Everything Mississippi State coach Brian O'Connor said in first meeting with media

Following the welcome celebration at Dudy Noble Field, the Bulldogs' new baseball coach met with media members for nearly 30 minutes. Here's everything he said.

Mississippi State's new head baseball coach Brian O'Connor (center), stands with Director of Athletics Zac Selcom (left) and President Mark Everett Keenum at Thursday's introduction celebration at Dudy Noble Field. / Mississippi State Athletic

Mississippi State's new baseball coach met with media members for the first Thursday since being announced as the Bulldogs' next baseball coach. Here's everything he said in his first press conference in maroon and white.

ICYMI: Everything new Mississippi State coach Brian O'Connor in introductory speech

O'Connor's opening statement...

Evening. Hey listen, I know we're scheduled to jump right to questions, right? Certainly the event out there, it was a celebration and an announcement, right? It wasn't intended to talk about the past, all right? But so before I answer questions, I want to talk about the past and why I'm here, all right? 22 years ago, the athletic director at the University of Virginia decided to take a chance on a 32-year-old never-been head coach. And I'm forever grateful to Craig Littlepage for providing me that opportunity. And as the 22 years passed, we had so much success on the field, in the classroom, right? And the donors at the University of Virginia, the fans, it just kept growing and growing and growing to levels that maybe nobody ever thought that it would, right? And I'm incredibly proud of that and thankful for those 32 years, or I'm sorry, 22 years of everybody that immersed themselves in that baseball program. Players, fans, donors, right? And then Craig Littlepage stepped down and Carla Williams took over as the athletic director. And with her guidance and support, our program at Virginia during that time continued to elevate. And that was evident out of three out of the last four years, that program going to Omaha. So 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, right? And I had written a letter to all those fans and those donors and former players and Carla Williams will release that letter thanking all those people, right? That meant, that mean everything to me and that poured resources and their time and everything going on with a program for it to be at the nation's elite. So I would be remiss if I didn't start off by showing my gratefulness for the last 22 years and what that program means, all right? And what their opportunities are moving forward. So I'm honored to be the baseball coach at Mississippi State and I'm excited to work with you all in the future.

What was it about Mississippi State that you felt like this was the time and this was the place that this is where you needed to be?

Well, so much goes into that, right? That's a long answer probably for that. We don't all have time for, but this is an incredibly special place here in Starkville. Certainly the program is supported at the highest level, right? In the history and tradition that's behind this program. But Zach Selman was a big part of this. I felt like if I was going to leave this place that I loved and worked at for 22 years, it had to be the right partnership, first and foremost. And then, you know, it had to be the place that you felt like you could be as successful as possible, right? I poured everything into that program in Charlottesville and, you know, the timing was lined up from the standpoint of where I was at in my career and where my family was at. Yes, there's been a lot of schools over the years that have reached out about their jobs, but make no mistake about it, this was the right one for Brian O'Connor to take a different path in his career.

How have you been so successful in kind of retaining (MLB drafted) guys?

Yeah, you know what? I've always looked at the process that a young man goes through at 18 years old and considering the Major League Baseball draft. That is a great opportunity for those young men, right? And they have to, with their families, make their own individual decision about what direction that they want to go with their life at the age of 18, right? And so, I have never and do not talk a player out of signing out of high school. What I talk to them about is between the age of 18 and 21, how do they want to live their life, and what do they look like their development path is? The two paths are different, okay? This path, you choose a coaching staff that every day is going to be a part of their development, and it's going to be the consistency every day and every year in their development until they're eligible for the draft again, all right? And what's happened is you start to prove a track record of development, right? And those kids, those young men see that this is a great path and avenue for them. I believe in these two words. It's about being prepared and equipped for whatever it is you do in life, right? Whether it's to be a college baseball player, whether it's to be a college coach. And I believe that college baseball, especially at this level, prepares those young men to be prepared and equipped for their professional careers. So, that's really it. That's what's behind it, all right? It's not a sales pitch. It's real. It's genuine, and it helps them choose what the best path for them is.

Just in terms of institutional support, it's pretty clear Mississippi State is very committed to baseball and winning at the highest level. Just from a coach's perspective, how helpful is that or how important is that, you know, when you're trying to win a championship?

