Brian O'Connor

After leading the Virginia baseball program to its first NCAA National Championship in 2015, five-time ACC Coach of the Year and three-time national coach of the year Brian O’Connor has built his program into a college baseball powerhouse and turned Virginia Baseball into a national brand. For his efforts, Virginia was named the ACC Program of the Decade and O’Connor was honored as the ACC Coach of the Decade by D1Baseball.com. It was announced in July that O’Connor will be a member of the 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame Class, the most prestigious honor given by the organization.

Now in his 21st season as head coach of the Cavaliers, O’Connor has put forth staggering numbers during his tenure:

· 2015 National Champions (first in program history & first ACC program since 1955)

· Six College World Series appearances (second most of any program since 2009) and two CWS Finals berths

· 14 straight NCAA tournament appearances (2004-2017)

· Nine NCAA regional championships

· Two ACC championships

· Five 50-win seasons

· 839 wins, including 623 wins since 2009 (fifth most in the nation)

O’Connor enters the 2024 season with a career record of 839-353-2 and a 344-222-1 record in ACC play. He is one of eight coaches in the history of the ACC to accumulate 700 wins and his .704 winning percentage is the highest among active NCAA coaches.

O’Connor guided Virginia to 14-consecutive NCAA tournament appearances from 2004-2017. Virginia is one of 16 programs ever to advance to an NCAA Regional 14-straight years. This success has led to record crowds, excitement and national exposure for Virginia Baseball, highlighted by the Cavaliers’ national championship in 2015.

A three-time National Coach of the Year, O’Connor is the second-fastest ACC coach to reach 500 career wins. He ranks eighth in ACC history in career wins, eighth in career ACC victories, fourth with 61 career NCAA tournament wins and tied for ninth with 30 ACC tournament wins.

His UVA teams have racked up 12 40-win seasons and played host to 10 NCAA regionals and six NCAA super regionals. Since 2009, UVA owns 50 NCAA tournament wins — tied for the sixth most in the nation.

Cavalier fans have flocked to UVA’s Disharoon Park in increasing, record numbers during the O’Connor tenure, prompting several stadium expansions to push the stadium seating capacity to nearly 6,000 in order to meet the rapidly intensifying demand. Virginia has ranked among the top 20 nationally in attendance in 12 of the last 14 seasons, including a program-best 154,507 fans in 2023 as UVA finished 13th in attendance. Since 2009, over one million fans have come out to Disharoon Park, including more than 100,000 in 11 of the last 14 years.

UVA has ranked among the top 40 in the nation in total home attendance and average home attendance in all 20 years of O’Connor’s tenure. To keep the facility among the elite in college baseball, Disharoon Park completed its $18.76 million expansion that included a foul pole to foul pole concourse, a field level club, a new hitting facility, a pitching lab, updated video breakdown facilities and baseball headquarters with coaches offices and meeting rooms.

O’Connor was named the National Coach of the Year in 2015 by the ABCA, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball and Perfect Game, marking the third year he has earned such an honor. He was tabbed the 2009 NCBWA and CollegeBaseballInsider.com National Coach of the Year and also was named the 2006 College Baseball Foundation Coach of the Year. He is a five-time recipient of ABCA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year laurels (2004, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015) and five-time ACC Coach of the Year honoree (2004, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014). O’Connor was inducted into the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in 2017.

Ninety-eight of O’Connor’s Virginia players have been selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft including 15 in the first round. Left-handed pitcher Danny Hultzen was taken second overall in the 2011 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners, marking UVA’s highest draft pick ever. Three Cavaliers were selected in the first round in 2014, the most of any program in the country. UVA was the only program in the nation to have at least one player chosen in the first round of the MLB Draft from 2014-18, including Pavin Smith and Adam Haseley, who were chosen back-to-back in the top 10 in 2017, marking the first position players from the same college to go in the top 10 since 1988. Since 2014, Virginia has had multiple players selected in the first two rounds seven times, the most in the country.

30 former Cavaliers have reached the major leagues after playing for O’Connor, highlighted by Washington Nationals’ all-star and Gold Glove third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. A program-record 14 former Cavaliers played in Major League Baseball in 2020 and four Cavaliers made their MLB debuts in 2020, tied for the most of any college baseball program.

