April 23, 2007

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Danny Payne of Georgia Tech has been selected Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Player of the Week for April 23, while two athletes share Pitcher of the Week accolades in Florida State's Bryan Henry and Georgia Tech's David Duncan.

Payne helped Georgia Tech to a perfect 4-0 record on the week, including a sweep of 20th-ranked NC State over the weekend. He hit .545 (6-for-11) with two runs and five RBI in the three-game series against the Wolfpack. The junior from Woodstock, Ga., also made an appearance on the mound as he tossed 1.1 innings in relief against the Pack on Saturday, giving up one hit while striking out four of the five batters he faced. Last Wednesday against in-state rival Georgia, the centerfielder played an integral role in the Yellow Jackets' 8-2 victory over the Bulldogs as he went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and two RBI.

A sophomore from New Richmond, Ohio, Duncan held 20th-ranked NC State to just one run on two hits through 8.2 innings of work before the Yellow Jackets scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the series opener against the Wolfpack last Friday. He struck out a career-high 11 of the 29 batters he faced in that game and allowed no walks in the contest. The left-handed hurler posted a 1.04 earned run average against the Pack while holding NC State batters to a .071 batting average.

In a match-up of two of the league's top pitchers in FSU's Henry and North Carolina's Robert Woodard, Henry (10-0) matched his season high in innings pitched for the third time this season. The senior tossed eight solid innings against No. 2 North Carolina, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out eight. The native from Tallahassee, Fla., remained perfect on the year as he set a career high for wins (10) in a season with the victory. Henry also moved to 5-0 in the ACC. The win was also Henry's second victory in four career starts against UNC.

Georgia Tech returns to action Tuesday, April 24, playing in-state rival Georgia for the second time in a week. The Yellow Jackets then hit the road for a three-game series at Clemson this weekend.

FSU is also on the road this weekend, traveling to Miami for a conference three-game set.