[3/31/05] Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” as he fought with party bosses who threatened to ruin him if he didn’t cooperate.

The slogan stuck with Roosevelt throughout his life.

The same could be attributed to Warren Central slugger Brian Pettway.

An unassuming, quiet superstar in the making, Pettway is finding that life as the top hitter on one of the Southeastern Conference’s best teams is more than just carrying a big stick.

His double Tuesday night in the Mayor’s Trophy Game win over Mississippi State extended his school-record hitting streak to 25 games.

He has hit safely in every game this season and his statistics are staggering.

His .443 batting average is nearly 50 points higher than teammate Mark Wright. He leads the team in home runs (10), RBIs (30), walks (14) and his .825 slugging percentage is 113 points higher than Wright’s.

Pettway is third in the SEC in batting average and second in home runs.

All the success leads to a feeding frenzy his father Joe said gets more hectic every game.

Brian spends much of the pregame signing autograph after autograph.

His down time appears to be while roaming right field for the sixth-ranked Rebels.

After games, television sports anchors race across the diamond to stick a microphone in his face, asking about the streak, the Rebels, and the streak some more.

Newspaper reporters clamor to get close to him. All the while, more and more autograph hounds surround him.

“It is like this every game,” Joe Pettway said following the Rebels’ 5-1 win over MSU. “More and more and more.”

On Tuesday, fans asked him to sign baseballs, caps and the back of shirts. Even his brother, John Rice, asked him to sign his back, err, side. To which Pettway broke into a smile and signed it with his cleat.

Pettway has been a star on the high school level while tearing up opposing pitchers. He always has talked more with his bat than anything else.

In the Ole Miss media guide, Pettway was asked three things to describe himself: humble, quiet and hard working.

It makes the media and fan circus surrounding him all the more odd.

Those that have followed his progression through youth leagues, high school and now college know that the last thing Brian Pettway wants to talk about is Brian Pettway. He is excited about the streak, and said as much in a rare moment of talking about himself.

He would much rather go out, do his job, win ballgames and get the Rebels to Omaha, Neb., and the College World Series.

If he gets that far, the circus will hit full stride. He’ll sign a thousand more autographs, grin while doing each one, then get back into the batter’s box and do what he does best: Speak softly and carry a very big stick.