| Class Rating: 4 |
Position Projection: SS |
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11/19/2014 - Softball Factory Fall Classic Payton is continuing to develop her skill set as a junior shortstop. Defensively, Payton has a ready fielding position. She receives the ball with sure and confident hands out in front of her body. Payton has quick footwork and moves well from side to side. She has a fluid throwing motion, a good release, and follows through her throw. By working on communicating more with the defense, Payton will show her leadership on the field. Offensively, Payton uses a square setup, active load, and short stride to make a positive move to the ball. She has on time rhythm and maintains excellent balance while driving through contract. Payton is quick to the ball, takes a direct route, and hits the ball where it's pitched. Payton does a good job of using her hips and hands together to create force towards the ball. Overall, Payton is a hard working kid that will continue to develop as a player.
01/17/2014 - 2014 Softball Factory All-America Pre-Season Tournament Payton is a sophomore C/SS that was selected to participate in the Pre-Season All-America All-America Tournament. Behind the plate, Payton has an athletic set up with stable balance. She has active footwork and gets around the ball well. At shortstop, Payton has an athletic and out front fielding position with a controlled approach. When receiving the ball, Payton has clean hands with a solid exchange. By becoming a more aggressive fielder, Payton move side to side quicker and sharpen her angles to the ball. Offensively, Payton uses an athletic and square setup with a hitch load to make a positive move to the ball. Payton has a short and level swing path, which leads her to consistently make hard contact. Payton will benefit from allowing the ball to get to its correct contact points before moving through the zone. Overall, Payton is a hard worker that will continue to develop as a player.
07/09/2013 - Advanced Training and Competition at the World Cup Payton continues to develop athletically with maturity. Her natural instincts, work ethic, and positive attitude set a tone on the field. As a C, she has a quick, accurate arm slot with carry on her throw, confident glovework when receiving, and active footwork when blocking. Continuing to focus on an athletic setup with a wider base and fundamental blocking skills will increase range and efficiency. As a hitter, she has an aggressive, athletic approach, a balanced setup, and an explosive lower half that produces hard, consistent contact to all hitting fields. Continuing to finesse the hitting skills will increase more power and efficiency. Implementing a strength and conditioning program will increase speed, agility, power, body awareness, and coordination. As Payton continues to refine and mature through application and experience, she will be on track for seeking collegiate attention.
05/11/2013 - College PREP - New Orleans, LA Payton is a talented young SS/C with advanced tools on both sides of the ball. Behind the plate, she is a soft sure handed receiver with a good feel for getting her thumb under the ball to stick the pitch. Payton has an improving presence behind the plate, gains ground to block and will benefit from widening her stance, gaining ground to throw and getting her target up earlier for her pitchers. She gets around the bunt well and should continue to work on tucking her chin to block and picking up the bunt with two hands to increase effectiveness. As a SS, Payton has the same soft hands and solid instincts around the bag on the double play. She keeps her feet active, has an accurate arm with a quick exchange and should consider implementing a pre pitch prep step to improve her first step off the bat. She has agile range, uses her feet well to throw and with continued hard work will be attracting college coaches with her overall infield play. At the plate, Payton uses an open stance with a back load, short stride and keeps her balance centered before launching her short swing to the ball. An aggressive hitter, Payton consistently makes hard contact thanks to her active lower half, solid extension through the zone and quick bat speed. She will benefit from keeping her front side on the pitcher throughout her load and stride to eliminate some unnecessary rotation which can cause her to spin off of pitches at times. Overall, Payton is an extremely talented young lady with a bright future if she continues to seek quality reps and instruction while remaining detailed in her preparation.
Lea Ann Jarvis is the Senior Director of Softball Operations.