CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – An SEC program may have its sights set on long-time Virginia baseball coach Brian O’Connor.

O’Connor, who guided UVA to the 2015 national championship, is the “clear-cut front-runner” to replace Chris Lemonis at Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., according to d1baseball.com’s Kendall Rogers.

Rogers reports “a deal is not done yet.” Nothing is likely to be finalized with Lemonis’s eventual successor until the Bulldogs’ season ends. They’re currently playing in the Tallahassee Regional of the NCAA Tournament, with a game Friday night against Northeastern.

Baseball America is also reporting O’Connor is Mississippi State’s primary target.

The 54-year-old O’Connor is 917-388-2 in 22 seasons leading the Cavaliers. He’s guided UVA to seven College World Series appearances, including three times in the past five years, and won the 2015 national title. 

This year’s team went 31-25 and missed the NCAAs for the first time since 2019. 

Last season, Mississippi State lost to O’Connor and Virginia in the Charlottesville Regional. In April, the Bulldogs announced they were parting ways with Lemonis, the team’s coach since 2018. Lemonis went 232-135 in six-plus seasons in Starkville, leading Mississippi State to the 2021 national championship.