Blue White Illustrated

teve Snyder was on the phone from an Ohio-bound bus, en route to a midweek nonconference game at Kent State. He'd been tasked with ex- plaining how, after two seasons of batting just a shade over .250, he was hitting close to 100 points higher during his sen- ior year. The only real difference, he said, was respiration. "The biggest thing is breathing," Snyder said. "Taking a deep breath after a tough pitch, when you thought it was a ball but it's called a strike. It calms you down. Otherwise, I haven't done anything different." It may seem like a bit of an oversimpli- fication from the Nittany Lions' best hit- ter, and it probably is. But even the more complicated answer is a fairly simple one, echoing the mentality instilled by first- year manager Rob Cooper. Penn State's new head coach preaches "The Process," a mantra that boils everything down to the small steps necessary to achieve suc- cess. Snyder says adopting that mindset has proven invaluable. "It's just the rou- tine," he said, "doing the same thing every at bat, knowing exactly what you're going to do when you get up there. It's a detailed approach that we can fall back on if we're struggling. And it's not just hitting – it's about doing the same thing before every game." Snyder says that focus on the mental aspect of the game was lacking before Cooper's arrival, and while he doesn't specifically call out departed coach Robbie Wine, who resigned last June, he's clear in saying Cooper's approach has "really helped a lot of our guys." None seem to have benefitted more than Snyder. At press time, the senior center- fielder was hitting a team-best .338, mostly from the lead-off position. He also was leading the Lions in hits, runs and on- base percentage. Impressive numbers all, if down a bit from early April, when his .367 average and all-around play helped Penn State to its first ever 4-0 start in Big Ten play. The team lost 10 of its next 12 after that hot start, but Snyder's contri- butions still stand out. "I didn't know what to expect from any of our guys, but it became very apparent halfway through the fall that this guy was just a really solid player," Cooper said of Snyder. "When I call someone 'a baseball player,' that's a high compliment. He plays good defense, he runs the bases the right way. He's a baseball player." He's been one for a while. Snyder made the All-Big Ten freshman squad in 2010, finishing second on the team with a .355 average, but after redshirting in 2011, he struggled to regain his effectiveness at the plate. Snyder hit .258 and .255 the next two seasons, leaving the newly ar- rived Cooper with little reason to expect him to revert to his rookie form. But Cooper did see one sign that Snyder would make a difference this season. "He's a fifth-year senior, the oldest guy on our team, and he's completely bought into what we're doing," Cooper said. "If you're a younger guy on the team, and you look at the elder statesman doing that, that's important." Snyder considers himself a lead-by- example type – the perfect player, in other words, for a new manager counting on senior leaders to set the tone. Inher- iting a team that went 14-36 last spring, Cooper knew better than to expect an easy run in his first season. But with Snyder on board, the transition has been smoother than it would have been oth- erwise. That's a truth that bodes well for next season, and beyond. "I think the future's real bright with this team," Snyder said. "They have a lot of good guys coming in, and the guys on the team now can continue to improve." Snyder won't be around to help, of course. He graduates this month, and despite his eye-catching numbers, he says he hasn't spent any time gauging his draft chances. Instead, he's looking forward to starting work as an accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Philadel- phia, where he's already accepted a job. Not that he rules out the possibility of continuing his baseball career, if the op- portunity comes along. "I'm just playing it day by day," he said. "We'll see how it goes." ■ SNYDER BASEBALL Penn State swept by Golden Gophers Penn State dropped both ends of a doubleheader at Minnesota on April 26, falling 4-0 in the first game, then losing the nightcap 12-0. Starting pitcher T.J. Jann went eight strong innings in the first game, but the Nittany Lions weren't able to score de- spite totaling nine hits. Minnesota's pitching staff continued to dominate in the series finale, as Neal Kunik and Lance Thonvold combined to toss a four-hit shutout. The two pitchers struck out 12 Penn State batters. It was a tough weekend in the Twin Cities, as Penn State lost all three games by a combined score of 18-1. The Lions' losing streak was at nine games