Multiple Virginia Baseball Staff Members Will Reportedly Follow Brian O'Connor to Mississippi State

Jun 16, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Virginia Cavalier head coach Brian O'Connor walks off the field after the loss against the Florida State Seminoles at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Virginia Baseball is undergoing a big change with veteran coach Brian O'Connor leaving to take the head coaching job at Mississippi State and with that, veteran coaches are leaving to join his staff, as well as players entering the transfer portal. The latest reported move comes from UVA Beat Writer Greg Madia at the Daily Progress. Madia is reporting that pitching coordinator Joe Savino is going to follow O'Connor to Starkville to join his staff there.

Joe Savino, #UVa's pitching coordinator under Brian O'Connor, will follow O'Connor to join his staff at Mississippi State, a source told The Daily Progress.

— Greg Madia (@GregMadia) June 2, 2025

Earlier in the day, Madia reported that Travis Reifsnider, Virginia's director of player development and scouting under Brian O'Connor, will follow O'Connor to join his staff at Mississippi State.

According to Kendall Rogers at D1Baseball, Cavaliers assistant coach Kevin McMullan is leaving for Mississippi State as well.

This is a huge loss for UVA. O'Connor has been one of the best coaches in the country and replacing him is not going to be easy. This job should be attractive to a number of candidates, however. There is going to be a lot of staff turnover and roster turnover that this new coach is going to have to deal with and today is just evidence of it.

O'Connor had this to say about taking the job at Mississippi State:

"Mississippi State represents everything I love about college baseball — tradition, passion and a relentless pursuit of excellence. 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."

O'Connor took over the Virginia program in 2004 and quickly elevated it into a national power. In 22 seasons, he led the Cavaliers to: O'Connor's seven College World Series appearances are also the third most among active NCAA head coaches. Virginia had made just three NCAA appearances before his arrival. He also became the second-fastest coach in ACC history to reach 500 career wins.

O’Connor entered the 2025 season with a career record of 885-370-2 and a 362-234-1 record in ACC play. He is one of eight coaches in the history of the ACC to accumulate 700 wins and his .705 winning percentage is the highest among active NCAA coaches.