Duane Underwood turns 18 next week. The former Pope High School baseball star got an early start on the celebration by signing a professional contract with the Chicago Cubs, who recently made him the 67th pick in the Major League Baseball draft. 

Terms of the agreement were not announced; Underwood will report to the Cubs' rookie team in Mesa, Ariz.

Underwood, a right-handed pitcher, was 6-1 with a 2.36 ERA with the Greyhounds as a senior, striking out 75 in 50-1/3 innings.

He had signed a scholarship offer last fall to play baseball at the University of Georgia. 

Two of his rookie teammates with the Cubs are the sons of famous athletes: Shawon Dunston, Jr., whose father Shawon Sr. was a star shortstop with the Cubs, and Trevor Gretzky. His father is hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky.