CONDORD, California — Now that the College World Series is over, a University of Tennessee baseball player with strong Lynchburg ties is now making an impression in the California Collegiate League. On Saturday, UT pitcher Hollis Fanning started for the Walnut Creek Crawdads of the California Collegiate League.

According to their website, the California Collegiate League, founded in 1993, is a collegiate summer baseball league headquartered in Moorpark, California. It is associated with both the National Baseball Congress and National Alliance of College Summer Baseball.

Fanning started on Saturday against the Arroyo Seco Saints – pitching eight innings. He threw a total of 98 pitches with 73 strikes and five strikeouts. He surrendered three earned runs, one walk and nine hits in Walnut Creek’s 5-4 victory.

The UT junior pitcher lives in Tullahoma and is the son of two MCHS alumni, Michael and McKenzi Fanning. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound Hollis is blind in his left eye. He appeared in five games in the Vol’s historic 2021-21 season in which they accumulated a 57-9 record, a SEC Championship, and nearly managed a College World Series appearance.

According to Vols Wire, Hollis made his first career start against Tennessee Tech on Feb. 22 before the contest was canceled due to rain. The Vols led Tennessee Tech, 5-4, in the top of the fifth inning with two outs before the contest was postponed and later canceled.

To learn more about the California Collegiate League, click here. •

{The Lynchburg Times is the only locally-owned newspaper in Lynchburg and also the only woman-owned newspaper in Tennessee. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}