Mark Reynolds (Arizona), Joe Koshansky (Colorado), Brandon Guyer (Tampa Bay), Michael Schwimer (Toronto), Mike Ballard (Baltimore), Sean Doolittle (Oakland), David Adams (New York Yankees), Phil Gosselin (Atlanta), Kyle Crockett (Cleveland), Chris Taylor (Seattle), Jarrett Parker (San Francisco), Tyler Wilson (Baltimore), John Hicks (Seattle), Derek Fisher (Houston), Danny Hultzen (Chicago Cubs), Branden Kline (Baltimore), Josh Sborz (Los Angeles Dodgers), Matt Thaiss (Los Angeles Angels), Adam Haseley (Philadelphia), Joe McCarthy (San Francisco) Brandon Waddell (Pirates), Pavin Smith (Diamondbacks), Tommy Doyle (Rockies), Alec Bettinger (Brewers), Daniel Lynch (Royals), Ernie Clement (Indians), Jake McCarthy (Diamondbacks), Bennett Sousa (Chicago White Sox) and Andrew Abbott (Cincinnati Reds) also have made it to baseball’s highest level after playing under O’Connor while at UVA.

A total of 10 players from the 2015 National Championship team have appeared in a Major League Baseball game.

In 2005 Zimmerman went on to make one of the quickest jumps ever to the major leagues – two months – and in 2009 became the first former Cavalier to play in the MLB All-Star Game. In 2014 Crockett became the first player from the 2013 MLB Draft to reach the big leagues. Doolittle, a two-time MLB All-Star, became the first former Cavalier pitcher to appear in the All-Star Game in 2014.

Doolittle and Zimmerman teamed up on the Washington Nationals in 2019 to bring home the franchise’s first World Series title. Taylor won his first World Series with the Dodgers in 2020. A Cavalier has played in the Fall Classic in five-straight seasons from 2016-2020, something no other college baseball program in the country accomplished in that span.

Ninety Virginia players have nabbed All-ACC honors under O’Connor, the second most of any ACC school since 2004. Joe Koshansky (2004), Sean Doolittle (2006) and Kyle Teel (2023) each were named ACC Player of the Year. Danny Hultzen earned ACC Pitcher of the Year honors in 2010 and 2011, while Nathan Kirby claimed the distinction in 2014. In 2009 Hultzen was tabbed ACC Freshman of the Year, and Joe McCarthy earned the award in 2013.

During O’Connor’s tenure, Virginia players have garnered 38 All-America honors, including Hultzen, who was a three-time First-Team All-American, and Doolittle, Papi, Matt Thaiss, Haseley and Jake Gelof, each of whom was a two-time All-American. In addition, 24 Cavaliers have claimed Freshman All-America distinctions.

Zimmerman, Doolittle, Thompson, Branden Kline, Thaiss, Jake McCarthy, Andrew Abbott, Kyle Teel, Nate Savino, Matt Wyatt, Griff O’Ferrall and Jay Woolfolk each played on USA Baseball collegiate national teams. Zimmerman led the U.S. to the gold medal at the World University Games in 2004, and Doolittle helped the Americans to a gold medal in 2006. Thompson notched a silver medal with Team USA at the 2007 Pan American Games. Kline was a member of the 2011 Collegiate National Team. Thaiss competed on the 2015 team, while McCarthy was on the 2017 squad. Teel, Savino and Wyatt all played on the same team in the summer of 2021, tied for the most of any college baseball program in the country.

The Cavaliers also have become a fixture in the national polls, highlighted by UVA’s first-ever No. 1 ranking in 2010. Virginia was ranked No. 1 by Baseball America for 12 weeks during the 2010 season and for a dozen more weeks in 2011. UVA reached the top of the polls again in 2014, spending 13 weeks at No. 1, and in 2015.

Virginia has succeeded in the classroom as well. In 2011 the UVA baseball program earned a public recognition award from the NCAA for its multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores. The APR provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport. Hultzen was a Capital One First-Team Academic All-American in 2011, while Tyler Wilson was the winner of the esteemed Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award for Baseball in 2011.

O’Connor stresses the importance of pitching, defense and fundamentals. UVA teams have thrived on the mound, with the Cavaliers posting the second lowest ERA in the country since 2004 (3.49). Virginia has ranked in the top 20 nationally 11 times (tied for the most in college baseball), including six top-three marks. The 2011 team led the nation with a 2.24 ERA, while the 2014 squad was second nationally at 2.23.

