Matt Smith's collegiate career personifies work ethic.

Sure, the Milan, Ga., native is talented and tall and strong, but his time at Ole Miss has been a transformation. From a freshman that hit the ball far or didn't hit it at all to a complete hitter as an upperclassman that is the leader of the Rebel offense - and entire team, as well.

A plethora of hours in the batting cage and a commitment to practice are the routine things Smith has performed since arriving in fall 2006, but he's also gone extra lengths at times.

"He used to have to set his alarm for like 2 in the morning so he could wake up in the middle of the night in the dorm and eat Reese's (peanut butter cups) and dip it in peanut butter to put more protein in his body," Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said. "You laugh, but he gained 30 pounds… He's just a baseball rat and wants to be the best he can be."

And his best will make him one of Ole Miss' best. With 46 games remaining in the regular season and likely postseason play, Smith is steadily climbing in the school record book. Smith is or will be - barring injury -- on the career top-10 lists for at-bats, runs scored, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, total bases and walks.

He has a chance to hold the school records for RBI, hits, runs scored and at-bats, but Smith tries to avoid watching his name move up as the games go by.

"I've heard people mention it and say that I have a lot of opportunities to break records, but honestly I try not to think about it too much," Smith said. "It's one of those things where coming into my fourth season I've had some good seasons and I've had some opportunities to do some neat things. It would be nice to do that and everything, but no, I try not to think about it."

But.

"It would definitely be something," Smith admitted.

Smith said he'd most like to hold the RBI record, since his former teammate, Logan Power, is currently at the top. Smith currently sits in a tie with Zack Cozart for sixth, 26 RBI short of Power.

The top-10 lists are not the entire picture due to a lot of talented players departing for professional baseball after three seasons, but Smith's shot at these records is really about his evolution into a complete hitter. As a freshman, Smith hit 14 home runs (Ole Miss freshman record), but he struck out 80 times. The national record for strikeouts was 85 going into that season. It's now at 99 for a season.

"Yeah, I struck out a lot," Smith said. "I have that record, too."

Considering Smith's lack of quality at-bats that first season, that he may lead the school in runs scored is remarkable.

"I was just trying to play and our hitting philosophy was swing hard and you have a good chance of playing, so I was trying to swing hard and hit the ball far," Smith said. "I think what (Bianco) liked was me being able to swing and not being scared to swing. But at the same time, he told me I needed to not swing at everything."

The offseason before 2009 Smith spent hours in the batting cage working to hit offspeed pitches. He had to be selective to make the jump from power hitter to all-around hitter.

And he did. Smith raised his batting average from .283 to .336 and moved into the heart of the Ole Miss lineup. He credits a lot of the success to increased maturity and knowing what needs to be done.

Smith is passing along that knowledge now in his final season. Freshmen Will Allen and Jordan Poole routinely talk about Smith's leadership and drive. Smith is humble. When asked what he wants people to remember about him, stats don't make the conversation.

"He was a very hard working athlete and player," said Smith, who relayed what he hopes his legacy becomes. "He played with a lot of respect and grit for the game. He wasn't anything too flashy, he just wanted to win and play."

Legacy accomplished. He'll probably get a few records, too.

No. 1 Logan Power 860

No. 2 Kevin Kessinger 816

No. 3 Zach Miller 806

No. 4 Brad Henderson 803

No. 5 Matt Tolbert 791

No. 6 Jason Huisman 763

No. 7 Zach Cozart 760

No. 8 Chad Sterbens 734

Chris Coghlan 734

No. 10 Burney Hutchinson 730

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No. 1 Brad Henderson 198

No. 2 Burney Hutchinson 187

No. 3 David Dellucci 181

No. 4 Logan Power 177

Chris Coghlan 177

No. 6 Jordan Henry 174

No. 7 Kyle Gordon 167

No. 8 Zach Miller 162

No. 9 Zack Cozart 159

No. 1 Brad Henderson 298

No. 2 Logan Power 269

No. 3 Kevin Kessinger 262

No. 4 Zach Miller 253

Chad Sterbens 253

No. 6 Chris Coghlan 251

No. 7 Jason Huisman 249

No. 8 David Dellucci 247

No. 9 Stephen Head 239

No. 10 Jordan Henry 237

Stephen Head 237

Burney Hutchinson 237

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No. 1 Brad Henderson 60

No. 2 Chris Coghlan 54

No. 3 Logan Power 53

Jeffrey Johnson 53

No. 5 David Dellucci 51

Burney Hutchinson 51

No. 7 David Clements 47

Jason Huisman 47

Keith Johns 47

Brian Pettway 47

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No. 1 Kyle Gordon 48

No. 2 Brad Henderson 40

No. 3 Burney Hutchinson 37

Stephen Head 37

No. 5 David Dellucci 36

Michael Rosamond 36

No. 7 Brian Pettway 35

No. 1 Logan Power 183

No. 2 Kyle Gordon 168

No. 3 Burney Hutchinson 167

No. 4 Stephen Head 165

No. 5 Brad Henderson 169

No. 6 Zack Cozart 157

No. 1 Brad Henderson 494

No. 2 David Dellucci 430

No. 3 Burney Hutchinson 427

No. 4 Logan Power 413

No. 5 Kyle Gordon 410

No. 6 Jason Huisman 403

No. 7 Stephen Head 397

No. 1 Jason Huisman 135

No. 2 Byrney Hutchinson 128

No. 3 Logan Power 124

No. 4 Kyle Gordon 123

No. 5 David Dellucci 119

No. 6 Ronnie Russell 110

No. 7 Pat Ball 109

No. 8 Guy Summerlin 101

No. 9 Bubba Hubbard 99

Jordan Henry 99

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