COLLEGE BASEBALL : FLORIDA'S OK, BUT LOPEZ MISSES L.A.Byline: Eric Sondheimer He moved from one coast to the other coast, from Disneyland to Disney World. But two years after leaving Pepperdine to become head baseball coach at the University of Florida University of Florida is the third-largest university in the United States, with 50,912 students (as of Fall 2006) and has the eighth-largest budget (nearly $1.9 billion per year). UF is home to 16 colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes. , Andy Lopez Andy Lopez is currently the head baseball coach at the University of Arizona. He is a veteran coach who has compiled an 855-541-7 record in his 24 seasons as a head baseball coach. hasn't forgotten his L.A. roots. ``Even as I speak, there's a part of me that longs to be back,'' he said by phone earlier this week. ``There isn't a day I don't think of something of L.A. - driving to Blair Field Blair Field is a stadium in Long Beach, California. It originally opened in 1956 and is primarily used for baseball. It holds 3,238 people. Located in Recreation Park, Blair Field is one of the few semi-professional baseball facilities in California. , going to watch a game at Chatsworth High . . .'' As he dreams of his L.A. days, Lopez is proving that Florida was wise to lure him away. A year after not making the NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association playoffs when the Gators struggled to a 32-24 record, Florida is 40-12 and rated No. 1 in the nation by Baseball America  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . magazine. Soon, Lopez could be facing his coaching buddies - Mike Gillespie There are 3 sports coaches with the name Mike Gillespie:
UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX ) and Augie Garrido (Cal State Fullerton) - in the NCAA playoffs. It was a momentous decision Lopez made in June of 1994 to leave Los Angeles. He had spent his whole life here, starring as a player at San Pedro High, Harbor College and UCLA, then becoming head coach at Cal State Dominguez Hills and later Pepperdine. When the Waves won the NCAA title in 1992, Lopez was 38 and proclaimed a coaching genius. Two years later, he was hotly pursued by Florida and Arizona State. Looking back, he wonders if he would have gone to Florida if he knew what was awaiting him. ``It was rough last year,'' he said. He was criticized by local media, fans and even players. He struggled trying to mold the team under his ways. He ended up getting rid of several top players before this season and recruited 18 freshmen. Now the Gators are on the verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of winning the Southeastern Conference championship. Lopez will never become an L.A. basher. ``I miss it,'' he said. ``I miss family and all my friends tremendously. My cousin is out there, my uncle is fighting for his life with cancer. If I'm here 20 years, I'll always be an L.A. person.'' And don't be surprised if Lopez one day returns to Southern California should an elite coaching job open up. One wish: Lopez left Pepperdine just after he had signed a high school senior, El Camino Real El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road or The King's Highway) was the name of a series of pre-automobile highways linking the various New World colonies of Spain:
Wolf has gone on to become Pepperdine's ace left-hander. Lopez has signed his first California player - first baseman Derek Nicholson from Harbor College. Valley boys: One of the surprise teams this season has been UC Santa Barbara (32-16), which tied for second place in the Big West Conference. Head coach Bob Brontsema, a Chatsworth High graduate, and assistant Tim Montez, who coached at Montclair Prep, have done a remarkable job with only 7.2 scholarships available. Among the Gauchos' major contributors have been ex-Thousand Oaks outfielder Ryan Kritscher (.399 average), ex-Notre Dame and Pierce third baseman Lou Tapia (.322) and ex-Monroe and Pierce pitcher Chris Frith-Smith (2-1). Record crowd: Who said Texas is a football state? A record crowd of 21,043 watched a college baseball doubleheader between Texas and Texas Christian last Saturday at the Ballpark in Arlington. MEMO: Deputy Sports Editor Eric Sondheimer's column runs during the college baseball season. |
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