Mississippi State announces next baseball coach shortly after season ends

A lot will be written about O’Connor and the expectations that await him in Starkville, but let’s get two things on record right away:

• Those reports earlier this week about O’Connor being the front-runner were more than just reports. They were indicators that Mississippi State had made its decision and offer and it’s candidate accepted. How else could you explain a public welcome event scheduled in the official announcement?
• This is the splashiest of hires Mississippi State could make and is a hiring that cement’s Mississippi State as on of the nation’s premier college baseball programs.

“This is a defining moment for Mississippi State Baseball,” Mississippi State Athletics Director Zac Selmon said.

There weren’t any major leaks in the Bulldogs’ coaching search, but one thing everyone knew and hoped for was that this hire would be a big one.

Nobody will ever pull off what Texas did last year in hiring its rival schools’ coach less than a few days after that coach lost a national championship game.

But what Mississippi State has done comes pretty close.

The Bulldogs will welcome a coach with 917 wins, a national championship, seven College World Series appearances (including three out of the last five), and is a three-time national coach of the year award winner.

"Brian O'Connor is one of the most respected and accomplished coaches in college baseball,” Selmon said in the official announcement. “He's a national champion, a Hall of Famer, and a proven leader with a track record of building a championship-caliber program.”

The fact both Selmon and Mississippi State University president Dr. Mark E. Keenum had quotes included in the school’s official announcement tells us the plan all along was the announcement to be made after the Bulldogs’ season came to an end and not a moment sooner.

It’s great timing, too. The NCAA transfer portal opens for all student-athletes today and will remain open until July 1. The transfer portal class O’Connor brings in will go a long in determining the level of success Mississippi State has next year.

And that should excite Bulldog fans everywhere.

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