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Mississippi State

Mississippi State Outfielders Nolan Stevens and Michael O'Brien hitting the transfer portal

3rupauk8_400x400by: Robbie Faulk06/04/25RobbieFaulkOn3
michael o'brien
Michael O'Brien (Photo by Mississippi State Athletics)

A couple of contributors for Mississippi State baseball are on the move after their sophomore seasons.

Outfielders Michael O’Brien and Nolan Stevens have both entered the transfer portal on Wednesday, sources told On3 Sports. They are the fifth current roster players to hit the portal in the last week joining fellow OF Landis Davilia, SS Dylan Cupp and RHP Gavin Black.

Stevens was the biggest contributor of the duo. He played in 66 games over the last two seasons with a .310 batting average, 39 hits, seven doubles, five home runs and 23 RBI. He emerged early as a dual threat player for State as the California native was brought in to pitch and play the field.

As a freshman, Stevens made his biggest impact on the mound where he threw in 14 games from the left side. He was 2-3 with a 4.72 ERA in 26.2 innings with 27 hits, 14 runs, eight walks and 28 strikeouts. His biggest performance came against LSU as he threw 5.2 innings of relief on Friday night and surrendered just one hit, one run, two walks and struck out eight batters.

Stevens started six games in the field as a freshman and batted .269 with seven hits and a home run. 2025 would bring more action for the slugger as he played in 37 games and started 28. He batted .320 with 32 hits and slugged six doubles, four home runs and 21 RBI. He had a .414 on base percentage. He played sparingly over the final two months of the season due to an injury.

For O’Brien, he was utilized mostly as a late-inning defensive replacement in centerfield for State the last two seasons. O’Brien provided a few highlight reel plays, including robbing a home run to seal a dominant three-game sweep of Kentucky this year.

O’Brien played in 61 games during his two seasons with six starts and he batted .172 with five hits. He left a message with State fans on X after his transfer news broke.

“First and foremost, I would like to thank Coach (Brian) O’Connor for taking time out of (the) day to sit down and have a great conversation about my future. I wish nothing but the best for him and he is 100% a great fit to be the leader of such a historic University,” O’brien said in his statement. “Thank you to the fans who have always supported me and my teammates even when we had our struggles. When I first stepped foot on campus, I was welcomed by many with open arms and have made countless friendships as well as memories that will last a lifetime. The University will forever hold a special place in my heart and a piece of me will always be in Starkville.”

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