Snyder sizzles in circle, surpassing own coach

With 664 career strikeouts, a 0.92 earned run average and a .297 batting average on the season the numbers speak for themselves. Senior righthander Erin Snyder has been dominant ever since she put on a Tiger uniform in fall 2002. Now, as she faces the end of a renowned career, she is rewriting the Princeton record books and sending the opposition back to the dugout while consistently bringing in runs of her own.

Striking out the opposition is something that Snyder has done better than any other pitcher in the history of Princeton softball. She passed the previous career strikeout record of 561 — held by head coach Maureen Barron — two weeks ago in the game against Nevada.

So far it seems that Snyder has followed in the footsteps of her Canadian softball hall of fame coach. Both Barron and Snyder were named Ivy League Rookie of the Year and then Ivy League Pitcher of the year in their junior seasons. Now Snyder has stolen one of her coaches' records.

Barron is anything but resentful — after all she has a number of other records still in the book.

"She joked about taking me out of the game when I was one shy," Snyder said. "But she was completely kidding. She is proud of me, that I am the one breaking the record and proud to be the one coaching me."

But this lighthearted jabber is not always characteristic of Snyder. She is better known for her intensity.

She is described as "very competitive" by fellow senior, shortstop Cristina Cobb-Adams. Snyder knows her high intensity level is an advantage and a challenge at the same time.

"My coaches love that I am intense but want me to take it out on the ball," Snyder said. Over her four-year career, her numbers certainly reflect her ability to tunnel that intensity into her pitches.

Snyder's intensity isn't only advantageous for her since it spreads to the rest of the team.

"Snyder sets the bar high for herself, and the rest of the team follows her lead," fellow righthander sophomore Kris Schaus said.

While she is all business on the field, she does admit to letting her funny side come out in practice. She plays tricks such as switching gloves to throw with her opposite hand, not only because she is unable to throw overhand with her pitching arm, but also just because she can.

Off the field, her teammates describe her as being "a lot of fun" and even "goofy."

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But at the core of Snyder's game is the intensity and drive that she has had since a young age. Snyder started pitching at the age of nine, but did not begin to really focus until she was 12. However, a shoulder injury when she was 14 forced her to relearn all her pitches to develop the repertoire that she uses today.

At the top of that list of pitches is her rise ball. A pitch that fools batters into thinking they can hit a ball that is sailing by their heads at eye level, the rise ball is Snyder's goto pitch in a jam and her favorite pitch to throw because "when it's working, it makes people look stupid."

In addition to the rise ball, Snyder throws a change-up and a screwball with an occasional curveball to baffle the opposing batter. Because a fastball is too easy to hit, Snyder uses the movement of these pitches in addition to their speed to keep the hitters guessing.

But pitching isn't all Snyder is good at.

When she is not on the mound, Snyder takes over at first base so they don't lose her bat in the lineup. With a .297 batting average and a .453 slugging percentage, she is consistently productive and provides power in the middle of the Tiger lineup.

This dual threat makes Snyder even more dangerous for the opposition.

"Snyder brings a lot of talent to our team, not only as a pitching powerhouse, but also as a power hitter," Cobb-Adams said. "She is such a key player on our team because of her versatility both in the circle and at first."

But what is left for Snyder? Having already accomplished most of the tangible goals that she can set for herself, her focus for the rest of this season is simply to throw as many innings as possible.

"I'm not going to play after I graduate, so this is pretty much it [and] I want to get in as much as I can," Snyder said.

In order to do that, Snyder will have to continue to battle a stress injury in her right forearm that has plagued her for the last three seasons. Working with a new trainer this year has helped Snyder reduce the pain in her arm while she pitches, but the injury still persists and affects her ability to throw.

Luckily for Snyder, she is not the sole ace in the Princeton lineup. Snyder is able to split time with Schaus, a combination that proves deadly for other teams.

"I love when teams think that they can play us for the split by throwing their better pitcher second," Snyder said. "Because we don't have a weaker pitcher so we just win both."

The duo is beneficial not only for Snyder and the team. Schaus has been able to learn from Snyder as well.

"[She had taught me] that there will be good days and bad, but just to try to work through it because even at your worst, it still won't be too bad," Schaus said. "Also, you'll always get another chance, and not to let anything than your best satisfy you."

Though Snyder says she will not play after this season, she will be remembered in the record books as one of Princeton's best pitchers. And after all, her season is not yet over. There are still more strikeouts to add to that record, and more wins to tally if the Tigers hope to win their third Ivy League championship with Snyder in the circle.