Andy Lopez: Arizona baseball 'is going to stick around for a while' at College World Series

Chip Hale made quite the first impression on Andy Lopez.

It happened at Arizona, but neither of them had become the head coach of the Wildcats yet.

In 1985, when Lopez was the head coach at Division II Cal State Dominguez Hills and Hale was a sophomore at the UA, Lopez and the Toros faced “my dear friend (and the late head coach) Jerry Kindall” and Arizona at Frank Sancet Stadium, which is now the location of Arizona football’s practice facility and fields.

“Coach was kind enough to invite us every year and beat our brains out,” Lopez joked.

In Hale’s first at-bat, smack! Goner. Home run.

“I just remember him hitting a bomb to right field,” Lopez said.

The home run was one of a program-record 337 hits for Hale during his legendary four-year career at Arizona. Now, Hale could become the latest UA graduate to lead their alma mater to a national championship as a player and coaching, joining former Arizona women’s golf coach Laura Ianello.

Arizona begins College World Series play against Coastal Carolina Friday morning, the first postseason trip to Omaha under Hale. The Wildcats are in the College World Series for the first time since 2021. If the Wildcats win the College World Series, it’ll be the first national championship for Arizona since the Lopez-led team in 2012 — five in school history.

“He’s a perfect fit for this university,” Lopez said of Hale. “I sent him a text message, ‘You’re a man of integrity, high morals, good baseball guy, great baseball coach.’ He’s a perfect fit. He’s exactly what this university exemplifies. It’s a great place and a great town. I retired here with my wife and kids. We thank God for my time here at the University of Arizona.”

Hale still has a ways to go before he’s in the ballpark with Lopez for all-time wins at Arizona, albeit he’s only in his fourth year, while Lopez was the skipper of the Wildcats for 14 years and piled up 490 victories. Hale has 152 wins at the UA in four seasons. Reaching 157 wins by the end of the season is the goal for Arizona, signifying five wins en route to a national championship.

Leading up to the College World Series in Omaha, Lopez — who is one of three coaches all-time to lead three different programs to the College World Series in Arizona, Florida and Pepperdine — spoke with “Spears & Ali” on ESPN Tucson to reflect on the 2012 national title team, what makes this group at Arizona worth watching and an update on a former UA baseball player in a life-threatening situation. Here’s part of that interview:

What are your impressions of this UA baseball club?

A: “I read and heard a long, long time ago that as a head coach, you would hope your team is a representation of who you are. That was always my goal. I’ve had the good fortune of knowing Chip Hale since 1985. He’s a tremendous guy, tremendous human being and a really good baseball coach. I wasn’t shocked, I really wasn’t.

“I was shocked by the Friday game (when Arizona lost to North Carolina 18-2) and that blew me away. I was like, ‘Wow, that’s a really bad day.’ But the next two games, I was like, ‘Yeah, that makes sense,’ because I know who Chip Hale is. They’re a really good representation of Chip’s makeup, his drive, his passion and his competitive spirit. I think they’re going to be OK.”

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Do you see the same spirit and connection in this team as you did with the 2012 team?

A: “You see cohesiveness. We’re going to play for 27 outs. There’s a lot of teams that don’t play for 27 outs. I’ve been a head coach for 38 years — heck, I took a team to Omaha that didn’t play for 27 outs. We didn’t play for two weeks and we were out of there by about five days. (This year,) they play hard for 27 outs and the biggest thing is that they have an enthusiasm that’s contagious among themselves, and that’s special.

“It’s the intangibles. When you get to this point of the season, everyone has the tangibles. Everyone has the pitching, everyone has the hitting and everyone has the tangibles. You don’t get to the College World Series without the tangible athletic ability and talent.

“Now it becomes, who’s going to get hot and who has that intangible in them? Who shows up on a mission to win it and who shows up there happy to be there? ‘Hey, it’s been a great year! Wow, we’re happy to be here.’ When you have that kind of attitude, usually you’re going home pretty quick. I don’t know, I think this group is going to stick around for a while.”

Does winning a national championship boil down to who is playing red-hot and has camaraderie rather than pure talent?

A: “Man, Lord blessed me with two national titles. I say this pointblank and with all due respect — I love those guys for putting up with my madness because I was very demanding on the field, and guys hung in there and I’m so thankful for that — but the ‘92 club was not the best team in Omaha.

“The 2012 team, I love those guys, but they weren’t the most talented team in Omaha. You know what? They had one common denominator between the two, they played better baseball than everybody else during that stretch. ... You gotta get some breaks and everyone has to stay healthy and you gotta play well. You’ve got the eight hottest teams in the nation showing up and you gotta play well at the time.”

Former Arizona pitcher James Farris, who pitched a gem in the final game of the College World Series in 2012, is battling Stage 4 cancer. Do you have an update on the status of his health?

A: “James and I have been in contact since the day after he was diagnosed. ... He’s back in Arkansas once he got out of pro ball. He’s married, he’s got a 2-year-old boy, great-looking kid. James has Stage 4 cancer and it’s not a good report, but James is strong in his faith. James and I share the same faith and I send him scriptures every morning.

“I’m humbled and honored to wake up every morning and send James a scripture. ... His blood level is getting better, but he’s lost 22 pounds in the last three weeks, which is tough on him. For those who believe in the power of prayer, please keep James and his family in your prayers.

“Like I told James, my program was designed to make practices so hard, that games were a relief and easy. ‘Man, we just went through practice with this knucklehead and this little Mexican guy is driving us nuts in practice, games are easy.’ I told James that when he was diagnosed.

“I told him, ‘Not only did you survive this program, you were excellent in this program and you were a winner in this program — you won a national championship.’ ... James is a special young man and we’re praying for the best.”