When they’re growing up and hitting Wiffle balls in their backyard, nearly every baseball player dreams of being in a clutch situation.

Two outs, bottom of the ninth, maybe a couple runners on, and always a shot to the gap for the game-winner.

Somehow, this has become a common occurrence for Eric Coleman. The Vicksburg High infielder can’t explain it, but more often than not this season it has fallen on his shoulders to deliver in the clutch for the Gators. And, more often than not, he has done just that.

Of Vicksburg’s five wins by three runs or fewer this season, Coleman has gotten the game-winning hit in three of them.

&#8220It’s just kind of popped up the last couple of years,” said Coleman, who scored one game-winning run last season but did not have a game-winning hit. &#8220You just get up there and relax, and try to hit the ball. If I feel the pressure, I’m not going to hit the ball.”

Coleman’s heroics started, ironically, after he had almost cost the Gators a victory.

In the third game of the season at Pearl, he let a two-out grounder go through his legs in the first inning. The error led to three runs, and Vicksburg trailed 6-5 when he came to bat with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh.

He calmly crushed a triple to right-center to clear the bases, then scored when the throw to third skipped past the third baseman. Vicksburg won the game, 9-6.

&#8220Pearl was pretty good. That made me realize what I could do,” Coleman said. &#8220That was a makeup game right there.”

Coleman later had a two-run single in the seventh inning to lift the Gators to a 12-10 win over Starkville. On March 11, his RBI single keyed a three-run rally in the fifth inning against Greenville-St. Joe, helping to break a 1-1 tie in an eventual 4-2 VHS win.

&#8220He’s definitely stepped up in the clutch for us. It’s kind of like he feels his way through the game and does it when he needs to,” Vicksburg coach Jamie Creel said. &#8220Eric has always been a good hitter. When he swings at quality pitches, he puts a quality bat on the ball.”

Coleman’s hitting skills, along with a little luck and good timing, have allowed him to be the hero so often. He bats seventh in the order, and the Gators’ first six hitters have done a good job of setting things up for him. Coleman, in turn, has done a good job finishing them off.

Creel said the confidence of one big hit tends to lead to the next one, and believes that is what Coleman has fed off of in those situations.

&#8220Success breeds success, and that’s just the situation any time you step up there in that spot,” Creel said. &#8220You have confidence in yourself, your teammates have confidence in you, and it’s a little easier the next time you come up in those situations.”

Coleman agreed. Despite a recent slump, he said he wasn’t shy about wanting to be at the plate the next time glory called. After all, the feeling of winning is just too much fun to resist.

&#8220It’s pretty awesome,” he said. &#8220It just makes you feel good, you know?”.

Coleman and the Gators, after a torrid start, have lost three of their last four games, including two at the Ouachita tournament.

The team is scheduled to play archrival Warren Central on Tuesday night.

The Vikings are a perfect 4-0 in the race for the Division 3-5A championship, while Vicksburg is 3-1 and in second place. Madison Central is in third place.