GRAY DEYOSports Writer

Former Tullahoma pitcher Hollis Fanning is now a year removed from his collegiate baseball career. Here is a look back at Fanning’s time playing college ball.

Tennessee

The towering 6’8” Fanning’s time pitching for Tullahoma was impressive. His pitching prowess earned him a scholarship to the University of Tennessee. His freshman year was in 2021 and it was the start of his development at the collegiate level.

He only appeared four times for the Vols in the season and had a 6.75 ERA. The next year as a sophomore he massively improved his ERA, moving it to 2.70. He sat at a similar number of appearances at five, but despite the two sample sizes being small, it was clear Hollis’ play was trending in the right direction. He showed this in his junior season.

In 2023 the Tullahoma product logged a career-high 15 appearances and had a career-low ERA to pair with it. Over 14.1 innings he had 24 strikeouts–good for an average of 15.3 Ks per 9. This helped him to a 1.26 ERA on the season. Through three years Fanning stayed committed to the process and became a true weapon in the bullpen for the Vols.

Tennessee went 44-22 in 2023 and made it to the College World Series. Fanning’s superb play on the mound in playing for this caliber of team drew interest from other colleges. This led him to hit the portal for his senior season and commit to North Carolina State.

North Carolina State and Pioneer Ball

Fanning had an up-and-down year for his last year of college ball. He appeared 15 times for NC State over 17 innings and submitted a 7.41 ERA. The Wolfpack ended up making it to the College World Series for the third time in four years, and for Fanning, it was his second consecutive year going to Omaha.

Although his eligibility for college ball is all used up Fanning is still playing ball. In the summer after his senior season, he played in the Coastal Plain League for the Holly Springs Salamanders.

The Coastal Plain League is a wood-bat league for collegiate players to get eyes on them from the MLB. He showed well in his stint for the Salamanders and ended the season with a 1.32 ERA over 13.2 innings. His performance through this season and the entirety of his college career garnered him interest at the next level. He did not join the farm system of a major league team, but a team in the Pioneer League–the Billings Mustangs.

The Pioneer League is not directly affiliated with the MLB. Although several players have made a path to the minor league teams of the MLB and the MLB itself from their time in it.

So far in his first season for the Mustangs, Fanning has played in three games and has an ERA of 6.14. His best performance from this year is a 2.1 innings showing where he allowed no runs and had one strikeout.