Lopez Withdraws From Consideration for UCI Job

Florida Coach Andy Lopez withdrew from consideration Thursday for the baseball coaching job at UC Irvine.

A native of San Pedro who coached Pepperdine to the 1996 NCAA title, Lopez spent two days this week at UC Irvine talking with Athletic Director Dan Guerrero.

“We brought Andy Lopez out here to look at the situation at UC Irvine and see if it was the best fit for him and his family,” said Guerrero, a long-time friend of Lopez. “He evaluated everything and then made the decision that he wanted to stay in Florida.”

Lopez met with Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley on Thursday and held a two-hour staff meeting before announcing his decision.

Irvine is bringing back baseball in 2002 after a 10-year hiatus and sources said the school offered Lopez a salary package that included a discount on housing worth about $200,000. Lopez makes about $180,000 a year at Florida.

Lopez is the second person to interview for the job. Cypress College Coach Scott Pickler met last week with Guerrero, who said he hopes to have the job filled by Aug. 1.