Spring Break
The Daily OrangeHuskies' Locker keeps baseball hopes alive
By Didier Morais
Posted: 9/10/08, 11:42 PM EST Section: Sports
As the reigning 2007 Pac-10 freshman of the year, Jake Locker would appear to have a bright enough football future ahead of him.
But when Washington's sophomore quarterback isn't leading the Huskies' offensive arsenal, he is sharpening his baseball skills with the Bellingham Bells, an amateur summer baseball team in the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League.
Locker had just completed his first season as the Huskies' starting quarterback when he received a phone call and an enticing offer from his former high school baseball and current Bellingham Bells coach Brandon Newell.
"One day he (Newell) called me and just asked if I would be interested in playing in the summer," Locker said in a teleconference. "He told me it wouldn't get in the way of my football responsibilities. I had my football schedule, and I told him the places I needed to be in, what I had to do, and I just told him the games I could make it to and those I couldn't."
A three-sport athlete in high school, Locker received national attention as a standout athlete in both football and baseball. In 2005, he led Ferndale (Wash.) High School to its first football state title. In the spring of 2006, he was named the Washington Class 3A Most Valuable Player and was selected as a first-team All-State selection at pitcher and outfielder.
During his stint at Ferndale, Locker impressed professional baseball scouts, and as a result, the Los Angeles Angels took a flier on him, picking him in the 40th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft.
After weighing his options, Locker forfeited his baseball career to pursue collegiate football at Washington. In last season's opening game at the Carrier Dome, Locker flashed his signature running ability. He torched Syracuse for 142 passing yards, 84 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
But when the opportunity arose to play amateur baseball during the summer, Locker realized it was an excellent chance to resurrect his baseball past and compete in another athletic endeavor.
But when Washington's sophomore quarterback isn't leading the Huskies' offensive arsenal, he is sharpening his baseball skills with the Bellingham Bells, an amateur summer baseball team in the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League.
Locker had just completed his first season as the Huskies' starting quarterback when he received a phone call and an enticing offer from his former high school baseball and current Bellingham Bells coach Brandon Newell.
"One day he (Newell) called me and just asked if I would be interested in playing in the summer," Locker said in a teleconference. "He told me it wouldn't get in the way of my football responsibilities. I had my football schedule, and I told him the places I needed to be in, what I had to do, and I just told him the games I could make it to and those I couldn't."
A three-sport athlete in high school, Locker received national attention as a standout athlete in both football and baseball. In 2005, he led Ferndale (Wash.) High School to its first football state title. In the spring of 2006, he was named the Washington Class 3A Most Valuable Player and was selected as a first-team All-State selection at pitcher and outfielder.
During his stint at Ferndale, Locker impressed professional baseball scouts, and as a result, the Los Angeles Angels took a flier on him, picking him in the 40th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft.
After weighing his options, Locker forfeited his baseball career to pursue collegiate football at Washington. In last season's opening game at the Carrier Dome, Locker flashed his signature running ability. He torched Syracuse for 142 passing yards, 84 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
But when the opportunity arose to play amateur baseball during the summer, Locker realized it was an excellent chance to resurrect his baseball past and compete in another athletic endeavor.
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