Virginia OF, C James Nunnallee enters NCAA Transfer Portal

Virginia freshman James Nunnallee has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal with a “do not contact” tag. He was a utility player for Virginia this past season, playing in the outfield, infield and behind home plate as the team’s catcher.

In 142 at-bats this season, Nunnallee recorded a .296/.407/.401 slash line. He finished his debut campaign with 42 hits, including 12 doubles and a home run, for 26 RBI’s. He also took 18 walks in comparison to striking out 13 times.

James Nunnallee played high school baseball at Lightridge (VA). He was the No. 291 overall player and No. 54 outfielder in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to Perfect Game.

Nunallee will be far from the last Virginia player to enter the transfer portal this offseason. After the Cavaliers didn’t receive an NCAA Tournament bid, longtime head coach Brian O’Connor accepted an offer to take over at Mississippi State.

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.

O’Connor also led Virginia to seven appearances in the CWS (2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2023, 2024). For his efforts, he’s been 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 season after posting a 31-25 overall record and a 12-18 mark in conference play. O’Connor was understandably disappointed in his team’s exclusion from the tournament.

“They were heartbroken and they should be,” O’Connor said of his team. “They knew we were on the bubble. They knew that this could happen, but they believed; they had hope… We had practice all three days this weekend. We scrimmaged two of the days. We prepared like we were into the tournament. 

“But I wanted them to watch that show, whether we got in or not. If we didn’t get in, I wanted them to know what it felt like.”

Several members of O’Connor’s Virginia coaching staff are following him to Mississippi State, including MSU associate head coach Kevin McMullan. O’Connor is excited to get started in Starkville.

“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.”