The baseball journey for former McAllen Memorial pitcher Caleb Hollis has been filled with multiple stops. He signed his national letter of intent Dec. 13, 2018, committing to continue his academic and athletic career at Baylor.
Before he could make an appearance for the Bears, Hollis transferred to Southwestern, an NCAA Division III school in Georgetown that competes in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
He appeared in three games for the Pirates during his freshman campaign, recording one hit in three at-bats and one strikeout in 1.1 innings pitched.
Hollis again transferred after one season at Southwestern, leaving the Pirates to join the Crowder College Roughriders, a National Junior College Athletic Association school in Neosho, Missouri.
“I just really wanted to try and get back to a bigger university,” he said. “The coaches at Southwestern were great. I still talk to them. But I just felt like it wasn’t the best place for my growth athletically. So, I reached out to Crowder. Coach (Travis) Lallemand is a great guy. He got back to me pretty quickly and kind of got everything set in motion. I went up there and just really got it going. They’re known for really moving players on to top universities. Coach Lallemand is probably one of the most respected junior college coaches in the country, so it made it a pretty easy decision.”
Hollis was one of 20 pitchers to step onto the mound for the Roughriders this season, helping the team to a 55-8 overall record and the No. 1 seed in the NJCAA 2021 Division I Baseball World Series.
“That pitching staff is 20 of the most talented players out there,” Hollis said. “Everybody works their tail off. Everybody is just as good or better than you. Everybody makes each other better. Our rotation was made up of a South Carolina commit, a Charleston Southern commit and an Arkansas commit. So, it’s not an easy rotation to try and get in to. But when you get those opportunities, you have to go out there and make the most of it.”
He made the most of those limited opportunities, appearing in nine games, including a career-high eight-strikeout performance during his first appearance on the mound for the Roughriders, a 17-5 victory over Fort Scott Community College on March 2.
Hollis finished his sophomore season with an appearance during the Roughriders 12-8 victory over the Indian Hills Warriors in their NJCAA World Series elimination game June 1 at Sam Suplizio Field in Grand Junction, Colorado, striking out one of eight batters faced in 1.1 innings pitched.
With the win, the Roughriders marched to the semifinals where they were dealt a 15-5 loss by the eventual national champions, the McLennan College Highlanders, ending both the team and Hollis’ season.
On the year, Hollis recorded 25 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched, while earning four wins. Now, with another year of experience under his belt, Hollis hopes to return to Crowder for one more season to improve his skills and move to the next level.
Still, he remains focused on the team’s main goal: returning to the NJCAA World Series and capturing their first national title.
“As of right now, I am going back to Crowder,” Hollis said. “I am talking to a few schools and seeing what’s going to happen. But as of now, it’s that hunger to go back after being so close to a national championship. I want to go back and chase that. We have probably 25 guys returning and a big incoming class. We’re all very hungry to get back out there and make another trip to Grand Junction, Colorado, but this time come back with some hardware.”