Mississippi State interim head coach staying with team under new coach

Newly hired Mississippi State coach Brian O’Connor has announced the first members of his coaching staff and one name will make plenty of Bulldog fans happy.

Justin Parker, who was the teams’ pitching coach before taking over as interim coach in April when Chris Lemonis was fired, will be staying in Starkville as the Bulldogs’ pitching coach. Parker helped lead Mississippi State into the NCAA Tournament, going 9-1 to end the regular season and was 2-2 in the Tallahassee NCAA Regional.

"Justin is one of the most respected pitching minds in college baseball and he cares deeply about Mississippi State Baseball," O'Connor said. "He has an ability to recruit, communicate with the players and develop elite pitchers. I know Justin will put everything he has into our pitchers, both as young men and baseball players.  I am excited for us to get to work." 

Parker has been at Mississippi State since 2024 as the team’s pitching coach. In that first season, he improved their team ERA by nearly three runs (2.84), reduced walks by 104, and added 101 strikeouts from the prior year. Mississippi State posted a 4.17 ERA (the 13th-best mark in the nation and fourth-best in the SEC) while totaling 639 strikeouts, the ninth most in the country.

This past season, Mississippi State finished fourth nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (11.8), No. 8 nationally and No. 5 in the SEC in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.05), and No. 14 nationally and No. 6 in the SEC in WHIP (1.29).

Rumors around who O’Connor would select for his pitching coach had centered around Parker and Wake Forest pitching coach Corey Muscara. But Thursday’s announcement, a few hours before O’Connor’s welcome party at Dudy Noble Field, ended them.

Taylor’s Opinion Time

This is a very, very smart decision by O’Connor.

Parker took over a Mississippi State team was being listed in “first four out” NCAA Tournament projections and turned into a team that’s only drama on Selection Monday was what regional it was headed to.

That, plus the work he’s done with Mississippi State pitchers the last two seasons, has made him popular among the fans. Choosing Parker gives O’Connor even more goodwill amongst the fans.

Also, it’s a great show of gratitude for the work Parker has done and will go a long ways towards helping O’Connor build relationships with the players.

Two Virginia Coaches Joining O’Connor in Starkville

Kevin McMullan, who has worked with O’Connor for more than two decades, has officially been named an associate head coach and Matt Kirby (who spent 14 seasons at Virginia) was announced as an assistant coach.

"Mac has set the standard in player development for as long as I've known him," O'Connor said. "His record helping to make these young men better baseball players and better people is unmatched in college baseball. He is an elite recruiter, develops winners and brings a tireless work ethic to our program. I am very happy that Mac is coming to Mississippi State, and I am excited that it sends a powerful message about the vision we have for this program."

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