Everett Merchants 11-1, but when Locker came to bat, fans from both sides of the field sat up and cheered.

Pitcher Jay Taylor walked Locker on his first at-bat in the first inning. The second time around, in the third inning, Locker belted the ball over the center fielder’s head. While Everett Merchant Chris Sturdivant chased down the ball, Locker raced past second base and headed for third. The throw from Sturdivant got there first.

Still, the fans didn’t seem to care that Locker was thrown out or that their Bells were down 8-0 in the bottom of the third. As Locker dusted himself off and trotted to the dugout, the fans cheered wildly.

Locker went down swinging on two of his other at-bats.

“He just wants to come out here and run around and not have a lot of pressure,” Bells coach Brandon Newell said.