WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) â Itâs that time of year again. Itâs time to Meet the Aviators. This time Sports 18âs Bri Shackelford introduces us to a local athlete who decided to come home to play ball for the summer. Their interview is below.
Meet the Aviators: Corbin Payne
BRI SHACKELFORD – Well welcome to another segment of Meet the Aviators. Today we are here with Lafayette native Corbin Payne. Now when you are deciding to go to a place in the summer to play baseball why’d you choose to come back home this year?
CORBIN PAYNE – I just wanted to come home, play in front of all the fans, all my family and friends, and just have, to be back in Lafayette because when I was in college I was a little bit further away. So it’s nice to come home, and play in front of my family and all these fans.
BRI – Yeah, so you’re pretty familiar with this entire stadium here at Loeb. Does it feel good to be playing back here again?Â
CORBIN – Yeah it feels great. Being up on the mound pitching with everybody here and everything and like just hanging out with all the guys is a lot of fun.
BRI – How was your first year away from home? You said it was a little bit far, were there any difficulties that you had to overcome at the beginning especially being a little bit homesick?Â
CORBIN – I mean at the beginning yea it was a little bit rough. But after I got through a couple weeks I was fine. I missed my family and friends and everything, but I was only four hours away. So I could come home, see them and everything but I enjoyed living on my own.
BRI – What was the biggest transition moving from high school ball to college ball?
CORBIN – I would say as a pitcher definitely probably the strike zone. I mean in high school it can be all over the place but in college I feel like every umpire has the same zone.
BRI – So now we’re going to fast forward to where we are right now, here at Loeb Stadium for the summer. Do you have any goals that you want to accomplish this summer in order to help you better as a player for next year?
CORBIN – I would say just being more consistent, like just in daily life. Just doing everything that I should be doing before I get out there and all the stuff like that.
BRI – And do you have any fun summer plans this summer? I mean you are home with your friends here.
CORBIN – I would say just hanging out with my friends and family and being with them as much as I can before I go back to college.
BRI – Perfect, that does it for this section of Meet the Aviators
