Coach Brian O’Connor is leaving Virginia baseball after 22 seasons and heading to Mississippi State, according to sources close to the team who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
In a written message to the team, which was shared with The Cavalier Daily, O’Connor announced that he was taking the head coaching position at Mississippi State.
“I have chosen to accept this opportunity because I need a new challenge and am excited about this next chapter of my life,” O’Connor said.
There was speculation over the past week that the Virginia coach was a frontrunner for the Mississippi State position. Now, he will officially head there to Starkville. O’Connor also said that senior leadership — associate head coach Kevin McMullan, assistant coach Matt Kirby and Justin Armistead, associate athletic director for baseball administration — will be joining him at Mississippi State.
O’Connor, just the program’s third coach since 1962, is Virginia’s all-time wins leader with 917 victories. He also ranks first in program history in winning percentage, ACC wins and winning percentage, ACC Tournament wins and winning percentage and NCAA Tournament wins and winning percentage. Moreover, under O’Connor, over 100 former Cavaliers have been selected in the MLB Draft.
In his written statement to the team, O’Connor said that at Virginia, he had been lucky to work alongside a group of dedicated players and coaching staff.
“I want to thank each of you for your dedication, tireless work and loyalty during our time together,” O’Connor said. “You and the many players before you have made Virginia baseball what it is, as you have heard me say before — it is the players that make the program what it is.”
O’Connor’s departure marks the end of the most successful era in program history. O’Connor noted that Virginia’s administration will put together a plan for his replacement and communicate with the program.
In 2025, the Cavaliers finished with a 32-18 record and missed the NCAA Tournament for the third time under O’Connor. The season was a difficult one, as Virginia was bogged down by inconsistent pitching and a plague of slumps to offensive mainstays.
Meanwhile, Mississippi State went 36-24 and reached the NCAA Tournament before being eliminated from the Tallahassee Regional by Florida State Sunday.
Virginia Athletics did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
