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What Brian O'Connor said postgame after thrilling win over Ole Miss

3rupauk8_400x400by: Robbie Faulk03/28/26RobbieFaulkOn3

Mississippi State was down to its last three outs on Friday night and the Bulldogs were there by their own doing.

After giving up two walks with two outs in the seventh, Ben Davis surrendered a three-run home run to Austin Fawley and lost a 4-3 lead. In the ninth, the Diamond Dawgs would fight back and score two runs led by the RBI triple from Chone James that got a 5-4 win over Ole Miss.

Head coach Brian O’Connor was thrilled with the game one victory over the rival Rebels and the coach spoke to Neil Price of the Bulldog radio network about it postgame.

Question: Coach what did you think about your team’s effort to find a way to win that ball game?

BOC: “That was a total, collective team win. Ole Miss has a really good ball club and Hunter Elliot is one of the best pitchers in the league. It wasn’t pretty for us early offensively, but we hung in there. We were able to get those three runs in the top of the sixth and took the lead. Ben Davis just wasn’t himself. All of those guys out of the bullpen pitched great and gave us a chance to win and it was the right time to go to him. Coach Parker and I talked before the game and if it was two innings plus, we were going to go with him. He just wasn’t himself and tip your cap to their catcher, he hit that ball really good.

“Our guys got a lot of fight. This series means a lot to both teams and both dugouts. How about Tyler Pitzer at the end locking it down? That’s the best he’s pitched all year in our uniform and it was great to see.”

Q: Thoughts on Charlie Foster’s start?

BOC: “That kid’s got it and we’ve all seen it certainly all fall and the preseason. What a moment for him to go out on the mound to start for State against Ole Miss in their ball park and he was terrific. That was the Charlie Foster that we’ve all seen and tonight was a big, big night for him and a big, big night for our team for what he did with McPherson being out.

“Charlie Foster stepped up. We talked a little bit as a team about what makes this team special 25 games into the season and that is guys stepping up at different times and picking each other up. Charlie Foster went out there and did a terrific job and gave us a chance to win the ball game.”

Q: Does Ryder Woodson have a little bit of a clutch gene to him?

BOC: “He’s got a flare for it. The kid loves to play. Nothing gets him down. He’s got a smile on his face all the time and that’s what the really great players have. They’re loose, they love competition and what a big moment for him to start us off that inning and have that two-run rally there.

“How about Chone James. Infield in and two strikes and he’s fouling some pitches down in the strike zone and he gets a ball that he hits to right field and obviously the ball skips off the grass out there with the rain. That was a huge at bat as well, but it doesn’t happen without Ryder Woodson starting us off.”

Q: What lessons did you feel like your guys learned from the first road trip at Arkansas?

BOC: “That it’s the small little details that can separate teams. Both dugouts are extremely talented. It’s the little things and that weekend at Arkansas we didn’t do the little things in those two games we lost. I continue to preach to this team that we’re continuing to grow. We never stay the same and continue to move forward and there’s so many lessons.

“It wasn’t until Ben Davis entered the game that we had a walk in this ball game. He had the two walks and then the home run. There’s always opportunity to grow as a team. This team is showing the ability to take the lessons and apply them and continue to get better.”

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