OXFORD | Walker Hooks, at the time, just needed to get Ole Miss out of the inning.

Texas had scored seven runs in the fourth of the Rebels’ only loss to date this season, when the freshman entered with the bases loaded and one out.

He was the third Ole Miss pitcher of the inning, and the outing was somewhat lost in the 10-run defeat to the Longhorns and the run-rule of No. 15 Clemson the next day.

"Settle down is what I told myself in my first college outing in front of all those people," Hooks said. "I was going in and trying to throw strikes and slow everything down. Don’t let it get too fast."

Hooks struck out two straight Texas batters, throwing nine of 10 pitches for strikes. The freshman from Brandon, Mississippi, added two more perfect innings – eight up, eight down with four strikeouts and a 75 percent strike percentage.

"Probably, statistically, our best pitcher in the fall," Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said of Hooks. "He’s been really, really good and lights out. He falls under the radar because there aren’t a lot of 90s running up there, especially mid 90s.

"He can really mix three pitches and he’s a strike-throwing machine and being left-handed. Those guys do well out there."

The left-hander added a scoreless inning against Arkansas State, and he struck out the side in an inning versus Eastern Kentucky on Saturday.

The Rebels are 6-1. Ole Miss hosts Southern Miss on Tuesday at 4 p.m. and Wright State this as part of the current 13-game homestand.

Hooks has retired 14 of 15 batters faced with eight strikeouts. He picked off the only hit against him, and Hooks pitched around an error on Saturday.

"I've relied on everything -- fastball, changeup, curve, slider," Hooks said. "Everything has been working pretty well; I need to keep that going."

Hooks is 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, but his success comes with excellent command. The 14 total outs have taken just 56 total pitches. He’s only had one three-ball count.

"What you never know is he pitched well in the fall, but when the lights come on, when the uniforms are different, how will they do," Bianco said. "He doesn’t care. He’s the same no matter what. It’s not that easy, but he makes it look easy at times."