Homecoming king: Hollie mashes in Augusta

It was easy for Single-A Columbia's David Hollie to make himself at home during Sunday's doubleheader in Augusta, because he was very close to his old stomping grounds.

The Royals' outfield prospect went yard four times in the double dip as the Fireflies swept the GreenJackets, 13-4 and 9-3. In the first game, Hollie belted his first homer of the season. In the second, with Columbia serving as the home team due to a rained-out April 8, he hit the trifecta.

The rescheduling gave Hollie the chance to play an extra game in his hometown. The 23-year-old grew up just 15 minutes away from SRP Park, a place that has become the setting for his top two baseball memories.

“Last year was No. 1 because I got two out in a game here, but this year takes the cake,” Hollie said. “I’ve never done that before, so it was really awesome to do in front of my family and friends.”

The 2018 37th-round pick started his power display in the seventh inning of the first game of the day. With Kansas City's No. 27 prospect Daniel Vazquez on first, Hollie crushed the first pitch he saw from righty Jason Franks deep to left-center field.

That might have marked the end of scoring in the opener, but Hollie was just getting going. In Game 2, he clubbed three moonshots in three at-bats. He mashed a solo shot to left-center off Jared Johnson in the first and then another to left off the righty in the third.

While Hollie said the first game helped get his blood flowing, his third big fly of the day made him realize something special was going on.

“For my last AB, [lefty reliever Hayden Harris] hung a slider, and I was just trying to hit it hard, and it kept going," he said of the three-run homer to left-center in the fourth. "When that happened, I looked up at my dad and he had a shrug with a smile on his face. That’s when I knew I was doing something.”

Our. Guy. #LetsGlow https://t.co/sSLU2CyCBn

— Columbia Fireflies (@ColaFireflies) April 30, 2023

Hitting four-baggers in Augusta is becoming something a habit for Hollie. Last season, he hit two of his four homers on the year in his hometown. While the 2018 Draft pick can't really explain the boost in performance in Augusta, it's been a thrill to have his parents, David Sr. and Jaslyn Hollie, witness it.

“Apparently every time I come in, I have a pretty good game,” he said. “I’m just thankful that I’m able to do this in front of my family because they were really happy, I was able to put on a good show.”

Accompanying Hollie’s mother and father was his Cross Creek High School coach Tavis Cummings, somebody he talks to daily.

“That’s one of my favorite people,” Hollier said. “He taught me the game, him and my pops, taught me everything I know. After the game, he had a big smile on his face, it just let me know that I did my thing."