Porter attended Millard North High School in Omaha, Nebraska, where he was a teammate of Conor Gillaspie.

As a freshman at the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2006, Porter had a .338 batting average, a .381 on-base percentage (OBP) and a .510 SLG.

Porter had his best season as a senior in 2009, leading the team in doubles (23), home runs (10), RBIs (62), batting average (.424) and slugging (.655).

[3] Porter spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons with the Gothenburg Sharks and the Victoria Park Reds.

[5][6] After winning just 27 games in his first two seasons as head coach, Porter's 2019 team was projected to finish 5th in the Summit League, but the Mavericks won both the Summit League regular season and Tournament on route to their first ever NCAA Division I baseball tournament appearance.