O’Conner begins his first season with the Ducks, third in the Atlantic League and 14th in professional baseball. The catcher split the 2024 season with Rieleros de Aguascalientes of the Mexican League and the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association. In 46 games behind the plate, he threw out 48% of runners attempting to steal. Additionally, he totaled 11 home runs, 38 RBIs, 37 runs, 61 hits, eight doubles, one triple and a .740 OPS in 75 games overall, earning Mexican League Mid-Season All-Star honors The 32-year-old spent parts of two seasons in the Atlantic League (2022-23) with the Staten Island FerryHawks and Charleston Dirty Birds. In 63 games as a catcher, he caught 31% of baserunners stealing. Offensively, he batted .263 with 14 home runs, 63 RBIs, 51 runs, 102 hits, 26 doubles, 37 walks and a .771 OPS in 118 games overall.

The Indianapolis native spent the first eight seasons of his professional career (2010-17) with the Tampa Bay Rays organization, reaching as high as Triple-A Durham. During that time, he posted a 44% caught stealing percentage. In 2014, he was named an MiLB.com Organization All-Star, a Baseball America High Class A All-Star and a Florida State League Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star while being selected to play in the Futures Game during MLB’s All-Star festivities in Minneapolis. After playing 82 games in 2018 with the St. Paul Saints, then of the American Association, he spent 2019 as a pitcher in the Chicago White Sox system, going 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA and one save in 14 relief appearances. O’Conner was originally selected by the Rays in the first round (31st overall) of the 2010 amateur draft.