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Prepared For Success

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By JOEY JOHNSTON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 3, 2008

From an early age, Tampa's Darrion Pedro was programmed for baseball success.

His uncle, Dwight Gooden, became one of the top strikeout pitchers in the modern era, earning National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award honors.

His cousin, Gary Sheffield, is a nine-time All-Star selection who has accumulated 2,534 hits and 482 home runs in 20-plus major-league seasons.

And his father, Derrick Pedro, once played for Belmont Heights in the Little League World Series before competing at King High and in the Milwaukee Brewers' organization.

"Really, there was no choice," Derrick Pedro said with a chuckle. "When you're surrounded by people like that in your family, you want to be the best."

Pedro, a former Leto High standout, is well on his way.

As a freshman shortstop at Alabama State University, Pedro is hitting a team-leading .362 with eight home runs and 26 RBIs. His slugging percentage (.655) has cooled somewhat after rising to second among Division I freshmen last month.

In one weekend series against Alabama A&M, Pedro went 10-for-12 with four homers and 10 RBIs.

"I didn't think things were going to happen this quickly," Pedro said.

Alabama State coach Larry Watkins, in his 26th season with the Hornets, isn't surprised.

"Darrion Pedro is what I call a 'ready-made ballplayer,'" Watkins said. "You can tell he has been brought up the right way and he knows how to play the game. Sometimes with freshmen, you have to spend a season or two just getting them ready to play. Not Darrion. He's ready.

"Plus, this game is in his blood. I believe that has something to do with it."

Since he was a toddler, Pedro remembers attending welcome-home parties for Sheffield and Gooden when they returned from big-league seasons. Pedro has been a regular in big-league clubhouses. He attended games at the 1997 World Series when Sheffield played for the Florida Marlins.

Even now, if he's struggling, Pedro will call Sheffield.

"Gary knows what to tell me," Pedro said. "He gets me back on the right track. He has always been a big help to me."

Earlier this season, Pedro was told to work in the outfield.

"No problem," Pedro told Watkins. "I just need to get an outfielder's glove."

The next day, a glove arrived in the overnight mail - a personalized Gary Sheffield model.

"It could be easy to get lost in the shadows in the family like that," Watkins said. "But now this is time for Darrion to shine. His parents Derrick and Daphne did a good job getting him to this stage. Now I want to help him get to that next level.

"The big-league scouts know who Darrion is, believe me. From this point on, it's going to get harder for him. He's no secret. He needs to work even harder to keep improving. He had a great start. Now the target is on his back."

In a family that includes Gooden and Sheffield, that's nothing new.

"The family ties might get you noticed," Pedro said. "But after that, it's up to you. I've got to keep working, keep producing."

LOCAL NOTES: Duke's Ellah Nze (Saddlebrook Prep), recently named ACC Freshman of the Year for women's tennis, has earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament's individual singles competition, set for May 21-26 at Tulsa, Okla. Nze is 30-8 overall in singles matches for the Blue Devils. ... Ball State University softball player Lisa Rozanski (Alonso) recently set the school's single-season stolen base record with 38. ... Massachusetts Maritime Academy pitcher David Hike (Riverview) was recently named to the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference weekly honor roll after registering two victories.

Reporter Joey Johnston can be reached at (813) 259-7353 or jjohnston@tampatrib.com.

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