McCann enrolled at the University of Arkansas, where he played college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team in the Southeastern Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. After the 2010 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
As a team captain in his sophomore season, McCann hit a walk-off home run to beat the #14 LSU Tigers, 4-3, in front of a Baum Stadium record crowd of 11,103.
The home run was voted as the third-most memorable moment in Baum Stadium history by Razorbacks fans in 2014.

In his junior season, McCann had a .306 batting average, six home runs, 14 doubles, 11 stolen bases, 38 runs batted in (RBIs) and 35 runs scored in 61 games played.
McCann was a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, presented to the best catcher in NCAA's Division I.
McCann enrolled at the University of Arkansas, where he played college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team in the Southeastern Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. After the 2010 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. As a team captain in his sophomore season, McCann hit a walk-off home run to beat the #14 LSU Tigers, 4-3, in front of a Baum Stadium record crowd of 11,103. The home run was voted as the third-most memorable moment in Baum Stadium history by Razorbacks fans in 2014.
In his junior season, McCann had a .306 batting average, six home runs, 14 doubles, 11 stolen bases, 38 runs batted in (RBIs) and 35 runs scored in 61 games played. McCann was a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, presented to the best catcher in NCAA's Division I.
James McCann (baseball)