Alabama State head coach Mervyl Melendez, who led the Hornets to the 2015 SWAC Eastern Division championship, turned down a job offer to coach the University of New Orleans.
According to D1Baseball.com, Melendez declined an opportunity over the weekend that would have made him the next UNO coach.
Melendez was a finalist along with UNO assistant Blake Dean.
Another report speculated that Melendez turned down the job because of a reported $300,000 contract buyout he has at Alabama State.
Alabama State finished the 2015 regular season 31-18, and were one of the favorites to win the conference championship, but were eliminated in the early rounds of the SWAC Tournament.
His 120 wins as Hornets’ head coach is the highest four-year total in the history of the program.
Last season’s 37-win total was the most in program history for the second straight year and marked the first time ASU baseball posted three straight 20-win seasons, as well as back-to-back 30-win seasons.
In 2014, Melendez led Alabama State to a Eastern Division title for the first time since 1992, as ASU advanced to the conference championship game for the first in school history. He was also named SWAC Coach of the Year.
In 16 seasons as head coach, Melendez has posted 11 30-win seasons. In 12 years at Bethune-Cookman University, Melendez won 11 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championships, earning 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 2002 win over Florida International.
