A little hint to high school pitchers: If you're facing North Atlanta and Jay Austin is at the plate smiling, you're in trouble. Just swallow that pride and give him an intentional walk.

If you don't, there's a good chance you'll get a neck cramp turning around to watch the baseball go screaming past.

Consider Austin's stunning statistics: a .557 batting average (39 hits in 70 at-bats), 15 home runs, 49 RBIs and 22-for-22 in stolen bases. And that's in just 22 games, with the Warriors standing at 17-5 entering this week.

Those who know Austin well can only imagine what those numbers would be like if he smiled all the time.

"I have to remind him sometimes," said North Atlanta coach Antonio Coger. "When he smiles, he's more relaxed, and he just goes out and has fun. A smiling Jay is a great thing."

"I am a laid-back person, so coach just wants me to smile. He tells me a joke or just says something that gets me relaxed," said Austin, who has 52 home runs in 95 career games.

His ability to relax even a bit would be a huge challenge for players in his situation. No fewer than 20 major-league scouts —- radar guns and stopwatches in hand —- attend every North Atlanta game.

The attention has become even more pronounced as Austin has grown from a late second- or third-round pick into possibly a late first-rounder.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder possesses two assets that scouts look for in center fielders —- blazing speed and impressive arm strength. The left-hander consistently throws at 89 mph.

It's actually his pitching that's pushed the Warriors into possibly making the state tournament. Austin —- Pookie to his friends —- owns an earned run average of 1.21, with 44 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched.

"I've seen talented players before that just relied on their talent," said Coger, a former North Atlanta standout who took over the program this year. "I had heard all these stories about Jay, but when I first met him, one of the first things he said was, 'Hey, coach, do you have a bat and balls in your trunk?'

"His all-around work ethic is something, and that reaches out to everybody else. His teammates really respond to how he works."

While he wants to wrap up his North Atlanta career with a bang, thoughts of the future are never far from his mind.

"I dream about it because I want to play professional baseball, but I try to not think about it too much, though, and put too much pressure on myself," said Austin, who will attend Southern Cal if he doesn't sign professionally after the June 5 draft.

"I just guess all the hard work I put into it will finally pay off."