The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Payton embodies Baseball's small-ball philosophy
06.16.2011 | Baseball
June 16, 2011
Natalie England, TexasSports.com
AUSTIN, Texas -- The art of the bunt is invisible to most human eyes. It requires character that is both selfless and fearless.
Imagine squaring up to a 90 mph fastball, then placing bat -- along with fingers and face -- in that ball's path. Then imagine doing so when every ounce of your competitive core wants to swing for the fences.
But the glory is found in laying down the softest bunt, charging hard toward first and advancing runners around the bases. That is the essence of Texas coach Augie Garrido's small ball, and freshman outfielder Mark Payton might just be its living personification.
Payton's 5-foot-8 listing is nothing if not generous. He won't win a footrace, but his first step in right field is as quick as any you will see, his fundamentals are sound and perfected daily. His 19 sacrifice bunts lead the Longhorns and rank Payton in the top 10 nationally in that category.
"With people on base, it gives me a chance to lay down a sac bunt, or if I get lucky enough, I can turn that bunt into a hit," said Payton, UT's No. 2 hitter. "What I have really learned this year is that your batting average doesn't mean anything. If you put together a quality at-bat and move a base runner, that's better than keeping your average high."
The Longhorns head into Omaha, Neb., for the 2011 NCAA Men's College World Series leading the nation with 109 sacrifice bunts, the most for the Longhorns since the 2005 national championship squad finished with 116.
It's an offensive philosophy that prioritizes generating runs over cheers. Of the eight CWS teams, the Longhorns rank last in runs per game (5.2), batting average (.272), slugging percentage (.378) and home runs (17), but Steve Stricklin, whose Kent State Golden Flashes fell victim to the Longhorns in the NCAA Austin Regional, said UT is the best team he's seen at manufacturing runs.
"I mean, we are going to wear on you," Payton said. "We're going to battle and do all the little things and try to put up three or four runs and hopefully our defense will take care of the rest. That's our game. We know we have to do the little things right. That's what Coach Garrido is all about, and that's why he's the winningest coach in college baseball."
Payton grew up a ballplayer in suburban Chicago. During high school, his parents installed a batting cage in the family basement, and Payton spent afternoons and evenings in that underground solitude, taking cut after cut.
He says he has become, all around, a better ballplayer during his first season with the Longhorns, and Payton credits that improvement with the practice principals Garrido enforces. There is a purpose for everything.
Payton and the Longhorns all work on four different types of bunts, and Payton's focus has paid off this postseason -- he's accounted for four sacrifice bunts and also turned three bunts into singles.
"He plays the game hard," junior shortstop Brandon Loy said of Payton. "He has the right attitude -- coming to play at Texas, with everything that entails, doesn't faze him. He's a ballplayer who just gets his work done."
Payton's appreciation for the fundamentals of baseball belies his age and offers insight into his leadership potential. For instance, Payton's favorite part of batting practice is when the Longhorns simulate scenarios with a runner on second base.
"We just try to move him to third with a ground ball to the right side or fly ball to the right side," Payton said. "You know, it's just the little things that create good at-bats for the team."
