Rebels set high standards for themselves

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI - Mississippi ace Pete Montrenes isn&#39;t happy with the way he has pitched. All-conference outfielder Burney Hutchinson doesn&#39;t think he&#39;s played up to his potential. <br> <br> Ole Miss&#39; 12-game winning streak suggests the two stars are being pretty hard on themselves. So do their own statistics. <br> <br> Montrenes is second in the Southeastern Conference in victories with a 7-2 mark. But a 3.96 ERA is not what he expected when he bypassed professional baseball and returned to Ole Miss for his senior season. <br> <br> ``My expectations are extremely high. I&#39;m very disappointed,&#39;&#39; the 6-foo-3 right-hander said. <br> <br> He did say he was happy with the progress he has made recently. It&#39;s also a lot easier to stomach a less-than-stellar outing when you&#39;re coming away with a &#39;W.&#39; <br> <br> ``That&#39;s part of pitching. You have to win when you don&#39;t have your best stuff,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> Hutchinson&#39;s ``struggles&#39;&#39; include a .371 batting average and a team-leading seven homers and 15 doubles. <br> <br> ``I put a lot of pressure on myself,&#39;&#39; Hutchinson said. ``I don&#39;t feel like the consistency has been there.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> With Montrenes and Hutchinson setting the tone with their lofty standards, Ole Miss has run off its longest winning streak since 1964. That year all-SEC shortstop Don Kessinger led the Rebels to a conference title. <br> <br> ``I expect a lot of myself and I know Pete does also. I think we really feed off of that pressure that we put on ourselves. That really drives us,&#39;&#39; Hutchinson said. <br> <br> The streak began with a rousing rally against LSU on March 24. Josh Christian clinched the 10-7 victory with a game-winning grand slam in the eighth inning. <br> <br> The Rebels have been rolling ever since. <br> <br> Pitching has been the catalyst. <br> <br> After allowing just one run in wins over Memphis and Murray State this week, the Rebels&#39; ERA during the streak fell below 2.60. <br> <br> Junior college transfer J.R. Pickens has joined Montrenes to give Ole Miss a knockout one-two combination at the top of the rotation. <br> <br> Pickens, a righty from Texas, is 6-1 with a 2.66 ERA that ranks fifth in the conference. <br> <br> ``We signed him to throw on the weekend,&#39;&#39; coach Mike Bianco said. ``He really just hasn&#39;t had a bad game since he&#39;s been here.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Pickens was part of a recruiting class that was considered one of the best in the country and is playing up to its hype. <br> <br> ``We knew the strength of this team was going to be on the mound,&#39;&#39; Bianco said. ``Maybe the surprise would be offensively. Where I thought we would be good offensively, I didn&#39;t think we&#39;d be hitting at this pace.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Junior college transfers Drew Rogers, Jonathan Swearingen and Bryce Morrison, along with freshman Seth Smith have given Hutchinson ample support. <br> <br> Ole Miss is second in the SEC and 15th in the country in hitting with a .332 average. <br> <br> As for the streak, Bianco does want to make too much of it. <br> <br> ``What&#39;s the significance of the streak? There&#39;s really no significance accept that you&#39;re playing well,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> ``Winning streaks aren&#39;t going to help you host a regional. Winning streaks aren&#39;t going to win the super regional final game on Sunday to get you to Omaha.&#39;&#39;

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