heading into a nonconference matchup April 29 against visiting Kent State. However, the Lions (17-23, 5-9) were still in con- tention for the eighth and final spot in the Big Ten tournament field. ■ V A R S I T Y V I E W S 'PROCESS' ORIENTED Steve Snyder's faith in new sta pays big dividends | S MEN'S LACROSSE Lions edge Hofstra in regular-season finale The Nittany Lions used timely scor- ing, strong defense and a complete team effort to upset first-place, 12th- ranked Hofstra, 8-7, at Penn State Lacrosse Field in front of a facility- record 1,682 fans on senior day April 26. In the final Colonial Athletic Asso- ciation game in school history, the Nit- tany Lions took out the regular-season champs to secure a winning regular season. Penn State (7-6, 3-2 CAA) celebrated the careers of 14 Nittany Lions prior to the contest and twice opened three-goal leads to frustrate Hofstra (10-4, 4-1). The Pride would never lead in the game as its six-game winning streak was halt- ed in Happy Valley. "It would be tough to articulate and put into words what this senior class means to this team," coach Jeff Tam- broni said afterward. "They are such a quality group of young men and they finished their careers in an outstanding fashion today." The Nittany Lions were led by a pair of attackmen, senior Shane Sturgis and freshman Mike Sutton, who accounted for seven of Penn State's eight goals. The eighth goal, which turned out to be the game's decisive score, came by way of a Hofstra own goal in the third quarter as the Lions held off a late rally. The Nittany Lions were ruled ineligi- ble for the CAA tournament this year due to their impending departure. The Big Ten is getting set to sponsor men's lacrosse starting next year. WOMEN'S LACROSSE Cyr lifts Penn State past Princeton Eighth-ranked Penn State sent its sen- iors out in style with a 13-12 victory against 19th-ranked Princeton in the team's regular-season finale April 26 at Penn State Lacrosse Field. The Nittany Lions (10-6, 3-3 American Lacrosse Conference) got six points from senior Mackenzie Cyr, who scored three goals and added three assists. Penn State was set to return to action May 1 against Johns Hopkins in the first round of the ALC tournament at North- western's Lakeside Field. ■ Top-seeded, 12th-ranked Penn State defeated No. 3 seed Princeton in straight sets (25-23, 25-19, 25-18) to capture its 26th overall and 16th con- secutive EIVA tournament crown April 26 at Rec Hall. With the victory, the Nittany Lions earned a spot in the NCAA's postseason field. Sporting a 24-6 overall record, they received the fifth seed in the six- team field and faced Lewis on April 29 at Loyola Chicago. Redshirt junior Nick Goodell powered the Penn State offense with a match- high 15 kills to earn Most Outstanding Player honors at the tournament. Junior Aaron Russell followed closely behind with 14 kills and a match-high five aces to earn a spot on the All-Tournament team. Senior Peter Russell and redshirt jun- ior Connor Curry anchored the defense with a team-high eight digs each. Red- shirt sophomore Matt Seifert and red- shirt freshman Matt Callaway led the blocking unit with two blocks each. ■ N O T E B O O K MEN'S VOLLEYBALL Lions claim EIVA tournament crown WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY Seven players cut amid concerns about PSU's direction Seven players were cut from the Penn State women's ice hockey team, head coach Josh Brandwene confirmed to The Daily Collegian on April 21. Brandwene told the student newspaper that the cuts had to do with "the direction the program's heading in." The seven players who were re- ported to have been cut were Cara Mendelson, Katie Murphy, Jess Desorcie, Birdie Shaw, Darby Kern, Brooke Meyer and Madison Smiddy. Four of those players were walk-ons. The three who were on scholarship will get to keep their grants but will not play hockey for Penn State. Several of the players told the Collegian that they had a bad rela- tionship with the coach. "The girls don't respect the coach because he hasn't earned our respect at all," said Murphy, a junior forward. "He's been my coach for three years, and I tried my hardest to respect him and I still don't have the respect for him that I should have for a head coach because he's not a good coach." Penn State has gone 11-55-5 since the varsity program was launched in 2012. Following the 2013-14 season, in which the Nit- tany Lions went 4-29-3, 13 players met with associate athletic direc- tor Charmelle Green to inform her of their unhappiness with the di- rection of the program. Among the 13 players were the seven who were later cut. Murphy told the Collegian that the meeting was "about wanting to see change."

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