STARKVILLE — Brian O’Connor said there were two factors that led to him leaving Virginia to be the next Mississippi State baseball coach.
The first was MSU athletics director Zac Selmon. The second was the timing of his career.O’Connor was hired by the Bulldogs on June 1 after 22 seasons as the Virginia coach. He achieved a lot at Virginia, reaching 18 NCAA tournaments, nine super regionals, seven College World Series and a national championship in 2015. Two of those CWS appearances were in 2023 and 2024, so it raised an obvious question.
Why now?
He spent nearly four minutes expressing his gratitude for Virginia before any questions were asked.
“I haven’t had the opportunity to thank the fans and all the support and everybody involved at the University of Virginia, but I am forever grateful for all the support that was there for that baseball program,” he said.
O’Connor added that he wrote a letter to the Virginia fans to thank them. He said Virginia athletics director Carla Williams will release it to the public.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t start off by showing my gratefulness for the last 22 years and what that program means and what their opportunities are moving forward,” O’Connor said
