The Texas Tech baseball team on Sunday landed its first commitment this offseason from the NCAA transfer portal, one that might be hard to top for impact.
First baseman Hollis Porter, the third-leading home-run hitter this season in what’s now a 17-team Big Ten Conference, pledged to the Red Raiders, according to a report by On the Clock | College Baseball and MLB Draft.
With Maryland this past season, Porter batted .303 with 21 homers and 64 RBIs on a team that went 27-29 and 12-18 in conference play. He had a .632 slugging percentage and a .997 on-base-plus-slugging, albeit with some swing and miss. He struck out a team-high 79 times in 231 at-bats.
Porter’s a 6-foot-4, 225-pound left-handed hitter from Moss Point (Miss.) East Central. He’s spent one college season apiece at Mississippi State, where he redshirted in 2023, Pearl River (Miss.) Community College and Maryland. At Pearl River, he hit .399 with 20 homers and 73 RBIs.
Now the Red Raiders might need to hold their breath to hold on to him. Having spent three years in college and about to turn 21, Porter’s eligible for the MLB draft that unfolds July 13-15.
Tech finished 20-33 this season, tying a program record for most losses set by the 1985 team that went 18-33.
The transfer portal window is open from June 2 through July 1. Ten Red Raiders players from this year’s team have their names in the portal, according to announcements by the players themselves or reports by reputable outlets. The most notable include catcher Dylan Maxcey, third baseman Garet Boehm and pitchers J.T. Drake and Zach Erdman.
Porter started all but one game for Maryland this season, and Tech first baseman Robin Villeneuve started all but three games while playing in all but one. Villeneuve, though a senior, has the option to return in 2026. The NCAA, in a December ruling, granted an extra year of eligibility to athletes who started their careers at non-NCAA programs and completed their eligibility this school year.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Maryland slugger Hollis Porter commits to Texas Tech baseball team: Report
Reporting by Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
