Daniel Lopez chose Kansas over signing with the Baltimore Orioles

Kansas signee Daniel Lopez had a major decision to make this summer. Should he go the pro route after being selected in the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles, or head to Lawrence and pitch for the Jayhawks.

In the end, he chose the college route, and a lot of that had to do with his family and betting on himself.

“I mean, it was obviously it’s a blessing just having the chance to choose between the MLB or going division one,” Lopez said. “But, I mean, it was really just about making my family happy, not just thinking about my future and what it holds. Just believing in myself, betting on myself, and stuff like that. But at the end of the day, it was about making my family proud and setting them up for the future.”

Kansas assistant coach Jon Coyne led the recruitment, and Lopez said Kansas quickly felt like home. Coyne started recruiting him in March and stayed on him until he made his final decision.

It felt like family at Kansas

“I met Jon Coyne first,” he said. “And the whole staff, they were really cool. When I went on my visit, they all felt like family, like best friends. I could just see that they all really liked coaching together. And that’s what really drew me in. They were just like best friends. That was my biggest point. It just felt like that could be a second family for me.”

Kansas made it clear they believed in Lopez’s potential and wanted him. They told him he would be drafted and there would be a decision to make about his future.

“When I went on my visit, I think it was like two days before the draft, they told me that I should be drafted, and I was,” Lopez said. “I think them believing in me and seeing that I was able to be drafted, and believing they can make me better through the process of these next two years, that’s what really drew me in.”

Lopez could be an immediate impact

Lopez, who pitched at Odessa College last season, also had interest from Florida, Oregon, and Purdue. But competing at the Big 12 level at Kansas stood out.

“I’m looking to make a big impact,” he said. “Obviously, KU was really good last year, and I kept up with them. I kept up with the Big 12. I feel like adding myself and others, I feel like we’ll be really good this year.”

His development as a pitcher increased at Odessa, where he transitioned from closer to starter. That experience gave him a new appreciation for the game and his own growth.

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His fastball consistently sits in the 94-96 mph range, and he said he topped out at 98. This summer he rested his arm after throwing the most pitches in his career.

“I didn’t pitch that much in high school, but going into Odessa, I started in a closing role,” he said. “Then, as two of our pitchers unfortunately got hurt, I started more. But it was really good. I fell in love with starting. It was a really cool experience. It kind of set me up. You’ve got to take care of your arm more. I feel like I’ve grown as a person because of it.”

Last season the Jayhawks qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2014. Lopez hopes to contribute and build on the success the program saw in 2025.

“I’m looking forward to building a family, first and foremost,” he said. “But also, just knowing that our coaches can help us get to that point where we can make it to Omaha. Hopefully next year we can win the Big 12 and make it to Omaha.”