University News

Brian O’Connor Era Ends at UVA

After 22 successful seasons at the University of Virginia, Brian O’Connor is headed elsewhere to continue his college baseball coaching career.

The 54-year-old was hired Sunday for the same position at Mississippi State University, ending a two-decade run of dominance in Charlottesville highlighted by seven appearances in the College World Series and the 2015 national championship.

O’Connor’s teams made the NCAA Tournament 18 times, won nine regional titles and two Atlantic Coast Conference championships. The winningest coach in UVA history went 917-388-2 in charge of the Wahoos. He was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2024.

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“We are extremely grateful to Coach Brian O’Connor for his 22 years of outstanding leadership and service, not only to our baseball program, but to the University and Charlottesville communities,” UVA Director of Athletics Carla Williams said in a statement. “He established Virginia Baseball as the model for everything important to this community, including his incredible development of young men on and off the field and his commitment to integrity, hard work and academics.

“Coach O’Connor built a national championship program, and that legacy is driving very strong interest in the position. We are indebted to him and his family for their dedication to the University of Virginia.”

Williams added a national search for O’Connor’s successor began moments after he informed her of his decision on Sunday evening.

“And we are making significant progress,” she said. “With the tremendous support from our donors and fans over the last two decades, we look forward to hiring a head coach that will build upon the excellence that currently exists and continue competing for championships.”

UVA President Jim Ryan said he's "deeply grateful to Coach O'Connor for his decades of service to student-athletes at UVA."

"He has built a thriving baseball program that has brought crowds to Disharoon Park and delighted its many fans," Ryan said. "He’s a coach that cares about winning the right way, and I wish him the best as he continues his legendary career.”