Dylan Campbell fully embraced the history and expectations that come with the University of Texas baseball program when he committed as a junior at Strake Jesuit.
But Campbell, now a junior outfielder for the Longhorns, is finding living the UT baseball experience is far more exciting than knowing its past.
“It’s been absolutely amazing,” Campbell said during a recent interview with The Defender. “Not everybody in their first two years of college gets to go to the College World Series two years in a row. That has been outstanding for me to be a part of. Last year, I was fortunate enough to play in it.
“It’s surreal. You don’t really know what you are getting into until you are in the mix and in it every single day. Then you realize how special it is.”
While Campbell and his teammates weren’t able to make it three CWS trips in a row after losing to Stanford in the NCAA Super Regionals earlier this week, it was still a season for the record books for Campbell.
He shattered the consecutive hits record for UT and the Big 12 with a 38-game hitting streak that began in March and didn’t end until the first game of last weekend’s Super Regional matchup against Stanford. But he did manage to extend his on-base streak.
The right-handed batter set the Longhorns’ record with 26 straight games with a hit on May 7 and then broke the Big 12 record with 36 consecutive games during NCAA Regional play against Louisiana. But Campbell, a first-team All-Big 12 selection this season, said his attention this season has remained on winning and not hitting streaks.
“Honestly, I feel like the mindset has really been trying not to focus on that or any of my individual accolades and accomplishments,” said Campbell, who led the team with a .339 batting average, 82 hits and 26 stolen bases on the year. “I feel like the most important thing is trying to win for the team. I think it will just take care of itself honestly. Where I’m at, I feel like I should be able to produce for our team offensively. If I’m not trying to do that it will take care of itself if we are just focused on winning the game.”
What’s next for Campbell seems to be the question quite a few people are asking with the MLB Draft coming up next month. But it’s not an issue of major consequence for Campbell, who just might opt to remain in school.
“I have thought about it a little, but I try to limit myself to thinking about so far ahead and just worrying about the present because we are at a crucial part of our season right now,” said Campbell, whose father, Donovan, played baseball at Texas Southern and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves organization in 1988. “I really don’t know yet. I haven’t thought too much about it or talked to my family about whether it’s going to be going to the draft or coming back next year or going to play summer ball. We haven’t put too much thought into that. It will all work out however it’s supposed to work out.”
