Virginia ended Mississippi State baseball’s 2024 season in the NCAA tournament.
Now, the Bulldogs have hired Virginia’s coach.
MSU hired longtime Cavaliers coach Brian O’Connor to be the program’s next coach on June 1. He replaces Chris Lemonis, who was fired on April 28 in his seventh season. Justin Parker was the interim coach and led the Bulldogs (36-23) to a late-season surge and NCAA tournament appearance.O’Connor will be formally introduced at Dudy Noble Field on June 5 at 7 p.m. The event is open to the public.O’Connor, a three-time National Coach of the Year, has been the Virginia coach since 2004 and has made 18 NCAA tournaments, nine super regionals, seven College World Series and won the national championship in 2015. The Cavaliers reached the College World Series in 2023 and 2024 but missed the NCAA tournament this season with a 32-18 record
Mississippi State baseball hires Virginia’s Brian O’Connor as coach, replacing Chris Lemonis
Portrait of Sam SklarSam Sklar
Mississippi Clarion Ledger
This story was updated to add new information.
Virginia ended Mississippi State baseball’s 2024 season in the NCAA tournament.
Now, the Bulldogs have hired Virginia’s coach.
MSU hired longtime Cavaliers coach Brian O’Connor to be the program’s next coach on June 1. He replaces Chris Lemonis, who was fired on April 28 in his seventh season. Justin Parker was the interim coach and led the Bulldogs (36-23) to a late-season surge and NCAA tournament appearance.
The announcement came very shortly after MSU suffered a season-ending loss to Florida State in the Tallahassee regional final.
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O’Connor will be formally introduced at Dudy Noble Field on June 5 at 7 p.m. The event is open to the public.
O’Connor, a three-time National Coach of the Year, has been the Virginia coach since 2004 and has made 18 NCAA tournaments, nine super regionals, seven College World Series and won the national championship in 2015. The Cavaliers reached the College World Series in 2023 and 2024 but missed the NCAA tournament this season with a 32-18 record.
“Mississippi State represents everything I love about college baseball — tradition, passion and a relentless pursuit of excellence,” O’Connor said in a statement. “I’ve coached against this program and followed it closely for years. The atmosphere at Dudy Noble Field is nationally recognized as the best in the sport. I’m incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead a program with this kind of legacy and fan base. Mississippi State has set the standard in college baseball, and I can’t wait to get to work, build relationships and compete for championships in Starkville.”
Virginia signed O’Connor to a contract extension last year through 2031 that put his buyout at $500,000, according to his contract obtained by USA TODAY.
O’Connor has no previous ties to Mississippi State.
Before Virginia, O’Connor, 54, coached as an assistant at Notre Dame from 1995-2003 under current South Carolina coach Paul Mainieri. He was a pitcher at Creighton from 1990-93 and began his coaching career there as the Creighton pitching coach.