Well, it's incredibly important. It's not everything, right? It starts with the selection of the young men that you bring into the program and that they're the right young men that you want to be part of your team, right? But obviously, the support's here. You know, this stadium, this fan base, right? Everything that goes on with that to attract and retain the right talent to give your program the chance to win championships. I'll say this, the University of Virginia is totally committed to it, okay? And so is Mississippi State. But listen, there's a lot of programs in the SEC. Everybody is committed to it. It's not that at Mississippi State we have more than anybody else. We just need to have enough to retain and attract the right young men.

How much does cultural investment matter when you're trying to convince a young man to apply to your program?

Well, cultural investment, it's got to start from that, right? And I'll tell you what I did was on Tuesday and Wednesday, I sat down with every Mississippi State player that had eligibility left for a half-hour meeting. Those two days were long days, but they were great days, right? Because I got to understand from them, the guys that wore the uniform, what this place means to them, right? What the fan base means to them, right? And that's that cultural investment that is so important. And it's in those young men, it's in their blood, right? You can see it and hear it when you talk to them. So it has to start with that, right, is the cultural investment in order to be successful, because that's a big part of their experience here at Mississippi State.

The short time you've been here, is there been a few things that you expected to find the way you did? And then has there been a pleasant surprise?

I expected it, fully expected it, right? You coached a game in this stadium when I was the pitching coach at Notre Dame. We got left on the field, right? And you walked out of this place and you knew what it was about, right? Obviously, you know, 25 years later, it's grown and grown, right? You knew the passion of the people that support Mississippi State baseball. I knew all that. I didn't know that the last four days would be as fast as it is, and there'd be so much thrown at you, right? That is what it is. It's been about three or four hours of sleep each of the last four nights, right? But, you know, tonight was amazing, right? Tonight showed what this place is about. I did not expect tonight. Over the last two days when they started building a stage on the infield grass, right? And they started the ribbons and things like that, I told, you know, one of my guys that's here with me, I said, what is all this, right? And he said, coach, this is the celebration they have planned. I'm like, wow, that's going to be awesome. So, we'll get to learn more that we don't know. There's a lot that we don't know, but you can feel the energy and enthusiasm that everybody has for this baseball program.

How do you kind of see roster composition? What would you maybe balance between high school and development?

Well, I really believe in the high school player. The high school player has to be the foundation of any consistent, successful college baseball program. It starts there because you bring them into the program and you have an opportunity for three or four years for them to continue to develop and you have a plan and understand what you have coming back the next year, right? So, that's crucial. You know, the exact breakdown, I don't know. You know, it probably depends on what the roster size ends out being to answer that question, but I think you have to look at, you know, eight to 10 high school players in a class depending on what your needs are, right? And then you fill in from there and if you're developing them like they should develop, then maybe you don't have to go into the transfer portal as much, right? But, you know, the 2026 Mississippi State baseball team, right? My priority, the reason I met with those young men on Tuesday and Wednesday is my number one priority is for the young men that possess the ability, have the skill set, and think the right way that they're on the bus, okay? And then after we've done that, we evaluate and say what are the other pieces of the puzzle that we need to put the best team on the field for the 2026 season.

How important have they been for your program to accomplish what you wanted to? And then secondly, retaining Coach Parker, what, when that decision, how important do you feel like that was for this year and moving forward?

Yeah, well, Coach McMullen has been right by my side for 22 years, okay? I happen to feel that he's the best hitting coach and development of position players in the country. How do you judge that, right? Well, you judge that by, one, wins on the field, but you judge it by guys going into pro ball and making the major leagues, right? And our position player development that we have had over the last 22 years, I'd stack it up with anybody, right? And so I've always believed in a coaching staff that consistency is important for the player development, right? And his consistency over 22 years is a big part of this. So I'm excited that he's joined us in Starkville. Matt Kirby has been on our staff for 14 years. He's our recruiting coordinator, also works with our hitters, our catchers, our outfielders, and he is loyal as the day is long. He is dedicated to it, right? And, you know, again, it shows the consistency.