Defensively, the Cavaliers also have shined under O’Connor. UVA owns the best fielding percentage in the ACC since his arrival in 2004 (.973). Ten of his teams have ranked among the nation’s top 40 in fielding percentage. The 2014 Cavaliers set the program record for fielding percentage with a .981 mark, which ranked fourth nationally.

USA BASEBALL

During the summer of 2018, O’Connor joined forces with his former boss at Notre Dame and former LSU head coach Paul Mainieri on the staff of the U.S. Collegiate National Team. He served on Mainieri’s staff as the pitching coach alongside his former college coach Jim Hendry who was the team’s bench coach. Team USA went 12-3 on a three-week international tour that included games against Cuba, Chinese Taipei and Japan. Under O’Connor’s direction, the Team USA pitching staff sported a 2.06 ERA and recorded three shutouts.

YEAR-BY-YEAR

The 2023 season started off much like the 2022 season. Virginia got off to a red-hot start by winning its first 14 games and boasted the best 25-game start (23-2) in program history. Virginia was the last undefeated team left in college baseball at 14-0 and was the first team nationally to 30 wins. The Cavaliers went on to claim their first outright Coastal Division Title since 2011 after finishing 19-11 in ACC play, the most league wins since 2016. UVA won 44 regular season games, the second highest win total in program history. After earning the No. 7 national seed for the NCAA Tournament, UVA went 3-0 to win the Charlottesville Regional and came back to win the final two games of the Super Regional to qualify for the program’s sixth College World Series and second in the last three seasons. The Cavaliers enjoyed unprecedented success at home posting a school record and NCAA-best, 37 wins at Disharoon Park. The Cavaliers went unblemished against non-conference opponents in the regular season, with a 28-0 mark against non-ACC foes, the first NCAA team to accomplish the feat since 2016 and only the third since 2010. The Cavaliers finished with a 50-15 record, the program’s fifth 50-win season and were a consensus Top-8 team in the final national polls. Virginia once again boasted one of the most balanced teams in the country, co-leading the nation with a .332 team batting average and sporting the fourth-lowest ERA (3.81) of any staff in college baseball. UVA led the country in doubles (172) and hits (766).

Virginia enjoyed the best start in program history through its first 23 games, racing out to a 22-1 mark in 2022. The start saw the Cavaliers go unbeaten in its first 14 games for the second time in O’Connor’s tenure. The Cavaliers were carried by a plethora of power at the plate, blasting a Disharoon Park record 57 home runs in 34 home games. The Cavaliers were unranked going into the season and ascended as high as No. 3 midway through the year. The success at home also featured a program-record 19-game home win streak that dated back to the 2021 season and a new single-game attendance mark with 5,919 fans against Virginia Tech on Ryan Zimmerman Day (April 30, 2022). O’Connor moved into eighth place all-time on the ACC’s overall wins list after UVA completed a three-game sweep of North Carolina on April 24, 2022. Virginia ranked in the top-15 in the country in batting average (15th – .309), ERA (14th – 3.99), runs per game (13th – 8.6) and strikeouts per nine innings (13th – 10.5). Virginia reached its 16th NCAA Tournament O’Connor, taking a game from Coastal Carolina in the Greenville Regional before bowing out in the elimination game against the Chanticleers the following day. Three Cavaliers went on to earn All-America honors including Jake Gelof who set the single-season record for RBI in a season with 81.

After garnering a preseason ranking as high as No. 5 from Baseball America, the Cavaliers struggled out the gate in 2021, particularly in league play dropping 12 of its first 16 ACC contests. The Cavaliers turned their season around in dramatic fashion, closing out the regular season by winning 10 of the last 14 games and finished .500 in the ACC at 18-18. With their backs against the wall after dropping the Columbia Regional opener to host South Carolina, Virginia rallied with four-straight elimination game victories, capped by a Devin Ortiz walk-off home run in the 10th inning against Old Dominion in the Regional Final. The Cavaliers stayed in Columbia for a neutral site Super Regional matchup against Dallas Baptist. The Cavaliers once again dropped the opening game but rallied for back-to-back victories to clinch the program’s fifth berth into the College World Series. UVA went 1-2 in Omaha, including a one-run loss to eventual National Champion Mississippi State. At the end of the year, Virginia was ranked in the top-10 in every major top-25 poll and was as high as No. 6 according to Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, NCBWA and Perfect Game. Six Cavaliers were selected in the top 15 rounds for the fifth time in program history, led by second rounders, Andrew Abbott (53rd overall) and Zack Gelof (60th overall). The Virginia pitching staff ranked 14th in the country in ERA and fourth in strikeouts with a school-record, 687.

