Mississippi State pitching coach Justin Parker to remain on staff with Brian O'Connor

There will be one familiar face on the Mississippi State baseball staff under head coach Brian O’Connor.

The Bulldogs are retaining pitching coach Justin Parker with the new staff as O’Connor will keep the coach in his current position. Parker spent the last two seasons as State’s pitching coach and helped turn around a pitching department that was one of the worst in the SEC the previous two seasons before he arrived.

Parker also guided the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament this season after taking over as Interim Head Coach following the firing of Chris Lemonis in April. State was 7-14 in SEC play and the finished the regular season 8-1 to get to .500 in league play and lock up a Regional. They finished 11-4 in the final 15 games under Parker’s watch.

“Justin is one of the most respected pitching minds in college baseball and he cares deeply about Mississippi State Baseball,” O’Connor said in a school release. “He has an ability to recruit, communicate with the players and develop elite pitchers. I know Justin will put everything he has into our pitchers, both as young men and baseball players.  I am excited for us to get to work.”  

Parker keeps stability with Bulldog pitchers in new regime

MSU had a pitching staff with an ERA over 6.00 in 2022 and then 7.00 in 2023 and it led to back-to-back seasons of nine wins in SEC play. After Parker took over in 2024, the staff became one of the best in the country.

Parker dropped the ERA by nearly 3.00 runs as he helped State to a 4.17 ERA which was good for four in the SEC and 13^th in the country. The Bulldogs were ninth in the country with 639 strikeouts.

At the forefront of his turnaround was Purdue transfer Khal Stephen and sophomore ambidextrous pitcher Jurrangelo Cijtnje. Parker developed them into one of the best combos on the weekend nationally as Stephen finished first-team All-SEC with a 3.28 ERA and 107 strikeouts to just 21 walks in 96.1 innings. Cijntje went from an 8.10 ERA as a freshman to a 3.67 ERA and 113 K to 30 walks.

Cijntje worked himself into a first round draft pick with Stephen earning a second round selection. Parker also got a top-four round pick in Nate Dohm.

Perhaps even more impressive was the work of Parker’s bullpen arms. Lefty Tyler Davis went from a 9.13 ERA with 21 strikeouts and 21 walks in 14 games and 22.2 innings in 2023 to 6-1, 2.80 and 41 strikeouts and 14 walks in 35.1 frames. Righty Tyson Hardin went from a 12.81 ERA to one of the best bullpen arms in the SEC throwing 36.1 innings and delivering a 3.22 ERA. Both players would be drafted as well.

Parker delivered a 4.44 ERA this season as State struck out even more batters this season with 653. Pico Kohn developed into a Friday night starter in the SEC this year and struck out 114 batters to just 29 walks. Additionally, Parker threw several arms in big spots that were coming off of arm injuries and pitching for the first time in Stone Simmons, Dane Burns, Ryan McPherson and Nate Williams.

McPherson and lefty Charlie Foster are two players that look to be cornerstones for the future for the Diamond Dawgs if both stay with Parker. Each had big moments in the 2025 season.

Evan Siary was also a big story in 2024 as he went from two seasons with over 7.00 runs on the mound to a 4.00 ERA this season as a weekend starter. He threw 54.0 innings and struck out a career-high 72 batters to 24 walks.

“The Mississippi State fanbase and community has welcomed me and my family to Starkville the last two years,” Parker said.  “I’ve always admired Coach O’Connor, his staff and their program, and I am excited to join them in creating something special at Mississippi State. I am looking forward to continue building on the unmatched tradition and support that this community offers. Hail State!”

Parker looks to have rounded out the staff for O’Connor in his first year with the Bulldogs and now State begins to push for the next crop of State players out of the transfer portal.