Jake Locker just met with reporters here before taking the field with the Bellngham Bells and said he's "just excited to play'' baseball again.

"I'm just trying to have a good time and help the team win,'' he said.

He's penciled in second in the batting order and playing center field against the Everett Merchants in what is technically an exhibiton game for the Bells, who will start play in the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League next week.

Locker said he finished up the last of three finals at about 1:45 p.m. and was in his car and in Bellingham by 3:30. The finals he had today were Fossils, Geography of Cities and Introduction to the New Testament. Fossils, he said, was the most difficult.

As for baseball, today was the first he has worked with the Bells, but he said he has taken some batting practice and some fly balls at UW in the last few weeks.

The hitting, he said, has come back pretty naturally --- he often practiced with wood bats while in high school --- but tracking fly balls has been a little harder. He hasn't played a game in just over two years, since he was a senior at Ferndale High.

Locker said again he will take baseball week-by-week, working it around his football responsibilities. "

"Football is still my first priority,'' he said. "Any time I have anything to do with that, I'm, going to be there for it.''

Baseball, he said, was just something he missed and he noted being able to play with some good friends --- there are three other former Ferndale High players on the roster including his cousin, Brady.

The team is missing little in making sure fans know about him --- he's on the cover of the game program wearing No. 10 (though I haven't seen any No. 10 jerseys for sale here).

His presence in this game was also teased on the front page of the Bellingham Herald here today, though it's not as if there was a lot of competition --- the second story above the fold was about a new Sonic Drive-Inn coming to Ferndale.

As I finish this up about 6:20, the crowd is filling in nicely. Joe Martin Field has an official capacity of about 2,100, and a sellout --- or close to it --- is expected. It's sunny and the field appeas to have dried off pretty well, and there are lots of people walking around in shorts --- guess I had to come to Bellingham to get a little taste of summer.