A season of promise was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic that shutdown all of college baseball. The Cavaliers were off to a 14-4 start and were 2-1 in the ACC after a weekend series win over previously unbeaten and No. 7 NC State. The Cavaliers won 13 of their 15 games at Disharoon Park. Virginia’s offense was flourishing ranking in the top-10 in scoring (9.0 rpg), runs (162), hits (187), triples (10) and home runs (22). Prior to the shutdown the Cavaliers had been ranked as high as No. 17 in Baseball America’s top-25 poll. First year Chris Newell was named the co-National Freshman of the Year by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper while he and classmate Max Cotier claimed freshman All-America honors. After leading the ACC in three offensive categories – total bases, slugging percentage and runs, Zack Gelof was a second team All-America choice by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

The 2019 season was highlighted by a vintage Cavalier late-season surge. Virginia won 10 of its last 14 regular-season games that included a pair of one-run road losses against then-No. 15 North Carolina. In the midst of that run, O’Connor etched his name in ACC lure, tallying his 700th career win with a 5-3 victory over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.  He is one of nine coaches ever to collect 700 wins while coaching an ACC program. Virginia enjoyed success once again in the MLB Draft with three selections. After posting the league’s 7th-best batting average, Tanner Morris was selected in the 5th round (147th overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays, continuing a streak of 10-straight seasons with a player selected in the first five rounds in each of the last 10 years. Only four other programs nationally have matched that feat.

A vision of O’Connor, his staff and Virginia administrators took shape at the beginning of the 2018 season with the completion of an $18.76 million expansion of Disharoon Park at Davenport Field. In the sixth home game of the year, six pitchers combined for an 11-inning no-hitter against William & Mary, the fourth in the O’Connor era. The Cavaliers were once against successful in the MLB Draft with six selections and an ACC-high, five in the first 10 rounds. First rounders Daniel Lynch and Jake McCarthy continued a stretch of five-straight seasons with a first round pick, unmatched by any program in college baseball.

Under O’Connor’s direction, Virginia qualified for its 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament and finished with 43 wins, the 11th time his club reached the 40-win mark. 2017 also marked a milestone year for O’Connor, recording his 600th career win, becoming the second fastest in ACC history to reach the 600-win plateau. Six Cavaliers were selected in the 2017 MLB Draft including Pavin Smith and Adam Haseley who went back-to-back, 7th and 8th overall, respectively. The duo became the first set of position players from the same college to be selected in the top 10 of an MLB Draft since 1988.

Virginia reached its 13th straight NCAA tournament in 2016 while hosting its ninth regional in the last 13 seasons. Three Cavaliers earned All-America honors: RHP Connor Jones, catcher Matt Thaiss and two-way standout Adam Haseley. After a slow start to the season, UVA caught fire in the back half of the ACC schedule, including a series win at then-No. 1 ranked Miami. Thaiss was UVA’s fifth first-round MLB Draft pick in the last three seasons, while Jones (second round) and shortstop Daniel Pinero (ninth) also were chosen in the draft.

After sustaining success throughout the O’Connor tenure, Virginia reached college baseball’s summit in 2015 with the program’s first national championship. As a No. 3 regional seed, UVA made a dramatic run to Omaha, capped by winning two of three games against Florida before ousting Vanderbilt in three games in the CWS Finals. The Cavaliers battled through a tumultuous, injury-riddled regular season, but caught fire in the postseason, winning the Lake Elsinore (Calif.) Regional before coming home to defeat Maryland twice to win the Charlottesville Super Regional. Despite numerous setbacks throughout the season, Virginia kept battling, and that never-say-die attitude was never more evident than in the postseason: UVA scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning or later in each of their 10 postseason wins, including each of their five wins in the CWS.

Virginia had one of the best years in program history in 2014, culminating with the program’s first trip to the College World Series Finals. UVA posted a 53-16 record – its fourth 50-win season in a five-year span – and won the Charlottesville Regional and Super Regional en route to its third trip to Omaha in the last six seasons. As the tournament’s No. 3 national seed, UVA won four games at the CWS in reaching the CWS championship game. Nathan Kirby earned First-Team All-America honors and was tabbed the Co-ACC Pitcher of the Year; he also was one of a record eight Cavaliers named to the All-ACC Team.

