STARKVILLE – Dudy Noble Field was buzzing on Thursday night. Electricity was in the air and thousands of the Mississippi State faithful were in the park.
Given the track record of the man everyone came to see, it’s only the first of many big June moments The Dude will host in the years to come.
Brian O’Connor was introduced as the 19th head coach in Mississippi State baseball history on Thursday. After 22 years as the leader of the Virginia Cavaliers, O’Connor officially traded in his blue and orange for Maroon and White, signaling the uniting of one of the game’s premier coaches with one of the sport’s most proud programs.
O’Connor, already a hall of fame coach with his 900-plus wins, seven College World Series trips and national title, let it be known he’s more than ready to embrace the lofty expectations that surround Bulldog baseball.
“I appreciate the expectations,” O’Connor told the crowd. “When I hear those things, my response is, ‘Bring it. Bring it on.’ That will be the attitude of the players as well.”
O’Connor spoke for approximately 10 minutes directly to his newest fans, then for another half hour to members of the media. Those that heard what he had to say caught a glimpse of what’s made O’Connor so successful and why MSU Director of Athletics Zac Selmon quickly identified O’Connor as the right man to take the reins of State baseball.
When you look at his resume, year after year, having sustainable programs is hard,” Selmon said. “So, what’s the edge to find sustainability? I think clearly on paper, his resume that anybody can Google, you see [how O’Connor has had sustained success year after year.] But when you sit down with him, there’s elite drive. A fire.
“I think when you come to Starkville, when you come in front of The Dude and you come in front of 16,000-plus [fans], it takes that drive. That’s something I know I walked away [thinking after chatting with O’Connor] was [he was an] elite competitor that embraces expectations.”
It’s one thing to welcome expectations. It’s another thing to know how to meet and exceed them. O’Connor has been doing all of the above for more than two decades. Now, he brings those winning ways to MSU.
He seems confident that he and his staff can add to the legacy at State that already includes 12 trips to Omaha and a national crown among many, many other successes.
O’Connor doesn’t want anyone to get it twisted though. Winning won’t just happen. It needs the right parts in place underneath the figurative hood.
For O’Connor, those pieces include relationships – players playing for each other. It’s why he prefers the term clubhouse over locker room, because to O’Connor, clubhouse means family.
Beyond the relationship piece, O’Connor prioritizes work on the field and development both as players and people.
“When you have relationships, you have work and you have development, that leads to one thing – winning,” O’Connor said.
His past victories are proof. O’Connor’s way – his standard – works.
Speaking of the past though, why did O’Connor decide after 22 years in one place that Mississippi State was for him? Well, he simply believed the timing and opportunity was perfect
