David Dellucci, an All-American outfielder at Ole Miss and a member of the 2001 World Series champion Arizona Diamondbacks, played Major League Baseball for 13 seasons and is currently an analyst for the SEC Network. Each week during the college baseball season, Dellucci will provide his thoughts to Rivals.com.

I remember a conversation I had once with Matt Williams, who played with me at Arizona and was the Nationals manager for a couple seasons.

I asked him for advice on how to hit a particularly nasty curveball some pitcher was throwing, expecting a sound technique or mindset answer from a five-time All-Star. Instead he threw me off with this: Don’t miss the fastball.

At first I didn’t think he answered my questions, but he actually did with perfection. The easiest pitch to hit is the fastball, and when you get it you have to take advantage and not miss it. Miss it means fouling it off, swinging through it or even hitting a ground ball. That’s missing. You have to drive it when it comes.

There are often times where a hitter puts too much emphasis on secondary pitches, and we just need to tip our hat and move on. That’s a pitcher’s pitch, and it’s unlikely he’ll be able to do that to you three pitches in a row very often. You’re going to get hittable fastballs at times, and you can’t miss them. Our offense is doing a lot of that right now.

I notice it the best because I’m sitting above and looking down. When you have the opportunity to swing and the pitch comes it’s imperative to time it up properly. When you foul one off or get behind you’re allowing the pitcher to throw in the dirt or go off the plate. Suddenly you have to battle nasty pitches instead of hitting in confident and comfortable counts.

Hitting is unlike anything in sports because it’s imperative to not be too mental, but you have to think about things During the three losses this past week there weren’t enough quality at-bats, and it’s a mental situation.

Ole Miss’ difficulties aren’t physical. You have to understand when you go to the plate how the pitcher is going to throw to you in certain situations. Young hitters don’t always understand the situation and how they are being pitched. That comes with experience and time.

The pitcher approaches the same hitter differently with a runner on second versus bases empty or the first inning versus the eighth inning or the eight inning down by one or the eighth inning up by four.

We are swinging at pitches and being overaggressive when we shouldn’t be an then passive at times when the pitch is straight and close to the middle. We’re not always thinking our way through the game.

After the first at-bat of the game you need to take mental notes and watch other at-bats in the game. As the game goes on you’ll figure out how you’ll be pitched the next time. Every hitting at every level has to know that. If you were late on every pitch the first time there’s a good chance you’ll see some fastballs the next time, as an example.

Before Houston I saw pitchers scared to death and hanging pitches over the plate because we were drilling them and they kept hanging them. There was fear. We are being more passive now, and pitchers aren’t being punished, so they’ve gained confidence and unknowing upped their game without that fear.

I remember, when I played, players coming into the dugout and complaining that they always got the breaking pitch on the corner and nothing to drive while guys like Mark Teixeira were given hittable fastballs or breaking balls that fell over the middle of the plate. Pitchers were terrified of Mark and made mistakes because they were trying to be so fine and perfect.

With the other hitters the pitcher just threw without fear and executed. it’s a mental competition. The offense needs to win a game in a blowout. They need to take the pressure off the pitchers because it can mentally wear out pitchers over the course of a season when ever pitch is in a high-leverage situation and you don’t know if you’ll get four runs.

I was originally recruited by Mississippi State. The Bulldogs recruited me hard and I went to Ron Polk’s baseball camp. Ole Miss started recruiting me after that, and I understood the rivalry and respected it immediately.

I had some knowledge of both sides of it even tough I was from out of state. To this day I think playing MSU and representing Ole Miss was one of the more fun environments I’ve played in. As a rookie after my first game at Wrigley Field a reporter asked about my experience, and I related it to playing for Ole Miss at Mississippi State.

The games at State were more hostile. I loved it.

I chose Ole Miss after visiting during an LSU series. I was sold. I fell in love with the hospitality of the school and the scholarship offer was better — for a higher percentage. And then Don Kessinger sold me during a meeting.

I was considering football and baseball at the college level, and he told me I could play both and be good at both. But I could play baseball only and be great.

That was all I needed to hear. That was Don Kessinger saying that, and that was enough.