Mississippi
Inside Brian O’Connor’s first month as Mississippi State baseball coach: Ace Reese and more
Brian O’Connor introduced as new Mississippi State baseball coach
Watch Brian O’Connor’s first news conference as the Mississippi State baseball coach.
STARKVILLE — Brian O’Connor describes the first month on the job as the new Mississippi State baseball coach as “great” but also a “storm of a bunch of things at once.”
O’Connor, 54, was hired on June 1 after 22 seasons at Virginia. It came an hour after the Bulldogs’ season ended in the Tallahassee Regional.
The transfer portal opened the next day. His formal introduction was June 5 at Dudy Noble Field. One day later, the House Settlement was approved, allowing schools to directly pay athletes via revenue sharing beginning July 1.
All of that has impacted what MSU has done in the last month. O’Connor and his staff have been working the phones, travelling across the country and hosting visitors in order to retool the roster not just for next season, but future ones too.
They also worked to retain key players from the 2025 team, like Ace Reese. He did all of this while attempting to get acclimated to a new life in Starkville.
O’Connor spoke with The Clarion Ledger on July 3 in a nearly 20-minute interview to discuss his first month as the Bulldogs coach. He discussed keeping Reese at Mississippi State, remaining needs in the transfer portal and how he’s becoming familiar with Starkville — including double-digit visits to the same well-known breakfast restaurant.
“I’ve just kind of taken the attitude of, ‘Hey, bring it on, what’s next and what’s most important now,’ ” he said.
What Brian O’Connor said of Ace Reese transfer rumors
Rumors circulated before the transfer portal closed on July 1 that Reese, the SEC Newcomer of the Year, could be entering the portal. The third baseman has one more year until he’s eligible for the MLB draft, making him possibly one of the top returning players in the country.
Even though Reese announced on June 6 that he’d be returning to Mississippi State, it still put fans on edge until the portal finally closed. Reese batted .371 this season with 21 home runs and 66 RBIs while leading the SEC in the regular season in total bases (161) and slugging percentage (.767).
“Nobody knows where those come from,” said O’Connor of the rumors. “Are they put forth by other people outside of Mississippi State? Nobody knows. Sometimes rumors are put out there to create doubt.
“But, I’ll tell you the month of June, it wasn’t just Ace Reese. It was other players too that you’re spending time (with) them getting to know me and what my beliefs are as a man and as a leader of the program, but also to what we believe in from a development standpoint. You’re constantly having conversations.”
O’Connor said he’s flown up to Massachusetts to visit the Cape Cod League where current players and transfers are playing this summer, plus there are high school recruits in the area. He also went to Cary, North Carolina where the US National Team is located. Mississippi State has Reese, Ryan McPherson and Tomas Valincius — a Virginia pitching transfer — all on the collegiate team.
“I never want to speak for a player, but Ace Reese shared with me that he 100% believes that Mississippi State is the right place for him to continue his career,” O’Connor said.
What Brian O’Connor says are remaining needs in transfer portal
Mississippi State has acquired 15 players from the transfer portal as of July 3. Meanwhile, 14 MSU players have transferred out. Many of those players coming to MSU are following O’Connor from Virginia. Some of the transfers might not make it to MSU, though, if they are picked in the MLB draft and sign professional contracts. The draft starts July 13.
O’Connor said that the Bulldogs are still looking at adding a catcher, an infielder and an “athletic bat” in the outfield.
“That doesn’t mean we’re for sure going to acquire them,” he said. “We’re entertaining it because you have to be thoughtful about all the different scenarios with regards to the draft because you still have a roster limitation. Everybody in college baseball is kind of in the same realm right now.”
Brian O’Connor’s adjustment to Starkville
Even with the busy month of recruiting and travelling, O’Connor also had to work through the regular onboarding process for employees. And just like any other new employee at a company, onboarding is not always completely smooth.
His computer, for example, wasn’t able to print documents when he first started. Anything he wanted printed had to be emailed to another staff member with a working computer.
“Just little hiccups that you go through,” O’Connor said. “Now, I have a new computer, and as of yesterday, I was so excited. This morning, I was actually able to print some of these documents that I need for recruiting and stuff.”
Hosting recruits, he said, has also allowed him time to see Starkville a bit more than he did in the first week.
“I never would have thought that I could’ve already had 10 breakfasts at the Starkville Cafe,” O’Connor said. “I think I’ve had three or four at Bluto’s (Greek Tavern). … Many evenings at 10 or 11 o’clock at night, I do take a 30-40 minute walk through campus, just to kind of let go a little bit. That’s been a really enjoyable time for me.”
O’Connor has three kids with his wife, Cindy. One of their daughters, Ellie, works as the assistant to the AD at Florida for Scott Stricklin. Stricklin was the Mississippi State athletic director from 2010-16. Their son, Dillon, will be a senior in high school next year and is committed to play baseball at James Madison.
