Football was Devin Pearson’s sport in high school.

He had a solid prep career at Carmel (Calif.) High and always dreamed of playing for Stanford. He had a scholarship offer with Stanford during his senior year, but the admissions paperwork wasn’t processed properly and he was never admitted to the school.

He had other football offers from San Diego State, California-Davis and Cornell, but his dream was to play for the Cardinal.

Pearson also was highly recruited in baseball and he chose to accept California-Berkeley’s scholarship offer.

“Football was my first love,” Pearson said. “That’s what I was recruited for first.

“The problem was that I didn’t get into Stanford academically, according to the admissions department. I had good enough grades, but the admissions office never answered me back when I had problems trying to get in.”

Added Pearson: “The football team told me I could get in later on. When that happened, that’s when I focused on baseball. Luckily, I found a good place to play.”

Playing baseball turned out to be a great decision. The freshman outfielder hit .302 with two home runs and 17 RBI this season for California. He had eight doubles, 26 runs and an on-base percentage of .397.

The only drawback for the 5-foot-11, 192-pound Pearson was that the Golden Bears struggled and finished with a 23-31 record.

“I had a great freshman year and I’m happy with the way things went. I just wish we could have won more,” Pearson said. “We were really young. We played six freshmen for most of the year. We didn’t win the close games. I think we lost 11 one-run games. That was the difference between a good and bad season for us.”

Pearson’s gotten off to a cold start with the Rox, but seems to be coming around. He’s hitting .216 with 11 hits and seven RBI in 16 games. But his defense and speed may be what’s most valuable to the second-year franchise.

“He’s still a little raw, but he’s a good athlete, man,” Rox manager Augie Rodriguez said. “He has the tools, pro tools. He has two out of the five right now. The other three are there. He knows that. That’s what makes him special: he doesn’t stop working or stop listening. He buys in every day.

“He’s so young and has to get used to using wood bats. But when he hits the ball, he hits it hard. He’s relaxed and having fun.”

Pearson gets his athleticism from his father, Dennis. His dad played for the Atlanta Falcons in 1978-79.

Dennis, a wide receiver, tore up his knee in 1979 and was never the same after that. Dennis caught 12 passes for 190 yards in his two seasons with the Falcons. He also returned kicks and punts.

Pearson was glad that he got to learn from somebody who made it to the professional level.

Dennis went to Washington and then San Diego State for football. After his football career was over, Dennis eventually became a fire captain in Carmel.

“He’s been a huge difference for me,” Pearson said. “What he did is huge motivation for me. He told me that it was OK to fail sometimes and that you have to try and pick yourself up every day.

“He’s showed me some film of his playing days. It’s always a blast to watch that. I’m proud of him. I know he wishes he could have played longer, but things happen for a reason.”

Pearson admits it’s been a struggle with the Rox up to this point. He had to work on getting his timing back after a week off following the conclusion of Cal’s season.

“I’m feeling more comfortable by the day,” he said. “I want to work on getting my arm strength better this summer and steal more bases. I’m trying to get even faster and getting better leads on the bases.

“I took a week off after the season was over at Cal. My timing hasn’t been the same since then. I’m starting to get it back. I’m working on getting my foot down earlier and seeing the ball better.”

Pearson’s also been battling a minor shoulder injury, but he says it’s improving.

“I need to get it healthy and work on building strength from there,” he said.

Pearson is one of three California players on the Rox roster.

He’s joined by infielder Chris Paul and pitcher Jordan Talbot.

“Having those guys around here makes it feel more like home. It’s made it easier to meet other people. I’m living with Chris. He’s a big influence on me,” Pearson said. “He just always tells me to go out there and have fun. I’m really excited to be in St. Cloud. It’s a great place to play. I love the people here.”

Pearson was drafted in high school last year in the 30th round by Toronto. The Blue Jays approached him with a contract, but Pearson knew he wanted a college education. He’ll have another shot to get drafted after his junior year at California.

“I didn’t expect to go that late in the draft,” Pearson said. “They tried to convince me to sign, but I wasn’t planning on it. I wanted to go to school and a Cal-Berkeley education is worth more than 30th round money. I couldn’t be happier with my decision. It’s what was best for me.

“My ultimate goal is to be drafted after my junior year. We’ll see what happens.”