When he first got to the University of Maryland, Hollis Porter was just as far from home culturally as he was physically.

Porter, a “good old country boy from the middle of nowhere” as a former teammate described, knew that Maryland baseball would provide a substantial contrast to his hometown of Hurley, Mississippi — population of about 1,300. 

But for the first baseman and now two-time transfer, finding confidence in an unexpected environment has become second nature. After a stop in the SEC and a year in the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference, Big Ten baseball is now just another adjustment for Porter.

The East Central High School alum earned a handful of collegiate baseball offers after graduating in 2022. Pearl River Community College — a Division II junior college baseball powerhouse — in Poplarville, Mississippi, initially seemed like Porter’s best option. He’d have an opportunity at consistent playing time, while retaining a sense of familiarity at a school just under 80 miles west of Hurley. 

Yet, even while being “essentially committed” to the Wildcats, Porter pursued opportunities at the four-year level. His swagger and determination ultimately took him north to Starkville for a scouting combine at Mississippi State University. 

For Porter, the day started with an impressive batting practice and ended with an offer to play SEC baseball with the Bulldogs. He couldn’t pass it up.

Porter spent one, largely uneventful year at Mississippi State. On a Bulldogs team that was just three years removed from its first College World Series title, Porter redshirted in 2024, not receiving a single plate appearance. He wanted at-bats to prove the Bulldog coaches who said he had “serious juice” right.

Entering the transfer portal made the most sense for Porter, who quickly heard from Pearl River and head baseball coach Michael Avalon. The interest was mutual.

“The big thing was selling him on the fact that he’ll come down to the two-year level,” Avalon said. “I’ve never known a guy that’s come from a four-year school and [baseball’s] not slowed down for him when transitioning to junior college.”

It didn’t click immediately, but Porter eventually bought into the slower pace of junior college baseball at Pearl River. Even before his high school recruitment process, the school held a special connection for Porter and his family.

Porter’s mom, Heidi, had been best friends with Devin Smith since the second grade. Smith’s husband, Seth, had coached football at Pearl River for the last half decade — a coincidental moment that led Porter to Pearl River in what Avalon called a “unique situation.”

After a year at Mississippi State without regular-season experience, a jaded version of Porter arrived at Pearl River. Wildcat coaches saw an apprehensive Porter, a stark difference from the Porter who almost attended Pearl River out of high school.

“When he came back to us, he lacked confidence,” Avalon said. “When you go to the SEC and don’t get the opportunities you had hoped for, it can damage you… and it’s ironic to say Hollis lacked confidence because confidence is what makes Hollis special.”

Hindered by a sluggish first few months, Porter failed to become a starter during his lone fall in Poplarville. His former Pearl River teammate Bryce Fowler originally thought Porter had checked out early.

“Truthfully, I saw it as an ‘I don’t care’ attitude,” Fowler said. “Thinking it was the fall and none of it mattered.”

“A piece of me thought I should still be playing at Mississippi State, but I had to fall in love with Pearl River,” Porter added. “And once I did, I started buying into what had made them successful.” 

Porter started focusing on the sport’s nuances after a disappointing fall season. He sought out extra swings with hitting coach Slater Lott. Fowler and Avalon also noted that Porter grew to respect junior college pitching. With a sluggish autumn firmly in the past, he earned the starting first base spot after an early spring injury to teammate Caston Thompson.

“The struggle motivated him and he knew the improvements to make; that was the biggest change in him,” Avalon said. “Through his work, he prepared himself for success.”

Ahead of opening day, the confidence Porter lost at Mississippi State finally returned. His trash-talking, big-grinning self was back with a promise made to Fowler the night before Pearl River’s first game.

“He looked at me and said, ‘I’m going to bat .400 with 20 [home runs],’” Fowler recalled. “I thought he was crazy; there was no way.”

Porter went a team-high 4-for-5 in that opening day win, launching the Wildcats’ first home run of the season — a sign of things to come at Pearl River.

The first basemen essentially kept his promise to Fowler by batting .399 on the season with 20 home runs — Pearl River’s single season record. The Wildcats finished 49-10 and Porter was named conference MVP.

Porter earned the recognition while competing with Fowler to be the Wildcats’ best player during any given game. The close friends turned and pointed to each other after nearly every hit, signaling it was the other’s turn to get on base.

“They pushed each other,” Avalon said. “I remember telling [Porter] he was arguably our best player, ‘arguably’ because Bryce was sitting right over there.”

The duo also shared the same view of what Pearl River meant to their athletic careers: a one-year pitstop before returning to the Power Conference level. 

After the Wildcats’ season, Fowler stayed in the South, transferring to the University of Alabama to play under former Maryland head coach Rob Vaughn. Meanwhile, Porter listened to an unexpected offer from the University of Maryland and Vaughn’s successor, Matt Swope.

Swope sold Porter on the Big Ten starting opportunities at Maryland and the unorthodox motor preference approach Swope has taken to coaching. Moving over one thousand miles away from home, Porter was in, committing to Maryland this past June.

“Hollis is just a country boy from Hurley, he likes to hunt and fish so to be honest, I thought he’d never go to Maryland,” Avalon said. “But it’s probably one of the strongest stories that I’ll share in my career. We always have a hard time with Mississippi kids being willing to go away from home… but he told me ‘I want to do this because it’s what’s best for my career.’

Learning from his previous fall, Porter got to College Park with an established work ethic this past off-season. He hit over .400 with 7 home runs during Maryland’s fall season, becoming a player Swope described as “dynamic with one of [Maryland’s] highest average exit velocities,” before the regular season even started.

Now, into May, Porter’s settled into the heart of Maryland’s lineup as the Terps’ everyday first basemen. Porter’s .309 average across 52 starts this year ranks highest among Maryland newcomers. His 21 home runs are the second-most by a Big Ten hitter this season and are tied for the third-highest mark nationally — no other Big Ten junior college transfer has more than 11 homers.

“What he’s done this year [at Maryland] hasn’t surprised us,” Avalon said of the Pearl River reaction. “That’s what we expect from him.”

“He really just wanted to go be a dog for somebody,” Fowler said, “And that’s exactly what he’s doing for Maryland now.”

Porter’s road to College Park wasn’t linear. 

But amidst Maryland baseball’s final weekend series, the Mississippi native says he’ll continue to work confidently, a mindset he learned at a small Division II junior college.

“Going from a bigger school to Pearl River makes you find the grit, it’s a grind there;” Porter said. “But what they do works, and they’re all just good people. Good stuff happens to good people.”