Virginia transfer LHP William Kirk commits to Mississippi State

Former Virginia left-handed pitcher William Kirk has committed to Mississippi State via the NCAA Transfer Portal. He is following the lead of Brian O’Connor, who left Virginia earlier this offseason to become Mississippi State’s next head coach.

Last season was Kirk’s first at Virginia. He didn’t see any action for the Cavaliers. However, Kirk boasts serious potential.

William Kirk played high school baseball Ramsey High School (NJ), where he was the No. 6 overall player and No. 1 LHP from New Jersey in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to Perfect Game. As a senior at Ramsey, Kirk went 5-0 with a 0.22 ERA in 26 appearances.

At the plate, Kirk posted a .481 batting average with nine home runs and 38 RBIs. For his efforts, he was named the 2024 Gatorade New Jersey Baseball Player of the Year.

Now, Kirk will look to make a massive impact on the field at Mississippi State. He will be far from the only fresh face on the Bulldogs’ roster next season. Kirk is the 12th transfer to commit to Mississippi State this offseason, and the fourth player to come directly from Virginia.

Clearly, Kirk and his fellow former Cavaliers weren’t ready to say goodbye to Brian O’Connor. O’Connor had been the head coach at Virginia since 2004. In his 22 seasons at the helm, O’Connor amassed a stunning 913-392-2 record.

He led the Cavaliers to two regular season conference championships, two ACC Tournament titles and a College World Series championship in 2015, the program’s only national title. He was named the ACC Coach of the Year five times and reeled in multiple national coach of the year awards.

Despite reaching the CWS in the previous two seasons, Virginia failed to reach the NCAA Tournament this year after posting a 31-25 overall record and a 12-18 mark in conference play. In turn, O’Connor accepted an offer to coach at Mississippi State shortly after Virginia was excluded from postseason play.

“Mississippi State represents everything I love about college baseball — tradition, passion and a relentless pursuit of excellence,” O’Connor said. “I’ve coached against this program and followed it closely for years. The atmosphere at Dudy Noble Field is nationally recognized as the best in the sport.

“I’m incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead a program with this kind of legacy and fan base. Mississippi State has set the standard in college baseball, and I can’t wait to get to work, build relationships and compete for championships in Starkville.”