Andy Lopez
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Andrew Lopez (born November 30, 1953) is a retired American college
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
coach. He was most recently the head baseball coach at
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...
, and has served as the head baseball coach at
Cal State Dominguez Hills California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH, CSU Dominguez Hills, or Cal State Dominguez Hills) is a public university in Carson, California. It was founded in 1960 and is part of the California State University (CSU) system. In 2020, ...
,
Pepperdine Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and th ...
, and
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. Lopez compiled an overall win–loss record of 1,177–742–7 in thirty-three seasons as a head coach. He is one of only three coaches to lead three different programs to the
College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...
and one of only two coaches, along with
Augie Garrido August Edmun "Augie" Garrido Jr. (February 6, 1939 – March 15, 2018) was an American professional baseball player and coach in NCAA Division I college baseball, best known for his stints with the Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball, Cal State ...
, to win the College World Series with two different programs. His Division I teams (Pepperdine, Florida, and Arizona) have appeared in the postseason seventeen out of twenty-six seasons. He has earned National Coach of the Year honors two times, and Conference Coach of the Year honors eight times. Lopez began his head coaching career at
Cal State Dominguez Hills California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH, CSU Dominguez Hills, or Cal State Dominguez Hills) is a public university in Carson, California. It was founded in 1960 and is part of the California State University (CSU) system. In 2020, ...
, a Division II school, in 1983 and built the program into a national championship contender. The Toros won back-to-back
California Collegiate Athletic Association The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. All of its current members are public universities, and upon UC ...
(CCAA) Championships in 1986 and 1987. He was also named CCAA Coach of the Year in three consecutive seasons from 1985 to 1987. In six seasons as the head coach at Cal State Dominguez Hills, he compiled a 168-152-2(.525) record. In 1989, he was hired as the head baseball coach
Pepperdine Waves baseball The Pepperdine Waves baseball team represents Pepperdine University in the sport of baseball. The Pepperdine Waves compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and in the West Coast Conference. They are currently ...
team at
Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...
. In six seasons, he compiled a 241-107-3(.691) record. In only his first season, he went 41-19-1, and ultimately won four consecutive post-season tournaments. In 1992, his team won the only National Championship in school history. The 3–2 victory over Cal-State Fullerton earned him consensus National Coach of the Year honors. During his seven seasons coaching the
Florida Gators baseball The Florida Gators baseball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of baseball. Florida competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (S ...
team at the
University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
, he compiled a 278-159-1(.636) record. He won two
Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
(SEC) championships and appeared in five NCAA Tournaments and two College World Series. While at UF, he coached major leaguers David Eckstein, Mark Ellis, Brad Wilkerson, David Ross, Ryan Shealy, and Josh Fogg. He also averaged 39 wins per season, including a school record 50 games and a College World Series appearance in 1996. Lopez, however, was controversial with some Gators faithful for not recruiting local players and for not extending scholarships to players that he did not recruit to the program. His tenure crested with a second College World Series appearance in 1998. Following a 35–27 season in 2001, Florida fired him. After being dismissed by the University of Florida, Lopez was hired as head coach of the
Arizona Wildcats baseball The Arizona Wildcats baseball team is the intercollegiate men's baseball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, United States. They compete in the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12) of NCAA Division I. Arizona has won four c ...
at the
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...
. In his fourteen seasons as head coach, UofA qualified for the NCAA tournament eight times, including two
College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...
appearances and one national championship. His 2012 national championship team went undefeated in post-season play winning 10 games, three at the Tucson Regional, two at the Super Regional against St. John's at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, and five at the College World Series in Omaha. Lopez is only the second coach in NCAA history to win the CWS with two different teams. As the Wildcats' head coach, Lopez has an overall record of 459-300-1 (.604), and a conference record of 174-165 (.513). Lopez announced his retirement on May 25, 2015, in a press conference alongside Athletic Director
Greg Byrne Greg Byrne, K.C. (born April 14, 1960, in Harvey, New Brunswick) is a lawyer and former MLA in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Byrne was educated at Fredericton High School, Saint Thomas University (where he received a Bachelor of Ar ...
. On July 18, 2017, the American Baseball Coaches Association announced that they would induct Andy Lopez into their 2018 Hall of Fame Class.


Head coaching record


See also

*
List of college baseball coaches with 1,100 wins This is a list of NCAA baseball coaches with 1,100 career wins through the completion of the 2021 season. Key Coaches with 1,100 career wins References {{College athletic coaching wins leaders in the United States * Baseball Ba ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Andy 1953 births Living people American sportspeople of Mexican descent Arizona Wildcats baseball coaches Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros baseball coaches Florida Gators baseball coaches Pepperdine Waves baseball coaches UCLA Bruins baseball players Baseball players from Los Angeles Sportspeople from Los Angeles