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OXFORD | Scott Weathersby was on fumes and everybody knew it.

The fastball was a certainty, as it was all he could throw. It's all he'd been throwing to get to that point of the at-bat, a full count with two outs and a one-run lead against Washington in the 10th inning of the 2014 Oxford Regional championship game.

Oh, yeah, there was also a 111-minute rain delay he pitched on both sides of during the first of his then-career long 5.1 innings.

Husky batter Trevor Mitisui knew it was a fastball, too, just like the last couple that had missed the zone or been fouled off, causing a worn-out Weathersby to pace the mound and buy time to find one more out-pitch from his right arm.

The 65th and final offering of the afternoon started on the outside corner and cut off the plate. Mitsui waved without reward, and Weathersby launched his glove in the air before being engulfed by Josh Laxer at first, Errol Robinson second and the rest of his regional champion teammates.

"It was humid, and I had little left," Weathersby said, looking back 11 months later. "The fastball was all I had, and I knew it was my last batter. I wasn't trying to place it, just throw it. I saw the dog pile coming. I was trampled as they jumped around me."

Minutes later head coach Mike Bianco celebrated his team on the victory that would springboard them to the College World Series and a No. 3 national finish. Then, Bianco said, "where's Mr. Weathersby," calling his pitcher to the middle of the team huddle for a hug and a handoff of the T-shirt that goes to the most valuable player after each win.

"Good things happen to good people," Bianco said to the media following the Washington game. "He's one of those kids you hope your kid grows up to be like."

Those good things have continued in Weatherby's senior season, as he picked up both of Ole Miss' wins this past week with seven shutout innings against Mississippi State in the Governor's Cup during his first career start and 4.2 one-run innings in a much-needed victory over Missouri on Sunday. He has a 1.84 ERA and batters are hitting just .177 against him.

On April 10, Weathersby threw six shutout relief innings to lift Ole Miss to a 16-inning win against then-No. 1 Vanderbilt. The Rebels (25-24, 11-13) won the series the next day.

In a season where Weathersby may be the savior to the Rebels' postseason hopes, no one has been arguably more valuable to Ole Miss than him. But that hasn't always been the case. His path to prominence is an exercise in patience, perseverance and staying on a course despite early setbacks and obstacles.

In fact, if it hadn't been forecasted to rain one night in April 2010, the Hattiesburg (Oak Grove), Mississippi, native might not have been in red and blue at all.

Weathersby didn't have the tall frame and flame of a fastball that elicited offers out of Oak Grove High School. Despite a 19-3 career record and 1.63 career ERA that included a 10-1 senior season with 107 strikeouts and 21 walks in 66 innings, the college baseball opportunities were minimal and noteworthy only in local circles.

"I didn't have anyone recruiting me going into my senior year," Weathersby said.

He wanted to be at Ole Miss, but there hadn't been contact. Local junior colleges Pearl River and Meridian offered, and when he started the 2010 season well, UAB and Samford paid attention, also. USM showed up but wasn't prepared to talk about a scholarship, and Mississippi State came to his games - to see another player.

Ole Miss recruiting coordinator Carl Lafferty called Weathersby at one point during the 2010 season and said he wanted to come see him pitch, but games piled up and the season progressed without it happening.

Then, during the Mississippi 6A playoffs, Mother Nature knocked down the door.

One of Oak Grove's games moved up due to expected inclement weather, and Lafferty had an opening to head down that day. Had the date stayed as scheduled, Lafferty would have been with the Rebels for an SEC series.

"He came down and was able to talk to my family," Weathersby said. "I'm really glad God brought the rain. That game isn't moved, and I really doubt I'm here."

Asked five years later where he would be had Lafferty not come, Weathersby said he would have likely gone to a junior college and hoped to impress major programs.

"It took faith and patience, but I got my dream," Weathersby said.

Take a look at Weathersby's career stats, and there's a two-year gap.

He redshirted his first year in Oxford in 2011, and while that was an expected blip, the 2012 season tested his faith. In fact, a little different luck, and the rest of the story would be completely different.

Weathersby's redshirt freshman season he was on the active 35-man roster but didn't pitch. At all. Zero appearances, zero innings, zero statistical proof he was part of the team. That on a roster where two injured pitchers traveled due to the lack of available bodies.

"There were obviously low points," Weathersby said. "My second year I dropped down to sidearm. All I wanted to do was contribute. I could feel it wasn't working out."

That fall, and the next, there were questions about whether his Ole Miss career would even continue. Due to the roster limitations, teams regularly have to make room for incoming players each season. Without a body of work to rely on for a resume, Weathersby's career barely escaped execution. Twice.

"If I told you it was easy I would be l lying," Scott's father, Steve, said. "We were grateful for the Ole Miss opportunity, but those first couple years were difficult. He was borderline on keeping his spot a couple times. There were blowouts and he didn't pitch. It tested us, but Scott just kept working harder."

This story isn't an overnight, bright lights, lightning bolt success story. While summer baseball is pivotal to many college players, the ones with press clippings normally travel to the Cape Cod League, Northwoods League or something similar and compete against the best players nationally.

But the start of Weathersby's step-by-step evolution into one of the SEC's top pitchers projected upward from the Cotton States League - a summer league based in New Albany, Mississippi, that started in 2009 and has had a few quality players but is mostly compromised of junior college and low four-year prospects.

The 2012 summer didn't do much for his competition level, but it may have given Weathersby something even more important.

