Since our last look at the hot board for Mississippi State baseball's coaching search, we've learned a few things. Georgia HC Wes Johnson officially signed a contract extension to stay in Athens, ending the speculation of his candidacy in Starkville. We also got reports that Auburn's Butch Thompson was unlikely to be a candidate for the State job. With that, two of the perceived upper-tier targets are off the hot board.
It's also been made increasingly clear that MSU is committed to hiring a sitting power conference HC. That puts names like UGA assistant Will Coggin and Troy HC Skylar Meade off the list, and it's brought a few new candidates into consideration.
But the biggest thing that's remained steady is that Mississippi State's No. 1 priority candidate is still very much an option, and things seem to be trending quite positively for the Bulldogs...
Virginia HC Brian O'Connor
There could not be more smoke around Brian O'Connor's name. At this point, all indications have made it clear that 1. He is MSU's top target 2. They're going all in to get him, and 3. He is interested in the job. It's very rare in this sport that a coach the caliber of O'Connor would leave a program where he's seen so much success (he's made seven trips to Omaha and won a national title), even for a job as good as State.
But with the changing landscape of college sports, UVA's future standing in baseball is in doubt. That gives O'Connor real reason to consider making the move and gives State it's best chance ever at hiring an elite coach.
Virginia isn't in a regional, so their season is over. With the transfer portal opening, they don't want this dragging out. They'll be making their own push to keep O'Connor in Charlottesville, something I imagine they're actively doing. If O'Connor is staying at UVA, I think (but don't know) that would be announced ASAP. But, and this is purely speculative on my part, if there's no word from their end within these next few days, I would interpret that as quite the positive development for MSU.
Oregon HC Mark Wasikowski
But what if it isn't Brian O'Connor? Even with all the smoke and the timing being right for him to move, it's not exactly going to be easy to pull him from a program he's been at since 2004. He could certainly choose to stay where he's comfortable. So where then would the Diamond Dawgs turn.
Oregon's Mark Wasikowski has gained quite a bit of traction as a contingency plan. A high-level assistant for many years under great Florida and Arizona HC Andy Lopez, Wasikowski has proven to be an outstanding HC. He took Purdue to just their third ever regional in 2018. In Eugene, he's built the Ducks' into a regular winner. They're in a regional for a fifth-straight season, having reached a super regional the last two years. This year they won the Big Ten and are the No. 12 national seed.
He hasn't broken through to reaching Omaha yet as a HC (that may very well change this year), but he's been an assistant on CWS teams. And despite mostly being a West Coast guy, he's been in the SEC before. Wasikowski is simply a fantastic coach, and if he's who State ultimately landed on, he would still be one of the best hires on paper the program has ever made.
Kansas HC Dan Fitzgerald
Another new name that's come up quite frequently in recent weeks is Dan Fitzgerald of Kansas. He's in his third season as the Jayhawks' skipper, and they've seen steady improvement into this year, which has been one of the program's best ever. They're in a regional for the first time since 2014, won 40+ games for the first time since 2006, and won 20 Big 12 games for the first time ever.
Fitzgerald's reputation is that of being an elite recruiter. He was Dan Heefner's recruiting coordinator and associate head coach at Dallas Baptist for many years before taking over the RC position at LSU in 2022. With ties to a highly-respected coach in Heefner, SEC experience, and success building up a poor KU program, it's clear why he'd be viewed as a viable candidate for a bigger job.
Dan Fitzgerald is a rising star in the coaching industry. He wouldn't be a sexy name, especially relative to the guys ahead of him. But he's well-regarded and would likely do very well if given the resources State is prepared to put forth.
Wake Forest HC Tom Walter
It really seems like all the conversation is centered around the three coaches above, as this search truly does look to have narrowed. But if there's one more name to keep under consideration at the moment, it's Wake Forest's Tom Walter. Walter has the Demon Deacons in a regional for the fourth-straight year and is two seasons removed from winning an ACC championship and going to Omaha.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Walter as a potential candidate in Starkville is whether or not he could bring his pitching coach, Corey Muscara, with him. Walter's tenure took off when he hired Muscara, who's considered one of the best at his job in the nation. If you could keep that duo intact at State, that would be quite formidable.