Pitching and defense propelled the Cavaliers, as UVA recorded the second-lowest ERA in program history (2.23) and the best fielding percentage in the school annals (.981). UVA ranked second nationally in ERA and fourth in fielding. Nick Howard set an ACC record with 20 saves and then was selected in the first round of the MLB Draft, one of eight Cavaliers to be drafted in 2014. Howard and Mike Papi joined Kirby as 2014 All-Americans.

Virginia went 50-12 in 2013 while playing host to an NCAA regional and super regional. UVA led the ACC in batting (.314) and ranked second nationally in runs (489) and third in scoring (7.9). Papi was named a First-Team All-American while becoming UVA’s first ACC batting champion since 1981. Kyle Crockett was tabbed a Third-Team All-American and finished his career with the second-lowest ERA in UVA history (1.98). Outfielder Joe McCarthy posted the highest batting average for a UVA freshman in 29 years and was tabbed the ACC Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American; he also was one of a league-high six Cavaliers on the All-ACC Team.

UVA played host to a regional in in 2012, going 39-19-1 and earning a second-place finish in the ACC Coastal Division. Branden Kline, Justin Thompson and Keith Werman each were named to the All-ACC team, while Derek Fisher was a unanimous selection as a freshman All-American.

Virginia set a program record with 56 victories in 2011, earning the No. 1 national seed in the NCAA Tournament and advancing to its second College World Series while winning ACC Tournament and Coastal Division championships. UVA went 56-12 and won its third straight NCAA regional title before taking the super regional against UC Irvine after a dramatic ninth-inning rally in Game 3. The Cavaliers posted two wins at the CWS before eventual national champion South Carolina eliminated UVA in a 13-inning contest.

While UVA’s pitching staff ranked first nationally in ERA, the Cavaliers recorded a .978 fielding percentage – at the time, a school record – and ranked among the top 20 nationally in batting. Seven Cavaliers were named All-ACC, with four claiming All-America honors – Hultzen, Kline, John Hicks and Will Roberts. The fan base continued to rally around the team as UVA averaged a program-best 3,298 fans per game (125,355 total).

In 2010, the Cavaliers posted a 51-14 record, setting a then-school record for wins in a season as well as ACC wins in a year (23). Record crowds packed Disharoon Park, leading to seating expansions on three separate occasions. Virginia averaged 3,148 fans per game, shattering the previous record by nearly 1,400 fans per game.

Virginia also earned its first-ever No. 1 national ranking in 2010 and held that distinction for 12 weeks during the season. The Cavaliers were a national seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time, with a No. 5 seed. UVA led the conference in batting (.331) for the second straight year and set school records in runs (525), doubles (160), triples (32) and total bases (1166). The Cavaliers also finished seventh nationally in fielding percentage with a then-school record mark of .977. In addition, seven Cavaliers were named to the All-ACC team, while Kevin Arico, Hultzen and Phil Gosselin also earned All-America honors.

In 2009, O’Connor guided Virginia to the program’s first College World Series berth while capturing the school’s third ACC championship and first regional and super regional crowns on the road to Omaha. Despite featuring a team with 23 underclassmen, the Cavaliers set 11 team records, including hits (767), runs (507) and strikeouts (593), while posting a 49-15-1 mark. Five players earned first-team All-ACC honors, with Hultzen and Parker each gleaning All-America laurels.

After a strong regular season, Virginia caught fire in the postseason, winning the ACC Baseball Championship with four wins in as many days. UVA then traveled to the NCAA Irvine Regional and impressively topped San Diego State and soon-to-be MLB No. 1 draft pick Stephen Strasburg before shutting down top-ranked UC Irvine twice on its home field to win the regional crown. The next week, the Cavaliers rebounded from an opening-game loss to Ole Miss to win the final two contests of the NCAA Oxford Super Regional in front of hostile crowds to take the super regional title and earn a berth in the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium.

While UVA advanced to the College World Series for the first time in 2009, the process of reaching Omaha started six years prior. O’Connor was named the head baseball coach at Virginia on July 8, 2003, and he and his staff wasted no time in propelling the program to new heights.

In O’Connor’s first season as head coach, the Cavaliers recorded a 44-15 overall record, 18-6 mark in the ACC and second-place ACC finish. The 18 wins were the most ever by a Cavalier team in league play at the time, and for the first time in school history, Virginia played host to an NCAA regional. Virginia swept five three-game series over conference foes, including a three-game sweep over Georgia Tech in Atlanta for the first time in school history. The Cavaliers also swept Clemson in three games for the first time since 1972.