"It gave me some swagger and confidence back I had in high school," Weathersby said. "It wasn't where I hoped I could make it or fit in. I knew I could be dominant. I had lost that. It was great to enjoy the game. There weren't scouts or fans. We just played baseball, and I was fortunate to play it well."

He struck out 60 in 27 regular season innings and went undefeated. The positive outcomes fueled his confidence and recharged his energy to compete back at Ole Miss. And while it wasn't a lot of game action or overly successful, Weathersby's redshirt sophomore season allowed him to build some experience.

Still alternating between arm angles, he posted a 4.82 ERA in 18.2 innings. He struck out 16 and walked five. Weathersby's best outing came against Saint Louis, when he threw 4.1 innings and didn't allow a run.

"You'll never find a kid who wants it more and will work until something is right," Lafferty said "Watching his progression has been a very rewarding thing, but it's a testament to him."

The summer following the modest bit of success took Weathersby to California to play with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes-sponsored So Cal Catch of the California Collegiate League, and he returned to Oxford and went through the fall with the same sidearm delivery.

Then, just before the 2014 season he switched back, thus altering his relevance with the Rebels moving forward.

"It was a week away from last season and I walked up to coach Bianco and asked him if I could throw over the top in the bullpen that day," Weathersby said. "I just wanted to see how it goes. It felt great, and the last intrasquad before the season I threw three shutout innings with four strikeouts."

Weathersby allowed an earned run in only four of 15 regular season appearances and was on the mound when the Rebels claimed the SEC West title at Texas A&M. That Friday in College Station he threw four scoreless innings to stymie the Aggies. He didn't allow a run in his final nine regular season innings.

Weathersby also threw two scoreless innings in the decisive game of the Lafayette Super Regional and got the win in Ole Miss' elimination game against Texas Tech in the College World Series.

Since the switch in 2014, Weathersby commands four pitches with consistency and hides the ball longer than most pitchers prior to releasing it. That delivery advantage has been a large part of his 95 strikeouts in 82 innings the past two seasons.

"It gets on you faster than it says," teammate Sikes Orvis said earlier this season. "Also he throws so many different pitches in the zone you have to be ready to swing."

Weathersby met Rachael McLamore, who was a Rebel volleyball player, during his second year on the Ole Miss campus. Both biology majors and excellent students, the two became friends and by the next year Scott was ready to broach the dating question.

Weathersby asked her to go study at the library on a random Saturday only to discover it was closed at that particular time. Instead, the two went back to the common area of the Luckyday Leadership residential area. He considers the night their first date, and the connection quickly strengthened.

While playing in California, Weathersby was able to spend a considerable amount of time with her because she was nearby playing volleyball. The idea of marriage had been entertained, but it accelerated during these weeks together.

"My immediate reaction was they needed to wait," Steve Weathersby said. "It was so much simpler if it was out of school. We had a long talk and he explained his rationale. He didn't do it on a whim. It made sense."

So, Scott went about getting a ring, convincing his family and then dealing with the always nerve-racking situation of talking to the other parents. He sat over a breakfast plate at Big Bad Breakfast and asked Rachael's side for permission.

"I was making small talk with her mom (Beckie Smith), and she said, 'You have something else to say,'" Weathersby said. "It meant so much for her to be open to the idea."

Weathersby proposed on October 19, 2013 at Lake Sardis, and they married at her grandparent's farm last July. His mobile phone background is of her volleyball jersey with "Weathersby" on the back.

They also are Ole Miss' representatives for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Postgraduate Scholarship, presented by the Southeastern Conference to the league's top male and female student-athletes.

"The first year, with me in school, has gone as well as could have hoped," Weathersby said. "We spend as much time together as possible. We did all we could to be prepared for the circumstances of still being students."

Weathersby has but a couple outings at Swayze Field and a potential postseason remaining in his college career. That journey from afterthought to valuable role is nearly complete, and the next options are laid out but not decided.

He won't be a high draft pick this summer, but he very likely will get an opportunity at professional baseball, a small signing bonus attached to it. He's already accepted an internship with the FCA on the Ole Miss campus. It's a six-month internship if he plays professional baseball and a year if he doesn't.

Rachael has been accepted into the University of Mississippi Accelerated Bachelor of Science Nursing Program. It's a 12-month commitment. Scott considers medical school a possibility if he doesn't play baseball.

"It's your emotions versus what you think is the right thing to do," Weathersby said. "I'm not going to be a top three round pick. Do you follow your dreams or do what's best for your family? We've talked about it, but you can't plan it. I'm just enjoying the final weeks. This might be the last team I ever play on."

Weathersby has discussed the professional baseball angle with current minor leaguers and former Rebels Mike Mayers and Aaron Greenwood, among others. Mayers was taken in the third round of the 2013 draft by the Cardinals for a $510,000 signing bonus and has quickly progressed to Double-A. Greenwood, closer to Weatherby's likely situation, signed for just $1,000 with the Astros.

That decision will come soon, but for now he's looking at whatever is left of this chapter, one where he went from no innings in a season to the likeliest arm to propel the Rebels to a regional opportunity. He's been buried in a dog pile and had the ball when a division title was won.

"I watched my parents sacrifice for me and stay at their jobs long hours and establish work ethic in me," Weathersby said. "My dream was Ole Miss and baseball. I'm living it. I found my wife. Whatever is next, that's OK. I've already been blessed."