On top of that, attendance at Perry Field declined for the third straight year to an average of 1,480 this season, the lowest since 1988. Like I said, this was a series of evaluations. Florida will buy out the final three years on Lopez's contract. Last summer, Lopez turned down the head coaching job at University of California-Irvine to remain at Florida. This year has been a blessing.
Nobody understands it.
My wife understands it, I understand it. One day I hope my children will understand it. Lopez was forced to use three pitchers recovering from off-season Tommy John surgery in his starting rotation. Also, Florida lost senior slugger Jason Dill for 26 games between two suspensions and a broken hand. Senior pitcher Jeff Cardozo missed the season with a shoulder injury and senior reliever Kenny Birch was lost for the season when he broke his jaw after being struck in the face with a line drive on April 8 against Kentucky.