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Updated: June 29, 2015

Career Honors

• 2015 Capital One Academic All-American, Second Team, infield
• 2015 Capital One Academic All-District III First Team, infield
• 2015 All-ACC Academic Team
• 2012-13 SEC Academic Honor Roll
• 2012 NCAA Elite 89 Award, given to player with the highest grade point average of the eight CWS teams
• 2011 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

Career Highlights: At South Carolina - Hit a bases-loaded, three-run triple in a 7-3 victory over Florida in the NCAA College World Series (June 21, 2012) … Hit a three-run home run and had a career-high four RBIs in an 11-7 victory at Auburn (April 22, 2012). At Virginia Tech - Tied 50-year old school record when he drew five walks versus Appalachian State (April 28) first set by Wayne Taylor on March 24, 1964 versus Michigan State ... Also tied the ACC single-game record ... Had team-high five game-winning runs scored and six game-winning RBIs ... Included a walk-off single versus Toledo in the 10th inning on February 28 ... Became first Hokie to have a two-home run game (at Radford, April 22) since Chad Pinder had one on May 22, 2013 ... Also became first Hokie to have a two-home run game in an ACC contest (at Pittsburgh, May 16) since Andrew Rash had one on April 13, 2013 ... Also became first Hokie with a grand slam in an ACC contest (vs. Boston College, May 2) since Ronnie Shaban hit one on April 16, 2011.

2015: One of three Hokies to start all 54 games – 27 at third base, 17 in left field, six at second and four as the DH … Was first on the team with 23 multi-hit games, including six with three … Tied for the team lead with 15 multi-RBI games, including three with three and four with four ... Added 10 multi-run scoring games, including three games with four and one with four runs … Had a season long 16-game hitting streak and reached base in a team-high 35 straight games … Batted .343 (first on the team) with 71 hits (first), including 13 doubles (second) and nine home runs (second), and 111 total bases (second) for a .536 slugging percentage (second) … Scored 43 runs (second) and led the team with 53 RBIs … Drew 32 walks (second), including two intentional, and was hit by eight pitches (second) for a team-high .444 on-base percentage … Also had three sacrifice flies … In the NCAA, was ranked in six categories – 62nd in RBIs per game (0.98), 77th in RBIs, 107th in on-base percentage, 149th in home runs, 177th in slugging percentage and 187th in batting average ... In the ACC, was top 10 in five categories (at the end of the regular season) – tied for sixth in batting, seventh in RBIs and on-base percentage, ninth in hits and 10th in total bases and finished fifth overall in batting and eighth in on-base percentage … In ACC-only games, was top 10 in six categories – fifth in on-base percentage (.462), sixth in batting (.369), seventh in RBIs (28), slugging percentage (.577) and total bases (64), and eighth in hits (41) ... his ACC-only batting average and RBIs were the third-best ever for a Hokie in a single-season in the league, while his on-base percenage was the second highest.

2014: Redshirted the season due to NCAA transfer rules.

2011 – 2013 (at South Carolina): In three seasons with Gamecocks, started 40 games and played in 59 total … Posted an overall batting average of .248 with 33 hits – seven doubles, three triples, three home runs – 23 RBIs and 14 runs scored … Had 55 total bases for a .414 slugging percentage … Added eight walks and six hit-by-pitch for a .309 on-base percentage … Was 2-for-2 on stolen base attempts.

High School: Earned varsity letters all four years while playing for Coach John Marano at Mills Godwin … Played in 2010 VHSCA All-Star game ... Hit .333 as a junior with 20 runs scored, six stolen bases and a .444 slugging percentage … As a senior, hit .480 with seven home runs.

Personal: Erik Robert Payne … Born September 2, 1992 in Richmond, Virginia … Son of Bill and Angela Payne … Has an older sister Ashton … Majoring in business finance.