Mississippi State Welcomes New Head Coach To Starkville

Thursday night was a big night for Mississippi State and the city of Starkville as they welcomed new baseball head coach Brian O’Connor at Dudy Noble Field in front of thousands of rowdy and excited fans.

After a long and unforgettable 22-year tenure at the University of Virginia, O’Connor chose to continue his journey coaching at one of the proudest and most passionate baseball programs in the country. O’Connor was introduced as the 19th head coach in program history on Thursday.

O’Connor is responsible for over 900 wins with the Cavaliers, highlighted by seven trips to Omaha and a national title in 2015. His achievements throughout the years make this one of the biggest hires in the history of Mississippi State athletics.

Obviously, the hire for the Bulldogs comes with big expectations for the future of the baseball program. O’Connor let the campus and the fans know that he’s ready to get to work and win some games.

“I appreciate the expectations,” O’Connor said when he addressed the crowd at Dudy Noble. “When I hear those things, my response is, ‘Bring it on. Bring it on.’ That will be the attitude of the players as well.”

Mississippi State Athletic Director Zac Selmon spoke about what inspired him to make this hire for Mississippi State Baseball.

“When you look at his resume, year after year, having sustainable programs is hard,” Selmon noted. “So, what’s the edge to find sustainability? I think clearly on paper, his resume that anybody can Google, you see. But when you sit down with him, there’s elite drive. A fire.”

Coach O’Connor is ready to embrace the high expectations from this passionate Mississippi State fan base. O’Connor has met expectations and exceeded them time and time again over his coaching career, and he is ready to do just that with the Diamond Dawgs and hunt down championships in the Maroon and White.

Author administrator Kellen Walker