Everything Brian O'Connor Said After 5-3 Win Against UAB on Tuesday

Mississippi State didn’t make it easy on itself Tuesday night, but it found a way to get back in the win column.

In a tight, back-and-forth game against UAB, the Bulldogs leaned on timely pitching, a resilient bullpen and a return to their two-strike offensive approach to grind out the win. Head coach Brian O'Connor met with the media afterward to break down the performance, highlight key moments and provide updates on a few key players moving forward.

On overall thoughts...

it was nice to see Billingsley go out there and get extended a little bit. I’m really proud of our relief pitchers. We know UAB has a really good ball club. They’ve hit quite a few home runs, but they can also bunt, hit and run, put pressure on you, and steal bases.

So I’m just really proud of our bullpen. One after another, they managed innings. It wasn’t always pretty, but we knew it wouldn’t be because UAB doesn’t strike out much. A lot of guys made big pitches.

No bigger than Maddox Webb in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and their leadoff hitter coming up. After the review, it’s second and third with no outs, and he pitches out of it. That was huge.

Offensively, I thought our approach was really important tonight. There were probably 10 balls hit over 100 miles per hour that didn’t fall for hits. A lot of balls died in that crosswind at the warning track, so the run total wasn’t really reflective of how we swung the bat.

What stood out to me was our two-strike approach. That’s part of what has made us a great team, and we got away from it a little bit. Tonight, it was really good. I think four of our hits came with two strikes, including a couple from Garrett Fry. That mentality has to be a trademark for us, and we showed it tonight. That’s exciting moving forward.

Win column pic.twitter.com/MjVUqirTCh
— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) April 8, 2026

On winning close before another SEC series...

I think it’s important that we showed the ability to bounce back after a tough weekend against a really good club. UAB is a top-40 or top-50 RPI team. They’ve won nine in a row and are going to win a lot of games.

To find a way to win a tight game like that, play good defense late, and make the pitches we needed—that’s important. Especially heading into another SEC series at home, it’s good for our confidence.

On Billingsley's development...

We liked Billingsley’s stuff—that’s why we recruited him. He showed flashes in the fall and was pretty good in the preseason.

We put him in some tough situations earlier this year, especially in a couple of losses, but that’s part of how you learn. When McPherson went down—and even before that—we knew we needed someone to step into that midweek role and give us two to four innings.

Billingsley has taken hold of that. He’s done a nice job, and even this past weekend against Georgia, he came in with the bases loaded and got a big out. We have confidence in him, and he’s continuing to grow every time he gets out there.

On injury updates...

I don’t know about (Aidan) Teel yet. There was no way he could have played today. There’s nothing broken, but they’ll do more testing tomorrow, including an MRI just as a precaution.

He actually hit yesterday, but woke up today and didn’t feel great in his foot. That kind of bruise can take four or five days, maybe up to a week. So he’s day-to-day.

As for McPherson, there’s no pain right now. It’s just about being smart and taking it slow. I don’t have an exact timeline, but it will be multiple weeks before he’s back.

On Vytas Valincius...

Vitus brings a tough, winner’s mentality. We’ve got guys like Bryce Chance hitting over .400, Aiden Teal playing really well, and Jacob Parker coming into his own. That’s made it tough for Vitus to get everyday opportunities.

But he’s been ready every time his number has been called. His mentality has been outstanding. He was a very successful hitter at Illinois, and we have a lot of confidence in him.

Tonight was another example—he hit a couple balls right on the screws and had a triple. When you’re not playing every day, you’ve got a choice. You can feel sorry for yourself, or you can stay ready and keep working. He’s done the latter, and that’s what winners do.