Newly minted Mississippi State skipper Brian O’Connor will have some continuity on his inaugural staff, keeping Justin Parker on as the program’s pitching coach and bringing longtime Virginia assistant coach Matt Kirby to Starkville.
Parker spent the last two years in the same position under former head coach Chris Lemonis. He also served as the interim head coach for the last six weeks of the 2025 season upon Lemonis’ termination, helping the team surge at the right time to land in an NCAA regional.
“Justin is one of the most respected pitching minds in college baseball and he cares deeply about Mississippi State Baseball,” O’Connor said in the announcement. “He has an ability to recruit, communicate with the players and develop elite pitchers. I know Justin will put everything he has into our pitchers, both as young men and baseball players.”
Parker helped engineer a turnaround on the mound for the Bulldogs across his first year in 2024. In that season, MSU improved their team ERA by nearly three runs for an end-of-season mark of 4.17 – the 13th-best number in the country.
In the 2025 campaign, the Bulldogs ranked fourth nationally in strikeouts per innings (11.8), eighth nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.05), and 14th nationally in WHIP (1.29).
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The second piece to the new staff is also a familiar one in Kirby, who spent 14 years on staff at Virginia under O’Connor’s leadership. His primary responsibilities included working with catchers, outfielders, and on the recruiting trail.
“Matt has been a steady and trusted presence throughout my time as a head coach,” O’Connor said. “He’s an elite teacher, recruiter, communicator, and innovative thinker who has helped build championship teams. He will pour everything he has into Mississippi State, and I’m glad that he is joining our efforts in Starkville.”
While in Charlottesville, Kirby helped the Cavaliers reach the NCAA Tournament nine times, winning five regional titles and the 2015 national championship.
