Just about everybody, with an interest in Twin Counties baseball fixed their eyes on Rocky Mount center fielder Brian Goodwin this season.

They witnessed his .473 batting average. They saw the way he swiped 21 bases. They saw him as a catalyst to Rocky Mount High's 2008 NCHSAA 3-A state baseball championship.

Outsiders, including college and professional scouts, watched intently, too.

With so many sets of eyes focusing on his every move, Goodwin did not go into a cocoon. Instead he worked harder behind the scenes to improve his skills, embraced his role as the area's best all-around player, and earned the 2008 Telegram All-Area Offensive Player of the Year.

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