Mike Capel - Collegiate Career

Collegiate Career

Capel attended the University of Texas in 1981, but did not play baseball, as stretched ligaments in his elbow forced him to miss his freshman season. Capel pitched sidearmed for the remainder of his collegiate career to compensate for a loss in the velocity of his fastball. In 1982, he was named to the All-Southwest Conference team and pitched a 9 win and 0 loss (9–0) record with a 3.68 ERA, as the Longhorns finished 59–6. His 1982 winning percentage of 1.000 ties him with 10 others for the single-season Longhorns record (with a minimum of nine decisions). At the 1982 College World Series, Texas defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Stanford Cardinal, but losses to the Miami Hurricanes and the Wichita State Shockers eliminated them from play per the tournament's double-elimination format. Capel played on the United States team in the 1982 Amateur World Series, overseen by the International Baseball Federation. Starting against Australia, he pitched a 14–4 complete game victory, as the match ended after seven innings per the championship's ten run rule. The United States eventually placed third in the competition.

The 1983 Longhorns finished with a 61–14 record and were ranked the number one team in the nation by Collegiate Baseball Magazine. That season, the Texas team featured four future MLB pitchers: Capel, Clemens, Bruce Ruffin, and Schiraldi. In the 1983 College World Series, Capel allowed four hits in a complete game against the Michigan Wolverines as the Longhorns advanced to the World Series finals. Facing the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Longhorns made Clemens their starting pitcher and won 4–3. Capel finished the season with a 13–1 record and a 2.98 ERA. His career winning percentage (.957) ties him with Rick Burley for the fifth-best in Texas Longhorns history. In June, before the College World Series, he was drafted by the Cubs with the 320th overall pick in the 1983 MLB Draft.