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Why Brian O’Connor retained Justin Parker as Mississippi State baseball pitching coach

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Why Brian O’Connor retained Justin Parker as Mississippi State baseball pitching coach


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  • New Mississippi State baseball coach Brian O’Connor retained interim coach Justin Parker as pitching coach.
  • O’Connor was impressed with Parker’s pitching staff during the Charlottesville Regional matchup between Mississippi State and Virginia last season.

This story was updated to change a photo.

STARKVILLE — New Mississippi State baseball coach Brian O’Connor brought two assistant coaches with him from Virginia, Kevin McMullan and Matt Kirby. However, he picked one MSU assistant to stay with him on staff.

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The Bulldogs retained Justin Parker as the pitching coach. The news was announced just hours before O’Connor’s introduction at Dudy Noble Field on June 5.

Parker was the interim MSU coach after Chris Lemonis was fired on April 28. He led the Bulldogs to a 9-1 finish to the regular season and an NCAA tournament at-large bid.

“I felt like that we really needed on this staff, somebody who had connections in the southeast from a recruiting standpoint,” O’Connor, hired on June 1, said. “A couple of things in Justin Parker’s favor is that he’s coached four years in the SEC. He knows this league.”

O’Connor also recalled last season’s Charlottesville Regional where Mississippi State and Virginia played each other twice. The Cavaliers won both games, but O’Connor said he was impressed with Parker’s pitching staff.

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He mentioned Parker’s development with young pitchers, specifically Charlie Foster, Ryan McPherson and Dane Burns.

“Not only is he a developer of their skill and going to help them not only win for Mississippi State, but also be successful after their time here, I happen to feel he’s also a good man,” O’Connor said, who’d been the Virginia coach since 2004. “That is the fiber of what he’s about, is what I’m about.”

O’Connor’s hiring was announced an hour after the MSU season ended in the Tallahassee Regional. The team bussed back to Starkville the next day, where O’Connor was already there. O’Connor said he’s completed 30-minute exit interviews with every player on the team that has eligibility, but also spent time with Parker. He said they’ve been together on six different occasions since June 2 ranging from 30 minutes to two hours.

“I certainly had conversations with other candidates and things like that,” O’Connor said. “That’s part of the process, right? But ultimately landed on he is the man that is most qualified and best here at Mississippi State to lead this pitching staff moving forward.”

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Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.



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Mississippi

Mississippi College Baseball Wins Series vs. West Florida for First Time

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Mississippi College Baseball Wins Series vs. West Florida for First Time


Mississippi College baseball has won the series against West Florida for the first time ever

The Choctaws have been playing UWF since 2015

MC won the first two games and put on a bit of a comeback in game 3

Next: GSC at Delta St., then Conference Tournament

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George County High School senior killed in Highway 26 crash, MHP says

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George County High School senior killed in Highway 26 crash, MHP says


GEORGE COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) — A George County High School senior is dead after an SUV hit him while bicycling on Highway 26 Friday night.

Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) officials said at 8:15 p.m. the MHP responded to a fatal crash on Highway 26 in George County.

Those officials said a Ford SUV traveling west on Highway 26 collided with 18-year-old Tyree Bradley of McLain, Mississippi, who was bicycling.

Bradley was fatally injured and died at the scene, MHP officials said.

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The crash remains under investigation by the MHP.

See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.

Copyright 2026 WLOX. All rights reserved.



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Mississippi State Drops Series Opener at Texas A&M Despite Late Chances

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Mississippi State Drops Series Opener at Texas A&M Despite Late Chances


Some losses feel like they drag on longer than the box score suggests, and Mississippi State’s 3-1 opener at Texas A&M fits that category.

 It wasn’t a blowout. It wasn’t a game where the Bulldogs looked outmatched.

It was just one of those nights where the early mistakes stuck around and the offense never quite found the swing that could shake them loose.

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The frustrating part is how quickly the hole formed. Two solo homers and a wild pitch in the first two innings put Mississippi State behind 3-0, and that was basically the ballgame.

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Against a top tier SEC team on the road, spotting three runs that early is a tough ask. The Bulldogs didn’t fold, but they also didn’t cash in when the door cracked open.

“I liked our fight. I think we’re really just working through some things offensively, and trying to stay together,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. “This team still believes, and we’re going to battle and fight every chance we get, and I think I saw a lot of that. I’m encouraged for what that means for us moving forward, but, you know, they’re a good hitting team, and we’ve got to be able to shut them down early. I don’t think Peja [Goold] had her best stuff, but she continued to battle out there and find ways to get outs.”

They had chances. Two runners stranded in the fifth. Two more in the sixth. Another in the seventh. Des Rivera finally got the Bulldogs on the board with an RBI single, but the big hit that usually shows up for this lineup never arrived.

It wasn’t a lack of traffic. It was a lack of finish.

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If there was a bright spot, it came from the bullpen. Delainey Everett gave Mississippi State exactly what it needed after the rocky start.

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“That was just a huge relief appearance by Delaney to keep us in it,” Ricketts said. “It’s really good to have her back and healthy these last few weeks because these are the moments where we really need her and rely on her. We know that she’s going to be a big part of the remainder of the season going forward as well.”

Three hitless innings, one baserunner, and a reminder that she’s quietly putting together a strong stretch.

There were individual positives too. Nadia Barbary keeps climbing the doubles list. Kiarra Sells keeps finding ways on base.

But the bigger picture is simple. Mississippi State is now 6-10 in the SEC, and the margin for error is shrinking. Nights like this one are the difference between climbing back into the race and staying stuck in the middle.

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They get another shot this morning with the schedule bumped up for weather. The formula isn’t complicated.

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Clean up the early innings, keep getting quality relief, and find one or two timely swings. The Bulldogs didn’t get them Friday. They’ll need them today.

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