UVA racked up another 40-win season in 2005, going 41-20 overall and 14-14 in the ACC. As the No. 7 seed in the ACC tournament, the Cavaliers went to the championship by knocking off three ranked opponents, including two wins over Clemson and a triumph over NC State. UVA posted nine wins over ranked opponents, including a three-game sweep of No. 4 Georgia Tech, which was UVA’s second straight regular-season sweep of the Yellow Jackets. The Cavaliers led the ACC in team ERA (2.74) for the second straight year.

O’Connor’s 2006 squad set a then-school record with 47 wins on its way to a 47-15 mark, including 21 conference wins. UVA finished third overall in the ACC and just one game behind division champion North Carolina while playing host to an NCAA Regional. Four players were named All-ACC, led by Sean Doolittle, who was the ACC Player of the Year. Four Cavalier freshmen were named Freshman All-Americans, tied for the most in the nation.

In 2007, Virginia boasted a 45-16 record and 19-9 mark in the ACC en route to a second-place finish in the ACC Coastal Division. The Cavaliers played host to an NCAA Regional and bowed out in the championship to eventual national champion Oregon State. Five Cavaliers earned All-ACC honors, while Jacob Thompson was a consensus first-team All-American and Doolittle earned second-team All-America laurels. UVA led the league and was third in the nation in ERA (2.81), led by Thompson with a league-best 1.50 mark. The Cavaliers also posted series wins at then No. 1-North Carolina and Clemson – UVA’s first series win ever at Clemson.

In 2008, Virginia reached the ACC Championship game and earned a fifth straight NCAA Regional bid. The Cavaliers went 39-23 overall and 15-15 in the ACC, and steadily improved throughout the season, catching fire in the ACC Baseball Championship, where they defeated No. 1 North Carolina and No. 4 Florida State in successive games. Michael Schwimer earned All-America honors, while Greg Miclat and Pat McAnaney nabbed all-conference laurels.

PRIOR TO VIRGINIA

O’Connor brought a wealth of baseball experience to Charlottesville when he arrived. He came to Virginia after spending nine seasons at Notre Dame (1995-2003) under current LSU coach Paul Mainieri, for whom he served as an assistant coach from 1995-2001 before earning a promotion to associate head coach in 2001. O’Connor was named the 2001 National Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America and was AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2003.

While at Notre Dame, O’Connor worked with the Fighting Irish pitchers and served as the program’s recruiting coordinator. As Notre Dame’s recruiting coordinator, he led the effort that landed a nine-member group ranked as the No. 1 recruiting class in the country in 2001, as well as the sixth-ranked recruiting class in 2003 according to Baseball America.

During O’Connor’s nine years at Notre Dame, the Irish compiled an overall record of 399-160-1 (.713), won six conference championships and made six trips to the NCAA Tournament. His last three Notre Dame teams were among the most successful in the school’s history. The Irish compiled an overall record of 45-18 in 2003, won the Big East Conference Championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament. In 2002, Notre Dame had an overall record of 50-18, won the Big East Championship and advanced to the College World Series. The 2001 Irish team was 49-13-1, ranked No. 1 in the nation at midseason and played in the NCAA tournament.

O’Connor, who pitched on Creighton’s 1991 College World Series team, tutored 17 eventual professional baseball pitchers, including 13 Major League Draft selections, at Notre Dame. He has a proven track record of developing pitchers into top-level prospects, including a pair of first-round selections – Brad Lidge in 1998 and Aaron Heilman in 2001 – who weren’t drafted in the first 40 rounds coming out of high school (Lidge was a 42nd-round pick, Heilman a 55th-rounder).

PERSONAL

A native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, O’Connor is a 1993 graduate of Creighton University. As a pitcher on the Creighton baseball team under then-CU head coach and former Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry, O’Connor posted a career record of 20-13 with seven saves and a 3.78 ERA. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, O’Connor was selected in the 29th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. He notched a 4-2 record with a 4.03 ERA for Martinsville (Va.) of the Appalachian Class-A League in 1993 before accepting a position as pitching coach at Creighton.

O’Connor is married to the former Cindy Petratis. The couple has three children – two daughters, Ellie and Maggie, and a son, Dillon.

VIRGINIA COACHING RECORD