Regarding the pitching coach, I did not intentionally name our pitching coach. I felt like that we really needed on this staff somebody who had connections in the Southeast, right, from a recruiting standpoint. You know, a couple of things in Justin Parker's favor is that, you know, he's coached four years in the SEC, right? He knows this league. I, last year in the NCAA regional in Charlottesville, I got to witness him firsthand competing against him in the regional and watch his pitchers compete and watch them execute. And they had one of the best staffs in the SEC a year ago, right? And I see the young pitchers that are on this pitching staff, you know, Foster, Burns, McPherson, others, right? I can't name them all, right? And I've seen the talent that they have and I'm excited about the progression, right? And then it goes to Coach Parker as a pitching coach. He's a, not only is he a developer of their skill and going to help them not only win for Mississippi State, but also be successful after their time here. I happen to feel he's also a good man that is the fiber of what he's about is what I'm about. So what I did was got here to town after they returned from Tallahassee, Coach Parker and I spent six different times together. Some of those 30 minutes, some of those up to two hours, right? To get a really good understanding of what he's about, what he believes in pitching development.

Okay. Yeah. I, you know, certainly had conversations with other candidates and things like that. That's part of the process, right? But ultimately landed on he is the man that is most qualified and best here at Mississippi State to lead this pitching staff moving forward.

Zach Selman said he was overjoyed when you finally decided to say yes to this job. What was that moment like for you where you make the final decision that I'm going to take this job and leave a place I've been at for so long?

Well, we had a final conversation, Zach and I did. And I think he felt like in that conversation, maybe I should have or would have accepted the job. And I just told him that I needed a little bit of time. All right. And, you know, I'm a little bit of a softie sometimes. Okay. My family is always first and foremost in my decisions. So I sat down on the couch with my wife, Cindy, and my son, Dylan, and I held their hands and said one last time and said, are you all on board? Okay. And they looked at me and smiled and said, yes, we are. Right. I knew that I wanted to do it. I knew it was the right opportunity. Okay. And then I called Zach back and told him that I wanted to be the next baseball coach here. And then there's a process in this. It just doesn't mean that now you're going to be the baseball coach. Right. There's approvals that have to happen and things like that. And that takes, you know, sometimes 24 hours to run those approvals as just part of the search. Okay. But it was an exciting, proud moment in my life. Obviously, it was change, but really excitement.

For fans maybe that are unfamiliar about how you coach teams at Virginia, what kind of attitude will your players bring on the field but also in the locker room?

Well, first and foremost, in the clubhouse, right. I call it a clubhouse, not a locker room, okay. Because a clubhouse means family, right. And so, you know, it'll be team first. It'll be absolutely about the guy to your right and left before it's about me as a player. And we will instill that foundation in this program from day one, okay. You know, we like really good athletes from a position player standpoint that can do some different things, right. We've always been a very, very tough-minded team, especially from an offensive standpoint. It's very aggressive, okay. But we will play the game the right way with class all the time, okay. We'll play tough. We ain't going to back down from anybody, all right. But it'll be played in a classy way that will represent this community the right way.

Do you expect any of your old players from Virginia to follow you here?

That's always a tough thing. I'm aware that there's a lot of players from the University of Virginia in the transfer portal. I can't control that. In this day and age, you know, back in the day before the transfer portal, you would never see that. We are in a different time and a different era in college athletics. Those young men in that program and any other program, they each have to make their own individual decisions. Okay? And if they want to be at Mississippi State, who am I to tell them that they should not? Right? So, you know, we are recruiting the transfer portal, right? And we'll see what some of those young men decide to do, but that's their choice. Okay? And, you know, each of them independently have to make their own decision. I don't know right now, you know, if some of them will be at Mississippi State or not. I know there's some of them that have already visited other SEC programs. Okay? And so, we'll recruit no matter where they're coming from to construct this roster to the best of our ability.

Do you have a Ron Polk story to share? And do you plan to go visit his museum here in town?

Well, I will visit the museum. You know, I don't have a specific Ron Polk story. Okay. But have always admired and had huge respect for who he is as a coach and who he's a man and what he represents. You know, I'll tell you, I grew up a different way. Okay. I grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Lived right across the Missouri River from old Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha. All right. And my mother still lives back in Council Bluffs. And she still has the game programs from the 70s and 80s. We would go, my mom and dad would take me and my two brothers every year multiple times to College World Series games. So I've got game programs back from when Coach Polk coached, right, with player autographs in it and things like that. All right. So this dates back a long time ago. All right. And I just always, you know, admired him as a coach and what his ability was. And I just, you know, I've gotten the letters, right, and just excited to spend some quality time with him.

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