OXFORD | Campbell Smithwick thrived with a little change of scenery.

The freshman catcher has struggled defensively and with his batting average since arriving on campus as the No. 63 overall player in his class, but a different position carried some offense with it over the weekend.

Smithwick drew a start in right field on Saturday and picked up his first three-hit game, reaching base four times and adding a run and an RBI. He also grabbed the first two batted balls of the game, recording put outs on fly balls.

A day later, Smithwick was 1-for-3 and again in right field. Ole Miss (20-16, 5-10) won both games to back-end the series against Mississippi State. It’s the Rebels’ first series win in the rivalry since 2015.

“Baseball is an amazing game; the ball will find you,” head coach Mike Bianco said. “The first two found him. When you put someone in the game, the next inning the ball will go to him. We told him to relax and just go catch the fly balls.

“When you’re an infielder or catcher, you just tell them to run after it and catch it. It’s pretty easy, and let’s not complicate it. He had some really good at-bats. Proud of him. Another guy who hasn’t played a lot and had big hits and at-bats.”

Smithwick has played in 18 games at catcher this season but has only one start back there since March 24 and only three of 15 SEC games to date.

The Oxford product has 10 passed balls, and runners are 12-for-14 in stolen base attempts.

While he’s hitting only .241 on the season after the 4-for-8 spurt against the Bulldogs, Smithwick has a .440 on-base percentage thanks to 16 walks and four hit by pitches in 54 at-bats. It’s the third highest walk rate on the team.

He also has the team’s third-highest line drive rate at 27 percent.

With Trenton Lyons and Eli Berch handling most of the catching duties recently, Bianco inserted Smithwick to find him plate appearances.

Other right-field options based on playing time, Treyson Hughes and Judd Utermark, are hitting .260 and .255 with .644 and .822 OPSes, respectively. Smithwick’s OPS is .755. Hughes is a plus defender, and Utermark is one of the Rebels’ best athletes.

“Just making a move and trying to get someone going,” Bianco said of Smithwick in the outfield. “Statistically his average isn’t where he wants it, but the last 20 at-bats have been really good. He’s going go be a star in this program. We just have to get him going.”