Cowbell Corner

New Mississippi State coach flips another Virginia recruit

Brian O'Connor talked about the importance of high school recruiting in his introductory press conference and is staying true to that.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State Head Coach Brian O'Connor during the Brian O’Connor Welcome Event at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS.
Mississippi State Head Coach Brian O'Connor during the Brian O’Connor Welcome Event at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

Mississippi State baseball coach Brian O’Connor has flipped another high school commitment from his old school at Virginia to his new one.

Virginia-native Daniel Nienaber announced his commitment to the Bulldogs on Saturday, joining Hunter Strohm as players previously committed to Virginia when O’Connor was the coach.

Nienaber is a two-way prospect. He’s a right-handed pitcher with a fastball that hangs out around 90 mph. He also has a mix of other pitches, including a slider, curveball and change up. In addition to playing at Glen Allen High School, Nienaber plays for the USA Prime national 17u team.

Back in his introductory press conference, O’Connor talked about the importance of high school recruiting to a program’s sustained success.

“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.”

Mississippi State Baseball 2026 Commitments

LHP Quincy Bright (L/L), Hamden, CT
LHP Becker Doane (L/L), Noblesville, IN
3B/RHP Landon Brown (R/R), Rosharon, TX
RHP Wilson Andersen (R/R) Tampa, FL
1B/P Alex Edisis ESB Academy (L/L) Pembroke Pines, FL
OF Martin Shelar Marist School (R/R) Decatur, GA
RHP/1B Dax Hardcastle (R/R) Stockton, CA
C Hunter Strohm Lower (R/R) Dauphin, PA
SS Noah Danza (R/R) Turnersville, NJ
RHP/1B Daniel Nienaber (R/R) Glen Allen, VA

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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