May 15, 2007
ATLANTA – Danny Payne and Tiffany Johnson were named Georgia Tech Student-Athletes of the Week for Monday, May 14, 2007.
Payne, a junior from Woodstock, Ga., hit a blistering .571 against the fourth-ranked Tar Heels over the weekend, going 8-for-14 with two doubles, two home runs, six runs scored, two walks and just one strikeout in 16 plate appearances. Payne also had a .625 on base percentage and a 1.143 slugging percentage against one of the top pitching staffs in the nation. He extended his season-long hitting streak to 17 games and has reached base safely in 71-straight game appearances, dating back to March 24, 2006. Payne went 4-for-5 with a double and a home run while scoring two of Tech’s three runs in the Jackets’ series opener against the ‘Heels. He scored Tech’s first run in the second game against UNC after recording a leadoff double and scored three of the Jackets’ nine runs in that second game. Payne homered for the second time in the three-game series in the finale against the ‘Heels to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. He also doubled, walked and had a sacrifice bunt in Tech’s midweek game at the University of Georgia. Payne also had a pair of hits and scored three runs in the Jackets’ series finale at USF on Monday. He has hit .400 (18-for-45) with five doubles, two home runs, seven walks, five RBI and 16 runs scored in Tech’s last 11 games, all of which have been on the road.
Johnson, a sophomore from Atlanta, Ga., pitched seven scoreless innings, recorded two saves and held her opponents to a .130 batting average in three appearances at the 2007 Atlantic Coast Conference Softball Championship. Garnered saves in the opening round 5-1 win over Maryland and in the Jackets 7-3 victory in the semifinals over Florida State. She pitched 4.2 innings of shutout ball in a 2-0 loss to Virginia Tech in the ACC championship game.