The plan is for Cindy and Dillon to live in Virginia for one more year until Dillon finishes high school.
“I haven’t looked at houses or where we’re going to live or anything like that,” O’Connor said. “That’s down the road. I need to take care of first and foremost what needs to be done.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Governor: At least 47 homes, 50 roads damaged by Mississippi storms, flooding – SuperTalk Mississippi
Gov. Tate Reeves has released updated damage assessments following the severe weather and flooding that inundated parts of southern Mississippi last week.
According to Reeves, assessments through the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency are ongoing, and disaster aid is still being distributed through a mix of federal, state, and local agencies, along with nonprofits. But numbers as of Monday morning showed dozens of homes and businesses damaged and even more public roads affected.

Among the counties with significant impacts are Covington, Forrest, George, Greene, Hancock, Jackson, Pearl River, Perry and Stone. Across those counties and others, at least 47 homes were affected, seven of which were completely destroyed. Nine businesses sustained damaged, six of which are considered major. One farm sustained major damage.
50 public roadways were affected, including four that are considered major and four that were completely destroyed. Two bridges sustained major damage, while two public buildings sustained minor damage.
Reeves said two rivers are in the moderate flood stage – Leaf River near McClain and the Pascagoula River at Graham Ferry.
15 other waterways are in the minor flood stage: Big Black River near Bentonia, Biloxi River near Lyman, Chickasawhay River at Enterprise, Chickasawhay River at Leakesville, East Hobolochitto Creek near Caesar, Pascagoula River at Merrill, Pearl River at Jackson, Pearl River near Pearl River, Pearl River near Philadelphia, Pearl River at Rockport, Strong River at D’Lo, Tallahala Creek at Laurel, Tuscolameta Creek at Laurel, West Hobolochitto Creek near McNeill, and Wolf River around Gulfport.


Damage reports could have worsened on Monday with additional rounds of severe weather in some parts of the state. The worst of the storms and floods came with the remnants of what was Tropical Storm Arthur late last week and into the weekend.
Mississippi
Family of 1-year-old killed by police at a Walmart in Mississippi wants video released
(AP) – A Mississippi family whose 1-year-old child was killed when police fired into a moving vehicle said Monday they want authorities to release video showing whether officers were in danger of being struck when one of them opened fire.
The shooting has sparked outrage in the small city of Senatobia, where some say it’s the latest in a series of troubling encounters between police and Black residents.
Kohen Wiley was riding with his mother and another woman in a Walmart parking lot on June 14 when police responded to a shoplifting call. The family says they were driving away, while the officers say the car was heading toward them.
“I watched my baby take his first breath, and I watched my baby take his last breath,” Vellesiya Wiley said at a news conference Monday.
The other woman in the car, whose name has not been released, suffered “critical injuries,” according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which is handling the inquiry.
Standing alongside Kohen’s parents and grandparents at a local church, civil rights attorney Ben Crump told reporters Monday that the best way to determine whether the officers were at risk is to publicly release any body camera, dash camera or Walmart security camera video.
“If that is the truth, then show us that,” Crump said. “The longer you delay releasing the video, the more distrustful we become.”
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation declined to comment on what videos investigators have or whether they would be released, agency spokesperson Bailey Martin said Monday.
“This case has been made a top priority,” Martin said in an emailed statement, “and we currently have multiple agents working tirelessly to ensure every aspect of the investigation is thoroughly examined.”
The agency says the officers weren’t hurt. Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford did not return a phone message seeking comment Monday.
State investigators gave an initial account of the shooting last week, saying that when Senatobia police arrived at the Walmart, they found two women and a child getting into a car and driving away.
“Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one. An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene,” the agency statement said.
Kohen’s mother has said the shoplifting call was over a box of diapers that her friend was carrying — and that she believes her friend had paid for the diapers. State investigators declined to comment on those details.
Crump questioned why police didn’t let the car go and take down the license plate number.
“They were called over a box of diapers and a family now has to bury their baby,” Crump said Monday. “You cannot put those two things next to each other and call it reasonable policing.”
Crump also said an independent autopsy would be performed.
While there’s no question the child was shot by police, he said, details about the angles at which any bullets struck the child could yield clues as to whether the officer fired from in front of the car or off to the side — and therefore whether that officer was in any danger.
Policing expert Ian Adams, who teaches criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, told The Associated Press last week that police should know that “shooting into a moving vehicle is a very bad idea and one to be avoided at almost all costs,” noting the danger to passengers and other bystanders.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Mississippi
Mississippi Association of Coaches Inducts Six New Members
Six new members were inducted into the Mississippi Association Coaches Hall of Fame on Friday.
Five electees and one surprise honorary inductee announced at the evening’s end.
Each says the MAC HOF is a special one and this is the ultimate honor for a coach in Mississippi.
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