Fort Dale Academy's 2000 baseball standout Marshall Watts is being forced to watch the 2005 Auburn-University Montgomery Senators from the sidelines.

Watts recently had surgery to repair a shoulder injury on his pitching arm. As a result of the surgery and subsequent rehabilitation, Watts has earned a greyshirt for the 2005 season.

Basically a greyshirt is like a redshirt.

When an athlete gets a redshirt, they are allowed to practice with the team but are only allowed to play a limited number of minutes, innings or quarters depending on what particular sport that athlete is playing. Watts received a redshirt his sophomore season at AUM.

This year, Watts' has garnered a greyshirt. Basically a greyshirt is like a redshirt, in that Watts is still enrolled in school.

The difference is, though,

that he can't compete in a sport.

Despite the injury, Watts has had a strong career in AUM orange.

Last season, he finished with a regular season mark of 9-3 and appeared in 14 games, pitching 80.2 innings. He also recorded 44 strikeouts and was an All-Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Conference selection.

As a freshman, the 6'5" Watts pitched his way to a 10-2 season.

During the 2004 season, Senator coach Q.V. Lowe said this of the Fort Dale Academy graduate: He just knows how to win. He's been raised good by his parents, he's a great kid. He's a kid we never have to worry about. He always takes care of his grades, he takes care of business off the field, he takes care of business on the field. He's a real leader for us in a silent way and all the kids look up to him. He wins because all those attributes. He refuses to give in to any hitter. He knows how to go out and beat a hitter even if he don't have his best stuff."

So far this season, the AUM Senators are 8-14 and are in the middle of a three game home set with Shorter College.

During his recovery, Watts could be found in the stands of his alma mater's basketball games watching his two younger siblings Frances and Davis.