SEATTLE — A first-time trip to a professional sporting event can be exciting in itself.

With bigger-than-life stadiums, flashing lights, thousands of screaming fans, the aroma of hundreds of different foods and the opportunity to sit mere feet away from idolized athletes, a child’s mind could be put on overload.

On top of all that, try attending a professional game for the first time and taking part in it.

That’s just what Oak Harbor 10-year-old Forrest Shepard did Sunday afternoon when he acted as a guest disc jockey in the fourth inning of the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers game.

“That was really fun,” he said afterwards. “I was kind of just bouncing up and down on the chair.”

Shepard, a fourth grade student at Clover Valley Elementary, was selected at random to take part in the Eighth Annual Boeing Salute to Kids Weekend at Safeco Field.

His mother, Korbie, received the news via a surprising phone call on her cell phone on Thursday afternoon.

“At first I thought it was a telemarketer,” she said. “I was thinking, ‘oh they’re going to sell me tickets,’ but no, they weren’t selling me anything.”

Making the news that much more thrilling, was Korbie didn’t remember when or where Forrest was signd up for the contest.

“It was a nice surprise,” she said. “We won something we didn’t even try and win.”

Flanked by regular Safeco Field DJ, Scott Carty, Forrest got the full-effect of running sound at a Major League baseball game.

After Mariner right fielder Ichiro Suziki got a foul ball stolen away by a fan, Carty gave instruction to Forrest.

“We had a controversial call,” Carty said. “The fans are really into the game so we’ve got to be ready.”

Under the direction of Carty, Forrest reached over and hit a button that made the crowd react in a rhythmic clap.

Carty continued with some advice to Forrest.

“You want to get them excited, but you don’t want to annoy them,” he said.

Forrest, who got his image put up on the Safeco’s big screen, continued his experience as DJ through the bottom of the fourth inning playing songs for the Seattle batters as they approached the plate. A three-run rally by the Mariners prolonged his stint in the control room.

Forrest, who is a country music fan, had to play a variety of rock and hip hop for the batters. His most memorable moment came during a pitching change when he got to play the SpongeBob SquarePants song.

“That was probably my favorite part,” he said.

Forrest and his family of six all got to attend Sunday’s game for no cost. It was quite a treat because they are all Mariner fans, but seldom watch the games on the television.

“We like to listen to them on the radio better,” Korbie said.

Forrest was one of 20 kids, who got to do honorary jobs around Safeco Field over the weekend. Others included honorary announcer, honorary photographer and honorary manager.