Background
Lopez, Andy was born on November 30, 1953 in Gainesville, Florida, United States.
Lopez, Andy was born on November 30, 1953 in Gainesville, Florida, United States.
Diploma, San Pedro High School, 1971; Association of Arts, Harbor Jr College, 1973; Bachelor of Arts, University of California at Los Angeles, 1975.
He was most recently the head baseball coach at University of Arizona, and has served as the head baseball coach at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Pepperdine, and Florida. His Division I teams (Pepperdine, Florida, and Arizona)) have appeared in the postseason seventeen out of twenty-six seasons. He began his coaching career at California State University, Dominguez Hills in 1983.
In six seasons as the head coach, he compiled a 168-152-2(525) record.
In 1989, he was hired as the head baseball coach Pepperdine Waves baseball team at Pepperdine University. In six seasons, he compiled a 241-107-3(691) record.
The 3-2 victory over Cal-State Fullerton earned him consensus National honors. During his seven seasons coaching the Florida Gators baseball team at the University of Florida, he compiled a 278-159-1(636) record.
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 at the University of Arizona. In his fourteen seasons as head coach, UofA qualified for the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament eight times, including two College World Series 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 Saint John"s at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, and five at the College World Series in Omaha. 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.