April 27, 2007

By Bill Hass
TheACC.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Danny Payne of Georgia Tech has a simple philosophy about baseball.

"If you can't dive or crash into the wall, baseball is no fun," he said. "You've got to get dirty."

Anyone who has watched the junior center fielder play will agree that Payne plays all-out for nine innings of every game. It's just his nature, and a dislocated shoulder suffered almost exactly a year ago hasn't changed his style.

"What happened was a fluke, an accident," he said of the injury that cost him the last 25 games of 2006. "I don't worry about it. The way I play is what makes me stand out from other players."

Payne will be a key player for the Yellow Jackets in a three-game series at Clemson that starts Friday. Georgia Tech, 26-14 overall, is 13-7 in the ACC's Coastal Division, tied for second with Virginia. Both teams are one-half game behind first-place North Carolina.

Each ACC team has nine league games remaining. After Clemson, the Jackets play three at North Carolina next weekend and close the season with a three-game set at home against Florida State, which leads the Atlantic Division.

"We've been playing very well of late but we have some tough ones to play," said coach Danny Hall. "If we can hold our own and get into postseason, we'll be OK. This league prepares you for the NCAA Tournament and the kinds of teams you're going to play."

The Jackets made the postseason last year and were one of four ACC teams to earn their way to the College World Series in Omaha. They lost their first game to Clemson 8-4 and then were eliminated by Cal State-Fullerton 7-5.

Payne, of course, was not with the team. He was watching on TV from home, recovering from shoulder surgery. He called it "a bittersweet experience" but resisted getting caught up in wondering if he could have made a difference.

"I tried not to get into a `what-if' game," he said, "although I was playing some of my best baseball (hitting .356)."

Missing the experience that is every college baseball player's dream made Payne more determined than ever. He told doctors he was going to push himself in rehab, was released a month early and participated in fall baseball practice, although he wasn't allowed to dive after balls or into bases. When the season opened in February, he was 100 percent healed, in body and mind.

"I'm sure it was painful to have the season he was having end with an injury," Hall said, "then having to watch the team playing well and end up in Omaha. I think it served as a lot of motivation for him to get healthy and get ready for this year. He still dives head-first and plays with reckless abandon. That's what makes him special - he lets it all out on the field."

The injury happened on April 28 last year in the first inning of a game against Boston College. Payne went after a ball hit over the shortstop's head and, in typical fashion, laid out for it. But left fielder Steven Blackwood also was trying for the catch and the two collided.

Blackwood was shaken up and missed a couple of games. Payne suffered cracked ribs, a concussion and a dislocation of his right (non-throwing) shoulder. He had surgery a month later.

There is no evidence of the injury now. Payne is having his best season, hitting a team-high .391 and leading the Jackets with 59 hits, 47 runs, 14 doubles, three triples, 46 walks and 15 stolen bases. He has also pitched 10 times in relief and recorded three saves.

"He's a great table-setter for our offense," Hall said. "He hits for average, draws a lot of walks and puts pressure on the pitcher. He's a great defensive center fielder who throws well. We also pitch him late in a game, so he's in the middle of everything we try to do."

Payne said his goal in his first at-bat is to let the hitters behind him see as many pitches from the starter as possible.

"It doesn't do any good to go up there and swing at the first or second pitch," he said. "I try to be patient and let the guys behind me see five to seven pitches. By then, he has usually thrown everything."

Payne has a good eye, but has also found that teams are pitching more carefully to him, perhaps because he hit 11 home runs last season. He has hit only two this year, but his walks are up and his on-base percentage of .532 is second among ACC players.

While Payne enjoys the "laid-back" atmosphere of center field, he also likes the adrenaline rush of coming in to pitch. Hall has called on him 10 times, usually for only an inning. His fastball has enabled him to strike out 17 batters in 11 2/3 innings.

"I love the fact that I'm able to control the tempo out there, that nothing can happen until I decide it will," Payne said. "I don't get too hung up on pitching. Center field is my job, but I'm glad to contribute pitching when they ask me."

As a junior, Payne will eligible for the Major League draft in June. Although he's only 5-10, he has attracted the attention of scouts because of his skills and his style of play. Hall said he would be surprised if Payne isn't drafted in the first two rounds.

Payne wants to play in the big leagues but said he's not concerned about the draft. What he wants now is to help the Jackets return to Omaha so he can savor what he missed last season.

"One of the few benefits of getting hurt is that I'm so happy to be playing again that I don't worry about anything," he said. "I'm just enjoying taking in everything about the game. Going back to Omaha would be amazing. I had to listen to everyone's stories about it last year. There's a lot of baseball to play, but I can't help but look ahead a little bit."

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Bill Hass is a long-time observer of ACC sports. His career at the Greensboro News & Record spanned 36 years, from 1969 until his retirement in March, 2006. He is now writing "Bill Hass on the ACC" for TheACC.com. His weekly columns will keep fans plugged in to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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