[4/16/04]Ole Miss’ Brian Pettway has made a habit of getting clutch hits.

So it was no surprise in Tuesday night’s Mayor’s Trophy game against rival Mississippi State that Pettway came up big.

With the Rebels up 2-0 in the third inning, he singled to left-center field to drive in a run. Then, in the seventh with Ole Miss losing 4-3, it was Pettway’s bloop single that tied the game before the Rebels added six more runs.

“The past couple of games probably the last five games I’ve been seeing the ball real well and getting a couple of hits here and there, getting lucky I guess,” Pettway said. “I guess it’s better to be lucky than to be good.”

But the former Warren Central standout has shown that it’s not just luck.

Last year, Pettway got an opportunity not many college baseball players receive starting as a true freshman. He turned that chance into gold as he led the team in home runs (8) and extra-base hits (25) while helping the Rebels to their sixth consecutive 30-win season.

He hit only .266 on the year, but he turned it up in the postseason. In the Southeastern Conference Tournament, Pettway went 4-for-11 (.364) in three games, and he hit 3-for-10 (.300) in the NCAA Houston Regional.

“The first season I was up and down a little bit, hitting-wise,” Pettway said.

The season proved to a learning experience. Pettway quickly discovered how well opposing teams scout and how they knew what to pitch to him. It took a while, but he adjusted.

“They know how to throw you,” he said. “You’ve just got to figure out what it is that your weakness is and just try to concentrate on that and hit the ball where it’s pitched.”

This year both Pettway and Ole Miss have stepped it up.

The Rebels (28-6, 8-4 SEC) are ranked No. 8 in the Baseball America poll and No. 9 in the Collegiate Baseball poll. They’re tied with Arkansas atop the SEC Western Division and are poised to host an NCAA Regional.

Pettway has improved as well. Batting in the cleanup spot, he has upped his average to .328. This month he is hitting 12-for-30 (.400) with five RBIs in eight games.

He spends time at third base, in the outfield and as the designated hitter.

This time around he’s even getting the chance to pitch. In 12 relief appearances and 13 2/3 innings, Pettway has allowed only three runs with a scant 1.98 ERA.

“I started pitching and getting people out during the fall. This spring they gave me a chance to pitch, and I did real well,” he said. “Luckily, I’ve been doing pretty good so far. They’ve just been giving me shots, and I’ve been trying to do my best to get them out.”

But don’t expect Pettway to take the hill as a starter anytime soon.

“I can’t start,” he said with a laugh. “I can’t last that long.”

Unlike Pettway, fellow Vicksburg native Justin Henry didn’t get to start in his freshman year.

Henry is redshirting this season while he builds his muscle mass and prepares for next year.

“I know it’s a good thing for my career,” said Henry, a former Vicksburg High star. “I needed to get bigger in the weight room and stuff like that. It’s good and bad at the same time, but it’s definitely tough just sitting there watching.”

John Morgan Mims, another WC graduate at Ole Miss, knows what Henry is going through.

Mims redshirted last year for the Rebels. So far this season, he’s hitting 2-for-5 in limited play behind an experienced outfield.

Henry may get his chance to start next season in place of senior shortstop Matt Tolbert, but he’s not claiming the position just yet.

“There’ll be some spots opening up,” he said. “There’s a lot of guys here, though, so we’ll all be battling for it. Hopefully I can do good and maybe get a shot. We’ll see.”

In the meantime, Henry is focusing on improving himself at practice. He said he’s already enhanced his play in the short time that he’s been in Oxford.

“I’ve gotten so much better,” he said. “Facing all our pitchers in the fall, I’m just getting a taste of what it’s like to play college baseball.”