Spring Break
The Daily OrangeHuskies' Locker keeps baseball hopes alive
By Didier Morais
Posted: 9/10/08, 11:42 PM EST Section: Sports
Before accepting the invitation to join the Bells, Locker sat down with head coach Tyrone Willingham to express his intentions and obtain his blessing. Willingham, a former three-sport athlete at Michigan State, wholly supported Locker's decision to expand his athletic horizon.
"I've always said the one thing about football players is they don't have the opportunity to compete enough," Willingham said in a teleconference. "If you notice most of the other sports play 50-65 games a year, but football players only play 14 or 15, so having the opportunity for him (Locker) to add another 40-50 opportunities to compete, gives him a chance to enjoy the competition and hone his field."
That competitive spirit might have worked against Locker, this past Saturday.
He spearheaded a furious Washington rally against No. 15 BYU, scoring a touchdown with two seconds left that left the Huskies an extra point away from tying the contest. But Locker was penalized 15 yards for an excessive touchdown celebration, and the ensuing extra point was blocked, relegating Washington to a 28-27 loss.
During the summer, the Huskies and the Bells agreed to limit Locker to outfield and designated hitter duties throughout the season. Both parties made the decision in order to reduce the chances of a shoulder injury for the star quarterback.
With all the particulars handled, Locker officially joined the Bells, and embarked on his eventful off-season. As soon as he joined the team, Newell instantly noticed that his competitive attitude provided the dugout with an emotional jolt.
"The thing about Jake is that he is an ultra-competitive kid," Newell said. "Whether he's competing at baseball or football, he competes. What he did for us was that he raised the level of play by everyone he was around. He brought a great level of energy to the dugout every time we took the field."
In 10 games with the Bells, Locker batted a respectable .273, with one home run, three RBIs and a .424 slugging percentage. Despite the hectic schedule, Locker admitted that he usually balanced both teams' schedules without conflict.
"I've always said the one thing about football players is they don't have the opportunity to compete enough," Willingham said in a teleconference. "If you notice most of the other sports play 50-65 games a year, but football players only play 14 or 15, so having the opportunity for him (Locker) to add another 40-50 opportunities to compete, gives him a chance to enjoy the competition and hone his field."
That competitive spirit might have worked against Locker, this past Saturday.
He spearheaded a furious Washington rally against No. 15 BYU, scoring a touchdown with two seconds left that left the Huskies an extra point away from tying the contest. But Locker was penalized 15 yards for an excessive touchdown celebration, and the ensuing extra point was blocked, relegating Washington to a 28-27 loss.
During the summer, the Huskies and the Bells agreed to limit Locker to outfield and designated hitter duties throughout the season. Both parties made the decision in order to reduce the chances of a shoulder injury for the star quarterback.
With all the particulars handled, Locker officially joined the Bells, and embarked on his eventful off-season. As soon as he joined the team, Newell instantly noticed that his competitive attitude provided the dugout with an emotional jolt.
"The thing about Jake is that he is an ultra-competitive kid," Newell said. "Whether he's competing at baseball or football, he competes. What he did for us was that he raised the level of play by everyone he was around. He brought a great level of energy to the dugout every time we took the field."
In 10 games with the Bells, Locker batted a respectable .273, with one home run, three RBIs and a .424 slugging percentage. Despite the hectic schedule, Locker admitted that he usually balanced both teams' schedules without conflict.
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