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_.
Inside the new Lego retailer, Bricks & Minifigs
Customers can buy or sell Legos and get individual bricks at the new store in Montrose.
Shoppers visiting Renaissance at Colony Park later this month will notice a big change.
Apple is moving to a new and larger store within the Ridgeland shopping center, while LEGO plans to take over Apple’s current location once the move is complete, according to Apple and other industry sources.
Apple has announced that its new store will open July 24 near the development’s Show Fountain. The company is not leaving Ridgeland. Instead, it is moving to a new location a short distance away inside Renaissance at Colony Park.
The company has operated a store at Renaissance for more than a decade. Once Apple moves into its new store, LEGO plans to open in the company’s former space. The addition will bring another well-known international brand to central Mississippi and give LEGO fans a dedicated store in the Jackson metro area.
It is another win for Ridgeland with last week’s announcement that a Dave & Buster’s that will be located at the PradoVista development near Topgolf. A site plan and architectural review for Dave & Buster’s was approved at the Ridgeland Board of Aldermen meeting on Tuesday, July 7.
Renaissance at Colony Park continues to thrive
Over the years, the center has attracted a mix of national retailers, restaurants and specialty stores. Previous developments at Renaissance have included luxury retailers, popular restaurant chains and entertainment options that draw shoppers from across Mississippi and neighboring states.
Apple’s new location will continue offering product sales, technical support and repair services. Customers will also be able to attend the company’s “Today at Apple” classes and workshops, which provide free lessons on photography, video, music and other topics.
Apple has not released details about the size of the new store. The Ridgeland project is one of several store moves announced this summer.
Renaissance keeps storefront
For Renaissance, the deal works in several ways.
Apple stays at the shopping center and receives a newer storefront. At the same time, the center fills Apple’s former location with another high-profile retailer instead of leaving the space vacant.
LEGO stores are often considered destination retailers because customers will drive long distances to visit them. Families, collectors and hobbyists frequently seek out official LEGO stores for exclusive products and special events.
For shoppers, the most immediate change will be Apple’s July 24 opening. Customers who need repairs, technical help or product purchases will be directed to the new store after the move.
LEGO has not yet announced an opening date.
Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi leaders across the board are reflecting on the legacy of service Sen. Lindsey Graham had in Washington, D.C.
3 On Your Side spoke on the phone with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith who shared that Graham treated her like a little sister when she arrived to the Senate.
Their friendship grew outside of work, but one thing she’ll really cherish is the teamwork they developed to get things done with President Donald Trump.
“There were times he would come to me and say, OK sister, you’re going to have to break this news to Trump. If it was a difficult situation, he would say you got to soften him up, you call him and then I’ll call him after you but you’re the one that’s going to have to take care of this. Or you’ve got to go to Mar-a-Lago and handle this, but we were a pretty good team together because we were both close to the President,” said Sen. Hyde-Smith.
Sen. Hyde-Smith added, since coming to Washington, D.C., she looked up to Sen. Graham like an older brother in the chamber.
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STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball signee Landon Brown will play for the Bulldogs instead of signing a pro contract, he told the Clarion Ledger on July 12 during the 2026 MLB Draft.
Brown, a right-handed pitcher from Rosharon, Texas, was ranked as the No. 77 prospect by MLB.com. He pitched and played corner infield for Iowa Colony while winning Brazoria County Player of the Year.
He won’t be eligible again for the MLB draft until 2029.
Brown is 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. He has a fastball that reaches 98 mph as part of a four-pitch mix. He also throws a slider, cutter and splitter.
Brown committed to Mississippi State in 2024 under previous coach Chris Lemonis.
He is the third high school draft prospect to reveal he will play for MSU instead of signing a pro contract. Shortstop Noah Danza withdrew from the MLB draft before it began, and pitcher Denton Lord announced after the fifth round that he was heading to Mississippi State.
Three Mississippi State signees were drafted in the first 10 rounds: shortstop Rocco Maniscalco, catcher Will Brick and outfielder Martin Shelar.
Landon Brown stats
- 66⅔ innings
- 0.63 ERA
- 110 strikeouts
- 13 walks
- .424 batting average
- 13 home runs
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
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