Building on legacies: U of L's Jack Payton has become one of college baseball's top catchers

Dan McDonnell was familiar with the Payton name.

The Louisville baseball coach recruited Mark Payton from the Class of 2010. But McDonnell lost out on the outfielder to the University of Texas. Ten years later, McDonnell had better luck with the youngest of the three Payton brothers, Jack.

Junior catcher Jack Payton arrived at Louisville familiar with the program's legacy at his position — former U of L catcher Henry Davis was the top pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, and Dalton Rushing went 40th overall to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022.

Even with the rich history that came before him in his family and at his position with the Cardinals, Jack Payton is making a name for himself. After batting a team-best .350 last season, he's hitting at a .390 mark this year — again a team-best — to go along with a team-high eight doubles, eight home runs and 29 runs scored.

“I've been blessed to be around all these people: my family, Henry, Rushing, everyone here,” he said, “but I'm my own person and just trying to be who I am and play the game that I love.”

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Creating his own path

Before he ever swung a bat for Louisville or Chicago's Brother Rice High School, Jack Payton picked them up for the Illinois Sparks, a travel baseball team now called the Cangelosi Sparks.

He was a bat boy when his father Dave, who had a three-year stint in the minor leagues, was the coach of the team, while older brothers Troy and Mark played on the squad.

“He always watched what we were doing,” said Mark, who’s now playing for the Saitama Seibu Lions baseball team in Japan. “He wanted to do things the way we were doing them but definitely was a little bit of a wild child. As he got older, he's definitely calmed down a little bit, but he was always running around."

While Mark and Troy, who played baseball at Maryville University, were both outfielders who attended Chicago's St. Rita High School, about 14 miles from their hometown, Jack forged his own path. He decided to play behind the plate and go to Brother Rice, a few miles closer to the family's home.

Joining the Crusaders provided Jack an opportunity to stand out on his own without being Mark and Troy's younger brother. And he did.

He was Perfect Game’s top catcher in Illinois during his senior season and ranked among the top 20 at his position nationally in the Class of 2020. When it was time to choose a college, instead of turning down Louisville like Mark did, Jack became a Cardinal.

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'Catcher U’

Louisville’s catchers liken themselves to a fraternity. The tradition and success of the group includes seven MLB draft picks, including Will Smith, Davis, the program's only No. 1 draft pick, and Rushing, who won a Gold Glove as a senior.

"We've been referenced (as) ‘Catcher U’ and we've gotten some neat adjectives the past few years because of the Will Smiths and the Henry Davises and the Dalton Rushings," McDonnell said.

The U of L head coach said Payton has Rushing's confidence with Davis' work ethic. Those two traits, combined with what he's learned from his dad and brothers, have allowed Payton, in his first year as the full-time Cardinals' backstop, to build on his school and family legacies.

He's become one of the best catchers in college baseball while taking on more responsibilities as a hitter near the top of the lineup. Riding a 10-game on-base streak, he's on pace to set career highs in batting average, on-base percentage (.490) and slugging percentage (.678) while already hitting more homers (eight) than his previous two years combined (four).

“(Jack's) always got his mind on something (on the) mental side or physical side of the game,” Mark Payton said. “Watching him develop after not getting a lot of time (on the field) for two years and turning himself into a really good baseball player and putting together a good year right now just makes me happy to see … that the amount of work that he puts in at the field and off the field is paying off.”

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville baseball 2023: Jack Payton now one of NCAA's best catchers