CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) The Brian O’Connor era with Virginia baseball is over.
O’Connor, who led the Cavaliers to seven College World Series appearances and the 2015 national championship, is leaving UVA after 22 seasons to take over as the coach at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs announced O’Connor’s hiring Sunday night after their season ended with a loss to Florida State in the NCAA baseball tournament’s Tallahassee Regional.
“Mississippi State represents everything I love about college baseball — tradition, passion and a relentless pursuit of excellence,” O’Connor said in a statement released by the school. “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.”
The Bulldogs fired coach Chris Lemonis last month. Since Lemonis – who led Mississippi State to a national title in 2021 – was dismissed, the team had been playing under interim coach Justin Parker, the pitching coach under Lemonis.
O’Connor, a 54-year-old Iowa native and 1993 Creighton graduate, took over the UVA program in 2004 and helped transform the Cavaliers into a national powerhouse. Virginia reached the NCAA tournament in each of O’Connor’s first 12 seasons at the helm, reaching Omaha in 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2015, when it won the championship.
After a three-year absence – one that included the canceled 2020 season — O’Connor had UVA back in postseason in 2021 and back in Omaha at the World Series in 2023 and 2024.
This year, the Cavaliers – after opening as the No. 2 ranked team in the nation – missed the NCAAs, finishing 32-17. In March, a 9-8 home win over Stanford gave O’Connor the 900th victory of his coaching career.
“Brian O’Connor is one of the most respected and accomplished coaches in college baseball,” Bulldogs athletic director Zac Selmon said. “He’s a national champion, a Hall of Famer, and a proven leader with a track record of building a championship-caliber program. Mississippi State is built to win at the highest level, and Coach O’Connor knows what that takes. From elite player development to consistent success on the national stage, his résumé speaks for itself. He understands the standard here and embraces the opportunity to elevate it even further. This is a defining moment for Mississippi State Baseball and a powerful step forward for our program, our players and our fans.”
For Virginia, O’Connor’s departure marks the second major coaching loss in the last eight months. In October, Tony Bennett stunned the college basketball world by retiring just weeks before the start of the season. Like O’Connor, Bennett delivered a national title to UVA, guiding the Cavaliers to the championship in 2019.
